Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya a good (test) track?
On Monday the preseason begins in Spain at Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya. We will stay there for 2 weeks which includes 8 days meant for testing. There are promising signs that this will be a great season with lots of exciting races. But who will win? We will probably see The title candidates the coming two weeks.
Circuit
The track is 4.655 Km and counts 16 corners. It was built in 1991 and was just in time to host the Spanish Grand Prix the same year. The wind direction can change over the day so the teams need to be on the top of their game to get good results out of the tests. It is a track where a given compound can work great in the preseason but at the race weekend doesn't work. The circuit is ideal for testing because of its long straits and fast corners but after corner 10 you got some slow corners were a team can make the difference. So a team can really test the car in a wide range of corners and on the straight.
History
Since 1991 it has hosted the Formula1 and it still doing so this year. It has proven to be a track with many obstacles for the teams and drivers. Such as the wind and the here wide arrangement of corners. It also has hosted the MotoGP since 1992 a year after it was built. Because so much testing has been done on this Circuit, Formula One drivers and mechanics are extremely familiar with it.
When first used the cars could overtake very easy following in the last two corners and using the drag on the straight to pas. But with the aerodynamic evolution of the F1, the cars couldn't do this anymore so the track changed in 2007. They replaced the first of two final sweepers with a slow chicane in an effort to improve overtaking.
Racing history.
Results Spanish Grand Prix
| Year | Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Renault |
| 1992 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Renault |
| 1993 | Alain Prost | Williams-Renault |
| 1994 | Damon Hill | Williams-Renault |
| 1995 | Micheal Schumacher | Benetton-Renealt |
| 1996 | Micheal Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 1997 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams-Renault |
| 1998 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren-Mercedes |
| 1999 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren-Mercedes |
| 2001 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 2002 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 2003 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 2004 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 2005 | Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren-Mercedes |
| 2006 | Fernando ALonso | Renault |
| 2007 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari |
| 2008 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari |
| 2009 | Jenson Button | Brawn-Mercedes |
| 2010 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault |
| 2011 | Sebastion Vettel | Red Bull-Renault |
| 2012 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Renault |
| 2013 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari |
| 2014 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2015 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes |
| 2016 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-TAG Heuer |
| 2017 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
Fastest lap.
2008 Kimi Räikkönen 1:21:670
Tickets
The Circuit is able to accommodate around 140.700 fans. It's still possible to get your tickets for the Test days. You can enjoy the wonderful cars for the whole day when they are making their laps. You can still buy tickets for all the test days. At a reasonable price and your children can come for free.
| Age | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | €18,-/Day |
| Children under 12 | Free |
| Circuit members | Free |
You can buy your tickets at http://www.circuitcat.com/en/events/formula-1-test-days/tickets/ for a wonderful couple of days.
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On Monday the preseason begins in Spain at Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya. We will stay there for 2 weeks with 8 days for testing. There are promising signs that this will be a great season with lots of exciting races. But who will win? We will probably see this coming to weeks which team will have a chance of winning the championship.