With 125,210 fans trackside, race day attendance at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix was slightly lower than in 2023 – though the overall weekend attendance figure increased.
Max Verstappen won for a third consecutive season at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, beating polesitter Lando Norris to victory in the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix by a little over two seconds. Verstappen’s victory was witnessed by 125,210 fans trackside – a figure which is slightly down on last year’s number.
Last year, the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix had a race day attendance figure of 125,565 – the largest Sunday figure at the event since 2008.
Weekend Attendance Grows at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix
Despite a decreased race day attendance, overall weekend attendance at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix increased compared to the 2023 event. However, there seems to be some disagreement on the exact overall attendance figure.
Formula 1 reported a weekend attendance of 288,218 during the television broadcast of Sunday’s race. Meanwhile, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya reported a weekend attendance of 297,368 via their social media channels. Either way, the weekend attendance is an increase on last year’s figure of just over 284,000.
To put attendance growth at the Spanish Grand Prix into perspective, when Max Verstappen claimed his maiden F1 victory at the event in 2016, the weekend attendance was 165,029, with over 120,000 fewer fans attending over the three-day weekend than this year.
Attendance growth at the event can be put down to a number of factors, including Formula 1’s global surge in popularity and the presence of two home drivers on the grid – Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso – racing in decent machinery. It also helps that the Spanish Grand Prix is a relatively affordable race to attend and therefore attracts large numbers of international visitors.
The Third Best-Attended Race of the Year So Far
After ten races in 2024, the Spanish Grand Prix weekend ranks as the third best-attended of the season to date. It slots in behind the Australian Grand Prix (452,055) and the Canadian Grand Prix (350,000). Last year, the event ended the season as the 12th best-attended of 2023.
It remains to be seen whether attendances will continue to grow at other European Formula 1 races this summer. The upcoming Austrian, British, Hungarian, Belgian, Dutch and Italian Grands Prix all ranked ahead of the Catalunya race last year.
Last week, it emerged that ticket sales for the 2024 British Grand Prix are at a lower number than 2023’s record 480,000 weekend total. While the promoter puts the reasoning down to Red Bull’s dominance of the sport, our annual ticket price analysis suggests another factor in the lower than expected ticket sales is that ticket prices for the Silverstone race continue to increase year-on-year. This season, the British Grand Prix has the fifth most expensive average ticket prices of the 24 events on the calendar.
Catalunya Prepares for Final Spanish Grand Prix
Next year, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will host the Spanish Grand Prix for the 35th and final time. Having been host to the event in every season since 1991, it was announced in January that the Spanish Grand Prix will move to a new home in Madrid from 2026 onwards.
The Catalunya track currently holds a contract to appear on the Formula 1 calendar in 2026, perhaps under a new ‘Catalan Grand Prix’, or ‘European Grand Prix’ title. The venue’s future on the schedule beyond 2026 remains in doubt.
Last week, it was reported that pre-season testing – which traditionally took place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya until 2021 – will remain at Bahrain International Circuit in 2025, despite the Bahrain Grand Prix not being the season-opening race next year. However, pre-season testing could return to the Barcelona circuit in 2026.
The 2025 Spanish Grand Prix is due to take place on May 30 – June 1; a slightly earlier slot on the schedule than in 2024, taking place ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. Tickets for the race are not yet available.
