Today marks the official presentation of one of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya’s major improvement projects for 2024. In line with the 2022 Strategic Plan, which serves as a route map for the modernisation of the Catalan sports facility to turn it into the best in Europe, the FORMULA 1 ARAMCO GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2024 was chosen as the perfect event to showcase this large multi-purpose building that arches across the entrance to the main straight.
The Rooftop, in addition to extending the range of spaces the venue is able to offer for hosting unique events and diversifying the track’s hospitality facilities, also physically connects the track, specifically the stadium area, with the paddock area. One of its floors, therefore, serves as a link to facilitate mobility and accessibility for visitors to the circuit, particularly for groups with reduced mobility, as it is equipped with five lifts.
Aside from its functional benefits, the building stands as a symbol of the transformation that the Circuit is undergoing. Alongside other symbolic elements around the track, such as the Indianapolis-style giant scoreboard installed in 2001 and the 2002 enlargement of the Main Grandstand with its unique roof (which was also inaugurated during the Spanish F1 Grand Prix), the Rooftop has become a new emblematic landmark of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Rooftop, which includes its impressive 30-m South Tower, took 600 tonnes of structural steel to build, as well as 14 tonnes of screws and 5.3 km of profiles (the equivalent of a return trip from the Circuit to the centre of Montmeló). It has also added 900 m2 of additional space to the Circuit’s available facilities.
The opening ceremony for the new area took place this evening in an event attended by a number of guests, government officials and media representatives. Government of Catalonia Minister for Business and Labour and President of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Roger Torrent, gave the opening speech before guests were treated to a drone display in the night sky over the Circuit.
Roger Torrent, Government of Catalonia Minister for Business and Labour and President of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya:
“The Rooftop is an architectural landmark set in an excellent position on the track that is now destined to become an iconic part of the Circuit and from where visitors will be able to enjoy spectacular views of all the F1 action. This building is part of the Circuit’s action plan, a roadmap to transform this facility, both physically and in relation to its uses and management. A plan to modernise it, adapt it to new realities, make it more accessible to the public and put it at the service of the country.”
