Many believe the Circuit de Catalunya to be the leading Spanish racing circuit, and it is also viewed as one of the most iconic and popular circuits in the world. Built in 1991, events such as the Moto GP and F1 among many others, have all found a home here.

This circuit can be found in Montmelo, a small town not far from Barcelona. This is the reason why you might occasionally hear the circuit being referred to as the 'Montmeló Circuit' or the 'circuit of Barcelona'.

The circuit's great location makes it incredibly attractive to fans and tourists, who flock to the area in order to enjoy the nearby (and extremely fashionable) city of Barcelona and the scorching Spanish sun. The clement climate makes Montmeló a valued base for Formula One teams, and they usually choose to have off-season tests there during the wintertime.

This regular off-season testing has made drivers more no stranger to the Montmeló track than other circuits, however, leading some to suggest that races are becoming more and more easy to predict.

Overtaking at Montmeló can be difficult at the best of times. Drivers are hardly ever in a position to make use of the slipstreams of vehicles ahead of them because of the numerous curves, corners, and relative absence of straight.

The shortage of passing options at the circuit means that pilots are forced to record good times in qualifying, to secure as high a position as possible on the grid. Most of the Formula One Grand Prix of recent years at Montmeló have been won by the car that began the race in pole position.

Montmeló can be a treacherous test for inexperienced drivers, thanks to its ferocious speed and difficult corners. In 2007, the decision was taken to include a new chicane to make the track less dangerous. The new change has proved successful in slowing traffic speed along one of the most hectic sections.

Tourism at the Circuit de Catalunya - Montmeló

Since its establishment as a truly top flight circuit, Montmeló has enjoyed a huge wave in tourists and visitors. Formula 1 fans come from all corners of the globe to enjoy the excitement of grand prix racing and motorsports of all kinds.

Over the past four or five years a fresh, new trend of "driving gifts" has quickly gained momentum. These 'driving experiences' provide local residents and visitors alike the chance to get in the driver's seat of an authentic, luxury sports car and then put their driving ability to the test on the circuit itself.

For motor racing fanatics , there is nothing akin to driving around an authentic grand prix race track in top notch supercar, tracing the exact same corners, chicanes and straights as the legends of F1.

Montmeló holds these driving experiences on a number of weekends throughout the year, some involving up to 200 enthusiastic drivers,and for many of them, the chance to test their talents at such an iconic track is the fulfillment of their life's ambition .

And those with pockets deep enough can also go one step further - for around four thousand dollars you can book yourself a few laps in an authentic Formula One car, as either co-pilot or driver. What a pity it is that more people aren't able to afford this, the most extreme of all Montmeló experiences.

The circuit at Montmeló undoubtedly has plenty to offer; however, it isn't altogether certain if it will continue to enjoy its present prestige for much longer. Its future as a leading circuit is threatened a rival Spanish city - Valencia. Many people now suspect that The Valencia Street Circuit, which currently holds the European Grand Prix may soon replace Montmeló as the venue for the Spanish event.

The Formula One calender would no longer include Montmeló if that were to come to pass. This would obviously be detrimental to the circuit and would challenge its prestigious reputation as one of the finest circuits in the world. And if that is the upshot of negotiations, Montmeló would lamentably seem certain to face a future much less impressive than its past.