Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya crowned world’s most sustainable circuit

• Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last ranked first in 2022
• Suzuka Circuit in Japan named as most improved circuit
• Honourable mentions given to Magny-Cours, Sonoma and IMS

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has been named as the most sustainable circuit in the world in the fifth edition of the Sustainable Circuits Index (SCI).

This marks the second time in five years that the Spanish circuit has been awarded the honour, with Mugello Circuit in Italy ranking first in the other three years.

Mugello falls to second in 2025 with nothing separating Silverstone Circuit in the UK and France’s Circuit de la Sarthe, which hosts the 24 Hours of Le Mans, for the final spot on the podium.

For the second year running, the study – a joint collaboration between Enovation Consulting and Paolo Taticchi, professor of strategy and sustainability at University College London’s (UCL) School of Management – included a separate ranking for temporary circuits.

Once again, Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore topped this secondary ranking. The top three was completed by Miami International Autodrome and Delfi Rally Estonia.

The SCI picked out Japan’s Suzuka Circuit as the most improved circuit from last year, with the venue leaping 37 places. Honourable mentions were given to Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Sonoma Raceway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).

Notably, while the circuits at the top of the ranking have not changed much since the SCI’s inception in 2021, the gap between those at the top and the bottom has reduced considerably.

The circuits are ranked in five categories depending on their performance, with just 15 circuits around the world deemed worthy of inclusion in the top three groupings.

The majority of circuits remain in the bottom two categories but the split is changing. In 2021, the first edition of the SCI ranked 25 circuits in the second-to-last group and 64 facilities in the bottom group. This year, there are 44 circuits in the second-to-last group and 41 circuits in the bottom group.

BlackBook says…

It’s perhaps notable given Formula One’s much-publicised sustainability efforts that the series continues to move away from circuits making significant environmental strides.

From next year, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will no longer host the Spanish Grand Prix, with a new semi-permanent circuit in Madrid taking its place. While the Catalan venue technically remains under contract until 2026, a long-term future on the calendar appears unlikely.

Mugello Circuit, meanwhile, has only ever hosted a single Formula One race – and that was during the Covid-19 pandemic – and Circuit de la Sarthe remains intrinsically tied to endurance racing rather than Formula One.

Of the 15 circuits ranked in the top three sustainability categories, only four hold long-term contracts with Formula One. That’s fewer than MotoGP, for example, which races at five of the top-rated venues.