IndyCar Barcelona is now on the calendar. Specifically, the series will race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló, just outside the city, on Sunday, July 18, 2027. IndyCar announced the multiyear deal on October 23, 2026, as the centerpiece of the second phase of its 2027 schedule.
That makes it a big step, because the series has stayed close to home. By IndyCar’s count, it will be the first race outside North America since 2013, when James Hinchcliffe won in São Paulo, Brazil. It will also be the series’ first European event since 2007, at TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands.
For one driver, however, the trip is personal. Alex Palou, the 2026 champion with Chip Ganassi Racing, is a Barcelona native. So the first IndyCar race in Spain will also be his home race.
What IndyCar announced
“This is a monumental day for our sport,” Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles said in IndyCar’s announcement. He also said the series was pleased to take “our ultra-competitive brand of wheel-to-wheel racing to Europe.”
The circuit side sounded just as committed. Pau Relat, chairman of Fira de Barcelona and Fira Circuit, said the venue is working “with a long-term vision” to make the race a benchmark event. However, neither side gave the length of the deal in the release.
As for the track itself, it opened in 1991. It has hosted Formula One and MotoGP, and IndyCar describes it as a layout known for high-speed corners and technical sections. Tune-in times will come later, the series says.
Where the IndyCar Barcelona round fits in 2027
The full 2027 schedule runs 17 races in three countries, RACER reported on October 23. Within it, Barcelona is round 12. It sits between Mid-Ohio on July 4 and Portland on August 1, according to IndyCar’s schedule release.
First, the season opens on the streets of St. Petersburg on March 7. Then the 111th Indianapolis 500 follows on May 30. Later, the Milwaukee Mile hosts a doubleheader on August 28 and 29, and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca closes the year on September 5. In addition, a street race in Markham, Ontario, runs on August 15.
By RACER’s count, the calendar holds five street courses, seven road courses and five ovals. Also, every race airs on FOX in the United States. Meanwhile, two events from 2026 are gone: Nashville Superspeedway and the Washington, D.C., Grand Prix. Texas Motor Speedway had been rumored to return, but it is not on the list.
Why Barcelona, and why now
The timing lines up with Formula One’s plans. Crash.net reported on October 20, citing El Periódico, that Barcelona will not be on the 2027 F1 calendar. Instead, it will alternate with the Belgian Grand Prix, and F1 returns there in 2028, 2030 and 2032, that report says. In other words, that frees a big summer date at the circuit in 2027.
Then there is Palou, the other reason. He is 29, and he won his fifth series title in 2026, according to IndyCar. That also made him only the second driver to win four in a row. Only A.J. Foyt, with seven, and Scott Dixon, with six, have more championships. His 25 career wins tie him for 17th on the all-time list.
Beyond that, Crash.net adds two more firsts. Palou was the first Spanish driver to win a national championship in American open-wheel racing. He was also the first Spaniard to win the Indianapolis 500.
“I’m so excited to be part of INDYCAR’s first race in Barcelona,” Palou said in the series release. For the home crowd, that means a local driver arriving with five titles.
IndyCar’s last trips abroad
Races outside North America have been rare for the series. Until now, the last one was the 2013 São Paulo Indy 300 in Brazil, Crash.net notes, where Hinchcliffe won. Since then, the schedule has stayed in North America, and the 2027 calendar keeps a Canadian round at Markham.
Europe has been absent even longer. Indeed, IndyCar counts Assen in 2007 as its most recent European event. As a result, the gap before Barcelona will be 20 years, and the series will arrive at a track that opened in 1991 and has hosted Formula One.
For now, the date is set. IndyCar lists the inaugural IndyCar Grand Prix of Barcelona for Sunday, July 18, 2027, the final day of a July 16–18 weekend on RACER’s calendar.
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