The Circuit de Barcelona - Catalonia has traditionally marked the return of Formula 1 to Europe, but this season, due to the coronavirus situation, the race fell due in mid-August.
Until 2013, the track was called Circuit de Catalunya, and after a sponsorship agreement with the City Council of Barcelona, it is called Circuit de Barcelona - Catalunya.
F1_Circuit_de_Catalunya _-_ Main-StraightStaza is not very popular, mostly due to the small number of overtaking and uninteresting races, which is due to its configuration with a lot of fast turns, as well as the fact that the teams test it the most and know it very well.
Barcelona is a regular stop for winter testing. In recent years, teams have been spending most of their time on this track, which is why teams come to the race completely ready, with detailed car settings. However, the differences in temperature between February and May require some adjustments to the settings.
Whatever the reason, races are often very uninteresting - in 1999 we witnessed only one overtaking during the whole race (according to some statistics 'even' four!) While in 2011 for the first time in the last 11 years he won a car that did not start with the best starting positions. Admittedly, Sebastian Vettel won who went second.
Michael-Schumacher-Ferrari-F2002-Spain-GP-Catalunya-f1-2002-onboard-qualifying-lap
Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F2002, onboard pole position lap in Spain in 2002.
The introduction of KERS and DRS has somewhat improved the overtaking situation, and the first turn is the most suitable place if the driver who wants to attack manages to drive the last few turns well. The second opportunity is the tenth turn followed by a very slow left turn. It was changed in 2004 when it became sharper, while at the same time offering plenty of exit space.
The track was changed in 2007, when instead of a fast penultimate turn, a very slow chicane was inserted, so that the cars would be closer when reaching the start-finish plane and thus enable easier overtaking. This configuration is still relevant today.
This did not prove particularly successful as overtaking was equally rare, and the track lost a very attractive sequence of two fast right turns that the cars passed at almost full throttle.
Due to the many fast turns, the teams use large amounts of downforce to cross the track in the shortest time. The tires are very worn and heated, and the engine and brakes are not particularly loaded. Particularly challenging is turn number 9, which is entered at more than 200 km / h and exited at about 250 km / h, and during the lap time, the third sector is especially important with very slow turns leading to the start-finish plane. A car that is competitive in the third sector has a very good traction and can expect good performances in Monaco and Canada. Also, for good weather in the third sector it is important not to overheat the tires in the fast corners of the first two sectors.
HISTORY
The first Spanish Grand Prix was held in 1913 on a 300 km long road route from Guadarrama, near Madrid, to Valladolid. It was not the classic Grand Prix as we know it today, but a touring car race.
Races in Spain have been run before, and the most significant is the Cup of Catalonia from 1908 and 1909 on the roads around Sitges, near Barcelona. Both races were won by Jules Goux, and the tradition of racing in Spain continued with the construction of a two-kilometer-long oval known as the Sitges-Terramar where the 1923 Spanish Grand Prix was held.
Juan Manuel Fangio in Alfa Romeo 159 is the winner of the first F1 race in Spain, which took place on the Pedralbes track. (28.10.1951.) Photo: f1history
Juan Manuel Fangio in Alfa Romeo 159 is the winner of the first F1 race in Spain, which took place on the Pedralbes track. (28.10.1951.) Photo: f1history
The first Spanish GP, which was part of the Formula 1 calendar, was held in 1951 on the Pedralbes street track in Barcelona. The winner was Juan Manuel Fangio at Alfa Romeo who took advantage of the tire problems plaguing the factory Ferraris. The race was supposed to take place in both 1952 and 1953, but were canceled due to lack of money.
Britain's Mike Hawthorn broke Mercedes' dominance by winning a Ferrari in 1954, and the race was canceled in 1955 after a horrific 24-hour Le Mans crash that killed more than 80 people, prompting governing bodies to debate on spectator safety.
In the 1960s, the Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RAC) built a new, permanent racetrack in Jarama, north of Madrid, and the Spanish government refined the Montjuic street track near Barcelona and made it safer to race. The race outside the Formula 1 World Championship was held in 1967 at Jarama and was won by Jim Clark in a Lotus F1 car.
Ayrton Senna (Lotus) and Nigel Mansell (Williams) in the fight to win the 1986 Spanish Grand Prix, the first held at the Jerez track. The Brazilian celebrated with an advantage of just 14 thousandths of a second over the Briton. (April 13, 1986)
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