at the
2010 testing sessions, with
Red Bull RB6. The circuit opened on 8 December 1985. During 1986 the circuit hosted the first international motorcycle event in Spain in March and the
Formula One Spanish Grand Prix in April. The circuit's relatively remote location hindered significant spectator turnout, although up to 125,000 can be accommodated. Because of this, F1 moved to
Barcelona following the
1990 race. In 1992, the track eliminated four corners to create the long right hander
Curva Sito Pons. Due to the hosting of the
European Grand Prix in 1994, a new chicane was created (the
Senna curve) at the corner where
Martin Donnelly had a career-ending accident during qualifying for the
1990 Spanish Grand Prix. Jerez also hosted the
1997 European Grand Prix, which was the championship decider between
Michael Schumacher and
Jacques Villeneuve, who collided during the race. During the podium celebrations of the 1997 race, Jerez's Mayor Pedro Pacheco disrupted the podium celebrations by presenting a trophy that was supposed to be presented by a dignitary from Daimler-Benz. This incident resulted in the track being banned from hosting a Grand Prix ever. It has not hosted another Grand Prix since, but continued to be used for winter testing until 2015. During 2005, the track was resurfaced. It was expected that the
Champ Car World Series would race there in
2008 until the series was cancelled early in the year after merging with the
IndyCar Series. On 2 May 2013, it was announced that the final corner would be renamed after Spanish then four-time and reigning world champion (250cc -
2006,
2007; MotoGP -
2010,
2012)
Jorge Lorenzo. In 2017,
FIA Formula 2 hosted a stand-alone event on October 7 and 8 at the circuit. On 3 May 2018, the circuit was renamed in honor of the former motorcyclist
Ángel Nieto, who died in 2017. at the
2016 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix On 3 May 2019, the sixth corner (formerly
Curva Dry Sac) was renamed after
Dani Pedrosa, retired three-time world champion (125cc -
2003; 250cc -
2004,
2005) and three-time runner-up in the MotoGP class. ==Layout history==