General Admission tickets at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya are also called ‘Pelouse’ tickets. These get you access to the circuit and allow you to watch the racing from the grass banks around the track.
To make the most of your experience you need to pick the right spot to watch from and bring the right items to make you trip to the track as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. It will be HOT – so be prepared.
The information in this article will help you do just that, and is applicable to general admission tickets at both the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix and the MotoGP Catalonia.
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Circuit de Catalunya General Admission - Pelouse
General Admission tickets at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya for either the Formula 1 or MotoGP are called Pelouse tickets. These allow you to access the circuit, all the fan zones and watch from a number of the track-side grassy viewing areas, most of which are slightly banked.
If you’re on a budget then General Admission tickets are the cheapest way to access the circuit for either of these events. You won’t have a numbered grandstand seat but you can still be part of the action and if you plan it right you can still get a great spot to watch from.
The map below shows the Pelouse General Admission spectating areas around the circuit in green. There is also a Pelouse Priviledge at the Formula 1 and MotoGP which I’ll cover further down this article.
The Circuit de Barcelona is in the Montmelo municipality of Catalunya and hosts both the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix and the MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix. This grand stand is a permanent fixture that’s available for both events.
Buy tickets for F1 and MotoGP General Admission Pelouse at Barcelona
Formula 1 Spanish GP tickets
General Admission Pelouse tickets are the cheapest way to access both the Formula 1 and MotoGP at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. But because this is the cheapest ticket on offer, they usually sell out fast.
If that’s the case but you still want some tickets, I’d recommend buying through ViaGoGo. You’ll be able to find 1, 2 or 3-day tickets for sale on their platform right up until race day and sometimes you can even find them cheaper than their original price.
MotoGP Catalunya tickets
You can also find MotoGP Catalunya tickets for sale on ViaGoGo, and again there will be a good selection of ticket options available right up to the race weekend.
I’ve used ViaGoGo to buy F1 and motorsport tickets a number of times, including for my trips to the Las Vegas Grand Prix and this year’s Silverstone Grand Prix.
I’ve always had a great experience and won’t hesitate to do so again next time I book, especially as they have a very good ‘FanProtect’ guarantee which protects your tickets and money, so that’s added peace of mind.
Views & where to watch from
General admission tickets at the Barcelona circuit don’t get you access to grandstands. Instead you’ll be on one of the grassy banks around the edge of the circuit.
Below are some videos that show examples of the view from different areas. I’ve annotated the map with pink triangles and numbers to show which video was filmed from which position. The map also shows the TV screens that can be seen from the different General Admission zones.
1 – This video was filmed from the inside of the circuit just after the exit of Turn 3. A high-speed part of the track heading down towards a large braking zone.
2 – This next clip was filmed from just a little further along the same straight.
3 – And this video was taken from the viewing area right at the end of the same straight on the inside of Turn 4.
4 – This 360 degree image shows the view from the outside of Turn 5. There are some trees here that offer much needed shade.
5 – This clip was filmed from the outside of turn 5. This area isn’t listed as an official Pelouse viewing spot, however there is a small bit of space just next to Grandstand M where you can watch from, and this is your view. As a bonus you can also see the TV screen on the opposite side of the circuit.
6 – This next video was taken from just after turn 6 on the inside of the track. Again this is right opposite a TV screen so an easy place to keep up with all the action.
7 – This was filmed from just after turn 7 on the inside of the track. It’s an old clip so it looks like there’s no TV screen, however there is now one just across the circuit visible from here.
8 – This video filmed from a short way further up towards turn 8 shows the TV screen that’s now visible.
9 – This was filmed from the outside of turn 8, right between grandstand S and grandstand N.
10 – And finally this 360 degree image was filmed from between turns 9 and 10.
Best place to watch from
As the videos and images above show, only a few spots have visibility of a TV screen. For me that would be the most important thing, so I would chose to be somewhere around Video 8 above, filmed from just after Turn 7. Here you can see a braking zone where some overtaking happens, a few corners and a TV screen.
Pelouse Priviledge
he VIP General Admission zone is Pelouse Priviledge on the inside of Turn 1 at the Circuit de Catalunya. This is a more expensive ticket option and has a stepped grass area that gives great views of the end of the start / finish straight and the first couple of corners. A Pelouse Priviledge member also has access to a building on the inside of the corner with a viewing terrace.
The image below shows the grassy viewing bank in front of the building that Pelouse Priviledge ticket holders can access and view from the roof terrace.
This video shows the views from the Pelouse Priviledge grass bank:
What time to arrive
On the Friday of the Formula 1 weekend you’ll usually be able to find a good spot to watch from even if you arrive mid / late morning.
However on Saturday and Sunday, you need to get there as early as possible to try and get a good position. Otherwise you’ll be at the back of the crowd where it’s standing room only. So aim for around 8am.
My advice, if you’re going for more than 1 day, is to use the first day(s) to find your favourite spot. Then on Sunday get there as early as possible and walk to that spot as fast as you can. Then set yourselves up and be prepared to stay there all day.
Or if you’re only going for 1 day, use the videos and images above as guide for where you want to sit. Then head straight there when you get to the track.
The Pelouse viewing areas will get incredibly busy. Spectator attendance is going up every year thanks to the popularity of the sport. They’ll be crammed and hot, so be prepared.
Food, drink & water
There are a lot of food and drink vendors at the circuit but these are expensive. And in recent years the queues have been massive, especially on Sunday, and you can end up standing in line for over 30 minutes.
So bring a backpack and put as much food and drink as you can in it to save money and to save waiting in lines. You can bring your own food and non-alcoholic drinks in. Try and avoid canned drinks as they can sometimes not allow metal containers in.
There are free water refill points around the circuit, again there can be a bit of a wait for these but at least it’s free. But still bring as much water as you can carry with you.
If you’re walking to the the circuit from a train or bus station there are lots of food and drinks sellers who will be slightly cheaper than those inside the track. The closer to the track you get the more expensive they become. Bring cash for those, or any other bars you may want to stop in on your way to or from the nearby town of Montmelo.
Track Invasion
There is a track invasion after the F1 has finished. This is usually limited to the main straight only and can be accessed by one of the gates along that straight in front of the Main Grandstand. It gets busy, so if you want to get close to the podium you’ll have to leave your seat early to get to the gates along the main straight.
Radio & commentary
The commentary during the race will be in Spanish, but isn’t always easy to hear from different places. So bring a radio and tune it in to 94.4FM to hear the circuit commentary.
Or for English speakers download the F1 TV app, sign up for a month and listen to the live commentary through that.
Merchandise
There will be F1 merchandise for sale inside the circuit but it will be incredible expensive. 60 Euros for a hat, that level of expensive.
There will be some merchandise vendors outside the circuit which will be cheaper. Or just buy your merch online in advance of the race to save even more money.
What to bring
The most important thing to consider is the weather. It’s likely to be hot and sunny and none of the General Admission areas are covered. Finding shade is hard, so you’ll spend most of the day in the sun. But you can make your own shade by bringing an umbrella.
There’s a lot of walking to do and being in the heat all day is hard. It’s not recommended to bring young children for that reason.
Below is a list of items you should bring (or considering bringing) to the Formula 1 Spanish GP or the MotoGP:
General
- Tickets – on your phone
- Money – cash, cards & contactless payments accepted. There are no ATMs at the circuit.
Sun protection & clothing
- Umbrella / parasol (General Admission only) and some way of putting it in the ground
- Lots of sun block
- UV protection lip balm
- Sun cap / hat
- Sun glasses
- Comfortable shoes suitable for walking – there’s a lot of walking to get around the different Pelouse areas
- Small misting spray to keep you cool
- Small personal hand-held fan
Spectating
- Ear plugs or ear defenders, especially for young children as it can be loud
- Bring a fold up camping chair to use in the General Admission viewing areas
- Picnic rug / mat / something comfortable to sit on if you’re on the ground
Electronics
- Fully charged phone
- Battery bank or power pack to recharge phone
- F1 app to keep up with the action
- Small portable FM radio (for Spanish speakers)
- Noise cancelling headphones to connect to your phone to hear what’s going on
Food / drink
- As much food and bottled water as you can carry
- A refillable water bottle
- Cool bag with ice packs to keep water / food cold
- Rehydration sachets / tablets to mix with your water
- Tissues / wet wipes
