Catalan president Quim Torra has declared this Sunday, ahead of the racing of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, that he is "hopeful and confident" as he begins negotiating the contract for the Catalan circuit to be renewed as the venue for the premier motor sport event. Torra said that to ensure that Catalonia retains its presence in the Formula One world championship, "we'll give it everything."
The head of the Catalan executive made the comments after a brief meeting with the Formula One CEO, Chase Carey. "Catalonia needs Formula One," said Torra, commenting that the talks are now underway. "In March, we had a very enjoyable first meeting. We've now had an exchange of views. The truth is that we're very happy about this collaboration and I think the country needs to continue to have Formula One," he asserted.
The president defined Catalonia as "motor sport country". "Catalonia wants motor sport. We have extraordinary infrastructure, a public that wants to see Formula One, we have drivers who enjoy and appreciate these facilities, and it also brings very important economic benefits," he stressed.
"Bear in mind that this event creates 3,000 jobs, a return of 340 million euros for Catalonia, and so we are talking about a national project, a very important project," he said.
And he added: "This circuit is not only used on days like today. More than 500,000 spectators come to the circuit during the year, events are held continuously. Territorially this helps give us cohesion, and this is all positive."
"We have it all before us. I told [Carey] that he has the full support of the Catalan government to take the agreement forward. We are in negotiation. But I think the important thing is to maintain this spirit," he said.
For the moment, Lewis Hamilton's victory in this year's race marks the end of the last Formula One date programmed for the circuit on the outskirts of Barcelona. The result of the current negotiations will determine whether the race will be back next spring.