Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar Correspondent
After almost two decades away, the IndyCar Series opens a new chapter on the Old Continent, with a date that becomes a true home race for Alex Palou.
The IndyCar Series is returning to Europe and will race in Spain for the first time ever: the inaugural INDYCAR Grand Prix of Barcelona takes place on July 18, 2027, at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The series announced the event on October 23. It will be the first IndyCar race in Europe since 2007, when the American open-wheelers last ran at Zolder and Assen, and the first race outside North America since the São Paulo round in 2013, won by James Hinchcliffe.
Twenty years away, a date with history
For many fans of the series, this is no ordinary calendar entry. IndyCar has stayed away from Europe since the races in the Netherlands and Belgium in 2007. The Grand Prix is the centerpiece of the second phase of the 2027 schedule, which the series is unveiling in two steps. Landing Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a statement: the track in Montmeló, just outside Barcelona, has been open since 1991 and is known from decades of Formula 1 and MotoGP.
According to Mark Miles, president and CEO of Penske Entertainment, the Spanish side made the first move. International tracks call regularly, “but then we got a call from Barcelona,” Miles said. Talks took about four months to reach a deal.
A home race for Alex Palou
Nobody will be happier about the announcement than Alex Palou. The 29-year-old is a Barcelona native and the only Spaniard in the field. In 2026 he won his fifth title with Chip Ganassi Racing, and his fourth in a row, making him only the second driver after Sébastien Bourdais (2004 to 2007) to do that. With 25 wins he is tied for 17th on the all-time list, and only A.J. Foyt (seven) and Scott Dixon (six) have more titles.
“I never thought that there would be any day that INDYCAR would come to Barcelona,” Palou said. “I dreamed about having the series go overseas and kind of going to Europe but never in my times and in Barcelona.” A race in his own hometown is a rarity for a champion of his stature, and for IndyCar it is exactly the kind of story the series wants to use to gain a foothold in Europe.
A chance for Mick Schumacher and the series in Europe
Palou does not see himself as the only draw. Barcelona will be “the home race for more than 10 drivers that are from Europe,” he said. One of them is Mick Schumacher, who drives for Meyer Shank Racing in 2027. Fans in Europe will be able to see the series in person for the first time in two decades.
Barcelona is no one-off trial run: the agreement is multiyear, and Miles sees it as the potential start of a decade-long partnership. “This could be the home base for INDYCAR in Europe,” Miles said. With this date, the series is sending a clear signal that it wants to be a player beyond North America again.
