The Montjuïc Circuit was a street course using roads through the wooded parkland of Montjuïc, a hill overlooking Barcelona's port. Its roots stretched to 1932, when a race was held on a street circuit starting in the Montjuïc Park, and the course that became the permanent Montjuïc Circuit was defined by a 1933 race. The circuit's anticlockwise layout had a split character: one half was slow and technical, the other very fast. This asymmetry made finding a competitive setup difficult and required drivers to balance competing demands.
The circuit was also used for the Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix twelve times between 1951 and 1976, and hosted the 24 Hours of Montjuïc motorcycle endurance race from 1960 to 1982, giving it a long identity as a motorcycle racing venue alongside its Formula One appearances.
Montjuïc was selected for the Spanish Grand Prix in 1968, with the inaugural race held on 4 May 1969. The circuit replaced the Circuito del Jarama in Madrid as the Spanish host venue on a rotating basis. Formula One raced at Montjuïc in 1969, 1971, 1973, and 1975.
The circuit produced exciting racing in its early editions. Emerson Fittipaldi was among the prominent drivers who competed at Montjuïc during its Formula One years, and the circuit's mixture of slow and fast sections created varied demands on the machinery of the early 1970s.
The 1975 Spanish Grand Prix at Montjuïc was the final Formula One race at the circuit and one of the most controversial events in the championship's history. Many drivers felt the circuit was unsafe and expressed concern about the condition of the barriers and the overall level of circuit preparation. Emerson Fittipaldi, the two-time world champion, withdrew from the race before the start in protest at the safety standards.
On lap 26, the Embassy Hill-Lola car of German driver Rolf Stommelen left the circuit. The accident killed five people — four spectators and a photographer — who were struck when the car breached the barriers. The race was subsequently stopped before half distance, with half championship points awarded to the classified runners.
The result that entered the record books was Jochen Mass classified as the winner, having been leading at the point the race was stopped. More significantly historically, Lella Lombardi was classified sixth. By finishing in the points, Lombardi became the first female driver to score World Championship points — and as of 2026, still the only one. She received 0.5 points, reflecting the half-points awarded for the shortened race.
Formula One never returned to Montjuïc after the 1975 tragedy.
The area where the Montjuïc Circuit ran was substantially redeveloped for the 1992 Summer Olympics, with the site becoming part of the Anella Olímpica (Olympic Ring) that housed multiple Olympic venues. The circuit layout's physical presence was thus largely erased by urban development. In 2004, the Barcelona city council decided to mark the old circuit layout as a heritage recognition. A commemorative event in October 2007, the Martini Legends meeting marking the 75th anniversary of the circuit, saw Emerson Fittipaldi return to drive his Lotus 72 on the circuit roads.
The Montjuïc Circuit occupied a brief but historically significant place in Formula One. Four championship races were staged there across six years, with the circuit's challenging character producing memorable racing before the 1975 accident closed the venue permanently. Lella Lombardi's half-point at the final race remains an unrepeated milestone in the championship's history, the only time any female driver has scored in a World Championship points position.