Places Behind the Races: Barcelona Edition
Let's talk about everything from Bad Bunny to Patatas Bravas to Primavera Sound and practice sessions...
Welcome or welcome back to ‘Places Behind the Races’ :) Throughout the 2025 season, Formula 1 will be visiting 24 different locations across 21 different countries. The global expanse of the sport is one of its best features, but I find that we don’t often talk about the places behind the races. With that in mind, I thought I would delve into everything fun and trending in the many locations that Formula 1 visits. From events and national holidays to movies and food trends, I have you covered. So, let’s get to it!
Events & Holidays
Primavera Sound Festival (4th - 8th June) - This weekend, Barcelona will be preparing for what is arguably the most popular and well-known festival in Spain: Primavera Sound. This festival attracts some of the biggest artists from all over the world. Headliners this year include: Charli XCX & Troye Sivan, Sabrina Carpenter, Haim, Chappe Roan, Central Cee, Fontaines D.C. and Jamie XX.
FESesDESIGN 2025 (31st May) - The Barcelona Design Festival returns for another year, an event dedicated to design that brings together professionals and enthusiasts from the sector to share knowledge and experiences and promote creative exchange. The event is free, but an option to donate to Arrels Charity Foundation, a longstanding homeless charity in Barcelona.
Top 10 Songs This Week (Top 40 Charts)
Capaz (Merengueton) - Alleh & Yorghaki
6 De Febrero - Aitana
La Plena - W Sound, Beele, Westcol & Ovy On The Drums
Mi Refe - Beele & Ovy On The Drums
Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido - Karol G
Baile Inolvidable - Bad Bunny
Still Luvin - Delaossa, Quevedo & Bigla The Kid
Flipa - JC Reyes & Dei V
APT. - Rose & Bruno Mars
Velda - Bad Bunny, Omar Courts & Dei V
Top 10 TV Shows (Netflix)
Rotten Legacy - After a grave illness, a media mogul discovers his children's tactics threaten the empire he carefully built — and he'll do whatever it takes to save it.
Secrets We Keep - When a neighbour's au pair vanishes from her wealthy suburb, Cecilie seeks answers — and unravels secrets that shatter her seemingly perfect world.
Sirens - Worried about her sister's too-close relationship with her billionaire boss, a scrappy everywoman seeks answers at a lavish seaside estate.
Desaparecido (Castilian Version) - Following a night out in the mountains, Jon vanishes into thin air. His friends all seem worried, but they each secretly had a reason to resent him.
American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden - Featuring rare footage and interviews with CIA insiders, this edge-of-your-seat documentary series traces the epic hunt for Osama bin Laden.
Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story - Recently discovered police recordings and first-person accounts tell the story of Fred and Rose West, two of the UK's most prolific murderers.
Love, Death & Robots - The Emmy-winning anthology of twisted tales from strange worlds returns, with stories featuring MrBeast and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Bet - At a private school where gambling determines social status, a skillful new student with a mysterious past is shaking things up — and betting on revenge.
The Eternaut - After a toxic snowfall kills millions, Juan Salvo and a group of survivors in Buenos Aires must resist an invisible threat from another world.
Thank You, Next - Leyla is finally about to get her happy ending with Cem, but will she allow herself to trust his mysterious nature and fall in love all over again?
Top 5 Movies This Week (Netflix)
Bad Influence - An ex-con gets a fresh start when hired to protect a wealthy heiress from a stalker, but their chemistry is hard to resist as they grow closer.
Fear Street: Prom Queen - Who will be voted queen at Shadyside High's 1988 prom? For underdog Lori, competition is cutthroat even before someone starts killing off the candidates.
Dune: Part Two - Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen to seek revenge against those who destroyed his family, leading to a struggle for power and spice.
Nonnas - After losing his beloved mother, a man risks everything to honour her by opening an Italian restaurant with actual nonnas — grandmothers — as the chefs.
Inside Man: Most Wanted - A hotshot NYPD negotiator butts heads with the FBI and meets his match in a meticulous criminal mastermind who attempts to rob the Federal Reserve.
Top 5 Movies This Week (Box Office)
Lilo & Stitch (2025) - The wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.
Thunderbolts - Ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes -- Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker -- embarks on a dangerous mission that forces them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Conclave - Cardinal Lawrence has one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, participating in the selection of a new pope. Surrounded by powerful religious leaders in the halls of the Vatican, he soon uncovers a trail of deep secrets that could shake the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Amateur - Charlie Heller is a brilliant CIA decoder whose world comes crashing down when his wife dies in a London terrorist attack. When his supervisors refuse to take action, his intelligence becomes the ultimate weapon as he embarks on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible.
Black Bag - When his beloved wife, Kathryn, is suspected of betraying the nation, intelligence agent George Woodhouse faces the ultimate test- loyalty to his marriage or his country.
Popular Food (Cozymeal)
Seafood Paella - Offering a vibrant mix of fresh seafood, bomba rice and a rich tomato base, this iconic dish features an array of shellfish and fish, cooked with sofrito sauce and fish stock, creating a symphony of flavours. Traditionally enjoyed for lunch, its origins trace back to Valencia, but it has become a beloved part of Barcelona's food culture, with variations including meat and vegetable options.
Patatas Bravas - A quintessential tapas dish in Barcelona, patatas bravas features crispy, twice-fried potato cubes served with a spicy bravas sauce and garlicky aioli. The bravas sauce varies by bar, with some opting for a tangy tomato base and others a spiced mayonnaise.
Crema Catalana - This beloved Catalan dessert is similar to crème brûlée but with a distinct twist. This creamy custard is infused with citrus and cinnamon. Crema Catalana is topped with a crispy caramelised sugar layer that crackles delightfully when tapped. Traditionally enjoyed as a dessert, this Barcelona food has a silky texture and sweet-spicy flavour.
Fried Potato Croquettes - Fried potato croquettes, or croquetas, are a beloved tapas staple among traditional Barcelona dishes. These bite-sized delights feature a creamy filling made from béchamel sauce, ham and mashed potatoes, encased in a crispy breadcrumb coating. Often enhanced with garlic, onion and a hint of paprika, croquettes can also come in variations such as shrimp, ham or vegetables.
Fideuà - Fideuà swaps the rice in paella for thin, short-cut noodles. This seafood-packed dish, often made with monkfish, squid and prawns, is cooked in a paella pan. The noodles are first toasted for extra depth, then simmered with rich fish stock and seasoned with saffron, paprika and garlic and typically finished in the oven.
Ahhh, Spain, I think I may be one of the only Brits who has never been here on holiday. However, my time is yet to come as I will be taking a trip to the Canaries (not mainland Spain, I know, but I’m still counting it) for a Hen Do in a few weeks and researching this post has made me extremely excited!
I am a true Spanish food lover, so I am hoping that I will be able to eat nothing but paella, patatas bravas and potato croquettes for the 5 days that I am there.
I also definitely need to listen to the songs in the Spanish chart now to get prepping for my holiday playlist. I can confirm that I am one of those annoying people who create a new playlist for every event and mood that I go through, but that just makes the ‘songs’ segment in these posts even more fun for me! Also, how good is the Primavera Sound lineup this year?! Fontaines D.C. are one of my favourite bands and I also love other acts on the lineup like Haim, Wolf Alice and Parcels - I’m sooo jealous of everyone who is attending.
In terms of the actual sport that this post is based upon, that new rear wing technical directive sure did a lot of damage, huh? ~sarcasm in case you couldn’t tell ~ Turns out McLaren wasn’t lying when they said they weren’t bothered about the new directive as they seem to be the stand-out team again so far this weekend. I have a feeling that Lando could have another good weekend, however, Oscar has gone well around Barcelona before, too, so it’s hard to count him out. Another person who would be stupid to count out is, obviously, Max Verstappen. He seems to be getting the maximum out of his car recently, and I definitely wouldn't rule out the possibility of him pulling out a pole lap. It would also be lovely to see the home heroes, Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, do well this weekend. Fernando’s most recent win in F1 was at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2013, and Carlos has never finished outside of the points at his home race so far in his career, so there is grounds for hope for good results between them! It will also be interesting to see how this race will look in the future with an extra Spanish race being added to the F1 circus next year in the form of the ‘Madring’.
All in all, I love the vibes of this Grand Prix and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the weekend brings!!
