Spanish GP: Arrival in Europe on the Barcelona track

The Circuit de Catalunya, near Barcelona, is undoubtedly the track that teams test on the most each season, thanks to the hundreds of kilometers of tests completed every winter on this track. Few circuits on the calendar offer such a variety of medium and high-speed corners. As an aero track par excellence offering few significant braking zones, overtaking remains difficult in Barcelona. A good qualifying performance and a precise strategy will therefore be crucial once again this weekend!

Aerodynamics

Aerodynamic efficiency has always been a key factor in Barcelona, even though the new chicane designed last year has altered one of the most critical high-speed sectors, meaning the track is now no longer as demanding as it once was. However, the Circuit de Catalunya is still the ultimate test for aerodynamic packages, and teams will use a high level of downforce here to ensure their car’s competitiveness throughout the entire lap.

Fernando Alonso testifies: « The circuit has many fast corners where good aero performance is necessary. Turn 9 is a good example as the right-hand turn is taken in 5th gear at about 230km/h. Precision is key, and it’s crucial not to make any mistakes on the exit. It’s important to have good speed on the straight line. »

Suspensions

Regarding the suspensions, it is once again a matter of finding the best compromise to offer drivers a well-balanced and responsive car. Therefore, a relatively stiff front setting will be needed to have an effective car in quick direction changes, while possibly having a softer rear to optimize the car’s traction out of slow corners, such as in turns 14 and 15.

Nelson Piquet explains: « The end of the lap used to be a fast sector but with the introduction of the chicane two years ago, this sector is now slow requiring good mechanical grip and traction. It is particularly important to have a good exit from turn 15 because it immediately leads to the final corner and onto the last one-kilometer-long straight. If you lose speed at turn 15, you can be vulnerable when attacking the long straight. »

The ride heights will also be a factor to consider. There is a tendency to opt for a fairly low car to improve its aerodynamic performance.

Engine performance

Barcelona is not known for being a demanding circuit for the engine block, with only 61% of the lap being at full throttle. There are relatively few areas of heavy re-acceleration, and the engine is generally used at mid-rev range. The aim is to provide drivers with a smooth and progressive engine to ensure good stability of the car and thus limit tire wear.

Tires

The Circuit de Catalunya is an aerodynamic track, to be sure, but is also known for being particularly demanding on tires due to its numerous high-speed corners and abrasive surface.

The most challenging corner may be turn 3 as Fernando Alonso explains: « Turn 3 is very demanding: you’re at 250km/h for two or three seconds, it’s very physical for the neck muscles. The key is to find the right line because there is no margin for error at the corner entry. If you find it, you can take the corner with good grip and it is not so difficult to negotiate. However, if you miss the corner entry, even just a little, you will have to deal with oversteer and then understeer, which will be hard on the tires and cause you to lose time throughout the corner. »

Tires are generally subjected to significant loads, especially the front left tire, which is particularly stressed in fast right-hand turns like turns 3 and 9. As a result, Bridgestone will offer teams the hard and soft compounds from its range. There is no doubt that the teams will pay special attention to tire wear and degradation during Friday’s free practice to determine which type will be suitable for the majority of the race.

According to a press release from the Renault F1 Team