IndyCar announced a 2027 race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on July 18, marking the series’ first European event in two decades.
Barcelona joins the 2027 IndyCar calendar
The series confirmed the Barcelona race as part of a multi-year deal, adding the venue to a schedule that otherwise remains unchanged.
Barcelona joins the 2027 IndyCar calendar as the only new race for 2027, while the Washington, D.C., and Nashville events are removed.
This will be the first European round since the Champ Car World Series visited the TT Circuit Assen in 2007.
Reasons behind the Spanish venue
Barcelona previously hosted Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix before the race moved to a new street circuit in Madrid, leaving the traditional track with limited use.
Series champion Alex Palou, a Barcelona native, has become the face of IndyCar after winning five of the last six championships and the 2025 Indianapolis 500.
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Palou said, “I’m so excited to be part of INDYCAR’s first race in Barcelona. It is an amazing opportunity, and it means so much to me to have a race at home in Barcelona, it’s hard to put into words.” He added, “I know the fans are going to love it, and I think we are going to put on a great show. We’re going to try hard with the team at Chip Ganassi Racing to bring home the trophy in July.”
IndyCar has long pursued a marquee round in Mexico City to leverage driver Pato O’Ward’s popularity, but negotiations have stalled for years, leaving Barcelona as the quickest path to an overseas event.
In the past, the series raced outside North America only once more, a 2013 street race in São Paulo, Brazil.
Schedule adjustments and series focus
The 2027 calendar drops the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a one-off celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, and the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville.
The Nashville event, originally a downtown street race announced in 2021, moved to Nashville Superspeedway in 2024 and was intended as a temporary measure pending construction of a new stadium.
Only five oval races remain on the 17-event schedule, held at Indianapolis, Phoenix, Gateway and a doubleheader at Milwaukee.
