For much of the 1990s and 2000s, IndyCar and its split-era predecessors had an eye on global expansion with major events hosted in Asia, Europe, and South America. Those days seemed to have ended with the last Brazilian IndyCar round in 2013—but an expansion-minded IndyCar is changing that, with a return to Europe next season. And that race happens to be an effective replacement for a formerly annual Formula 1 grand prix.

The new event is a race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, home of the Spanish Grand Prix from 1991 to 2025. Catalunya lost its marquee Formula 1 date when the new Madring took over the Spanish Grand Prix this year, but it still hosts F1 races on a rotating deal as the Grand Prix of Barcelona-Catalunya. That event is set to be held in even-numbered years while the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps hosts races in odd-numbered years, meaning that the track will not host an F1 race next season. That makes the IndyCar race the biggest event at the track in 2027.

With a 10-year deal in place for the IndyCar event, both this round and the Formula 1 round should be hosted in the same year at Catalunya on at least four occasions. It will be the first time a track has hosted both IndyCar and F1 in the same year since IndyCar’s one-off race at the Circuit of the Americas back in 2019.

There’s another exciting angle: Alex Palou, the five-time and reigning IndyCar champion, is from the Barcelona area, and will consider the round his home race. Its position as the only IndyCar race outside of North America will also make it the closest thing to a home race for drivers from all over the continent, at least until IndyCar explores further global expansion. The first IndyCar race at Catalunya is set to take place on July 18th of next year.