F1: Hamilton supports F1 staying in Barcelona

–by Mark Cipolloni–

On the heels of rumors of a possible Spanish GP F1 on the streets of Madrid, Lewis Thursday, Hamilton described Barcelona as “one of those classic circuits, one that I’ve always enjoyed testing at”

And when asked about the prospect of Barcelona being potentially replaced by Madrid, Hamilton quipped “as long as it’s not like Valencia was, which wasn’t the most enjoyable track to drive” – referencing the now-defunct street circuit that joined Barcelona on the F1 calendar as the host of the European Grand Prix between 2008 and 2012.

“I don’t think I would want to lose Barcelona,” he added. “One, I love the city, but the track is… I do think it’s really important we keep some of the classic circuits, at least the ones that provide great racing.

“You know, Budapest is spectacular, Silverstone is spectacular. This track… where else? There’s a lot of pretty great, original circuits that we should keep – maybe some that don’t provide the greatest of racing, switch those out.

“I just think about the heritage of the sport, we’ve got to make sure we hold on to that, knowing the pillars of what this sport is.”