Spain: Barcelona Track Guide


By Phil Huff
May 6 2009

Built as part of Barcelona's Olympic development programme, the Circuit de Catalunya is located 20kms north of the Calatan capital on land purchased by the Real Automovil Club de Catalunya. It was the RACC's wish to bring F1 back to Spain's spiritual home of motorsport on a permanent basis and the Circuit de Catalunya has hosted every Spanish GP since it was completed in 1991.

Former Minardi driver Luis Perez Sala advised on the layout of the track and it follows the principles of many modern circuits with a long straight and a number of high-speed corners, making the aerodynamic efficiency of cars particularly important.

The circuit has changed quite a lot in recent years. A chicane has been built at the end of the lap to slow the cars through the final corner and the track was resurfaced in 2006. After losing a lot of grip initially, the new asphalt has rubbered-in and is now quicker than the old surface. However, it creates a medium-to-high frequency ripple effect along the straights, which can feel a bit odd for the drivers and gives some interesting data.

Such is the technical challenge provided by the Circuit de Catalunya, that there's no hiding from a poor car, and, conversely, a good car is likely to shine. It's a track where every aspect of set-up needs to be right in order to be quick, and one reason why so much testing is carried out here. The nature of the track is such that it "loads" the left front corner of a car particularly heavily, causing understeer problems.

The long pit straight demands good aero efficiency, there are some very challenging slow speed corners, off-camber and on-camber, and a couple of high-speed corners. With significant gradient changes, and a very long straight, it's hard work for the engines and tyres. Around 65% of the lap is spent on full throttle, meaning the Honda engine will use around 3kg of fuel every single lap. The BGP 001's of Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button will therefore go through just over 200kgs of fuel each for qualifying and the race. There's a very high fuel load penalty at this circuit, with each 10kg adding roughly 0.420s to the lap time.

The frequent tests make this one of the most familiar venues on the F1 calendar. However, its high-speed nature makes it a physically tough challenge for drivers, although by this stage of the season, they will have reached a good level of race fitness.

For the huge amount of spectators who flock to the circuit on race day, it is a well laid-out circuit with easy access and good viewing positions that give a stadium-style ambience.

Last year's race was one of the more postive races from 2008. Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button lined up in 11th and 13th places respectively, with Button managing to secure a handful of points after finishing sixth in the race. Team mate Barrichello retired mid way through following an accident. The 2006 race was one to forget, with the team packing up early following their disqualification in San Marino and subsequent race ban.

Honda scored its first podium of its third generation in Formula One at the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix when Jacques Villeneuve finished third, while Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna scored consecutive Honda-powered victories from 1987 to 1989.

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