OK, we are over the hype of Fake Marinas, Mermaids and unknown celebrities and all the Egos, and hop back across the pond to return to Europe for the first of the European Season. Oh apart from Emily Imola Whatsername GP which snuck in last month.
The Spanish Grand Prix is this weekend with the F1 title race hotting up between Max Verstappen and leader Charles Leclerc, with the world champion snatching victory last time out at Miami.
Will we look forward to overtaking this weekend? Traditionally Catalunya has been a borefest and trains of cars unable to pass. This year of course we have regs that have supposedly made passing a breeze. Especially with boatloads of DRS zones. Will the new regs work? The outcome of this weekend, or the manner of ease of passing will be more obvious after the weekend. Moreso than whatever Brawns PR Gurus tell him to say that clouds the truth.
Dont ask me to pick a favourite for the weekend..... not after Ferrari blitzed qualy in Miami and overnight Red Bull turned the tables overnight, although it has to be said not much between them. Perhaps the difference on the day was the Red Bull straight line speed advantage. On top of all the ebbs and flows we have already seen this year, and given the traditions of Catalunya it will only get harder this weekend.
Traditions of Catalunya I say..... The usual story with this race is it is the first real opportunity for team to present their first major upgrades, and this year, given the new regs, will likely be no exception.Back near their factories after the traditional flyaways and with loads of data on Catalunya to gauge progress with. Plus they all know the track blindfold. And the surface isnt made of a mix of Miami marbles and Georgian Granite. We have already had notice that many teams will be doing just that and bringing loads of updates..
One thing though is Mercedes will be continuing with their mini sidepod concept. It will be an interesting and daresay busy weekend for them, because in pre-season testing here, the team ran with the larger more standard type sidepods. In case you dont remember they ended up as the fastest cars in that test. And then threw in their minipod concept which has since given them so many issues. Here they will have direct comparisons of performance that will/should deliver some key indicators about what direction the team should take with its car. They are still convinced the mini pod and larger area of exposed floor is the quicker route long term. Once they can control the porpoising.
It is starting to look like they are beginning to at least understand more of their cars quirks and habits. They were fast, well, George was, in early practice sessions, but then it all turned to Mierda (thats Spanish for Poo btw) come qualy.
Of course it isnt just Merc's progress. All the others have been working hard as well and I know the much improved Alfa team are bringing what they say are M-A-J-O-R upgrades. So expect them to be even quicker. They will be hoping for none of their Miami dramas (they missed sessions with breakdowns and a major crash for Bottas) with which to enable good evaluation. I suspect a new floor is in their package. A reminder that at Barca pre season the Alfa was the slowest.Anyway suffice to say they are expecting a good performance gain. But so are 9 other teams! Will they stay arguably best of the rest?
Anyway enough of what might happen. Will it be a good race? We know Catalunya can throw surprises (We have all seen the video of Maldonado and Williams in 2012!)..... if the new rules are working as intended, then drivers will be racing more closely together, with greater potential for them to find a way to make a move.
Oh one thing I will mention.... @erwin greven will be happy to note a proper Dutch driver (Max being Belgian born!) will be out in P1..... Williams is to run Mercedes reserve De Vries in FP1.
I keep referring to the pre-season testing. Maybe time to remind ourselves who did what time on what tyres pre season at Catalunya.
Catalunya pre season
BEST TIMES PER TEAM(driver, day, compound)
1. Mercedes (HAM, D3, C5), 1:19.138
2. Red Bull Racing (PER, D3, C4), 1:19.556 (+0.418)
3. McLaren (NOR, D1, C4), 1:19.568 (+0.430)
4. Ferrari (LEC, D2, C3), 1:19.689 (+0.551)
5. Aston Martin (VET, D3, C5), 1:19.824 (+0.686)
6. AlphaTauri (GAS, D2, C4), 1:19.918 (+0.780)
7. Williams (ALB, D3, C4), 1:20.318 (+1.180)
8. Alpine (ALO, D3, C3), 1:21.242 (+2.104)
9. Haas (MAZ, D2, C3), 1:21.512 (+2.374)
10. Alfa Romeo (ZHO, D2, C3), 1:21.885 (+2.747
C1 is the hardest compound, C5 is the softest; fastest time at 2020 Barcelona testing was Bottas 1:15.732
OK lets move on to a bit about the history of the Spanish GP..
Had to just stick that photo of Regga at Montjuic somewhere. It used to be my desktop. Love the photo.
HISTORY
To appease those with a love of stuff before 1950 (looking at you (@Michael Ferner) lets start at the very beginning.
The first Spanish Grand Prix was held in 1913 and was run to touring car rules. It took place on a 300-kilometre road circuit at Guadarrama, near Madrid. There was also the Catalan Cup of 1908 and 1909 before that, on roads around Sitges, near Barcelona, marking the beginning of a long-standing racing tradition in Catalonia, which of course since Alonso turned up remains to this day, backed by the inclusion of Carlos Sainz. Sitges-Terramar was the site of the 1923 Spanish Grand Prix.
1913 Spanish GP
In 1926, the Spanish Grand Prix was held at Circuito Lasarte on the north coast, home of the main race in Spain during the 1920s – the San Sebastián Grand Prix. A year later, the Spanish Grand Prix was part of the AIACR World Manufacturers’ Championship, but the race. was run to sports car regulations.
1934 Starting Grid.
The Pedralbes Circuit first opened in 1946 where it hosted the Penya Rhin Grand Prix, a famous Spanish motor race that began in 1916. The high-speed 6.316km circuit, which swept through the wide city streets, had just six turns but was a favourite among the drivers and fans.
In 1950, Pedralbes hosted a non-championship round during the inaugural Formula One World Championship season and a year later hosted the very first Formula One Spanish Grand Prix, won by Juan Manuel Fangio in an Alfa
Pedralbes in 1951
and Fangio the winner....
Hawthorn wins in a Ferrari 1954. Pedralbes
In the 1960s the Royal Automobile Club of Spain commissioned a new circuit north of Madrid in Jarama, ( designed by Suzuka creator John Hugenholtz). Catalonia rebuilt their Barcelona circuit, making it much safer, in Montjuïc. Montjuic was set in the Montjuïc mountain in Barcelona. Like the Pedralbes circuit from the 1950s, it was set on the streets of Barcelona, had incredible views, was loved by the drivers and fans… and it was extremely dangerous.
Arturo Mezario raises his hand in protest over safety in the 1975 race
Another Montjuic Pic
Ahead of the 1975 race, drivers even went on strike and refused to take part in practice due to the circuit’s poor safety standards. Despite track staff and even F1 team personnel doing their best to fix up barriers and improve safety, the race would end in tragedy, when on lap 26 Rolf Stommelen launched over the barriers and five spectators were killed. Formula One never returned.
Montjuic in1973
From the Spanish Grand Prix in 1968 at Jarama, the race would then alternate between these two tracks. Jarama was a bit tricky on overtaking. ...it was quite narrow and held its last GP in 1981, when Gilles Villeneuve held of a faster pack for most of the race.
Jarama in 1976
and in1979
In 1985, the Mayor of Jerez commissioned a new racing circuit, the Circuito Permanente de Jerez.
When Barcelona was awarded the 1992 Olympic Games a massive investment was made in infrastructure throughout the region. The Catalans were now powerful in the country and used the influx of funding to construct the Grand Prix circuit they had wanted for some time. Organisers spent two years building the track and used input from Spanish drivers to design the layout.
The event moved to this new track, Catalunya in 1991, where it has remained since. The event the following year was advertised as the Grand Prix of the Olympic Games though still run as the Spanish GP.
So we have had 51 Championship Spanish GP's
31 at Barcelone. 1991 - current day.
9 at Jarama. 1968,70,72,74, 1976-81
5 at Jerez de la Frontera 1986-1990
4 at Montjuïc Park. 1969,71,73,75
2 at Pedralbes 1951,54
We have had some memorable moments at the various Spanish GPs though....
MEMORABLE MOMENTS
1971. Tyrrells first F1 win 1971 JYS at the Spanish GP.
1991: Senna v Mansell: The very first F1 race at the Catalunya circuit produced a memorable wheel-to-wheel scrap between McLaren’s Ayrton Senna and Williams’ Nigel Mansell. After plenty of position switches and tyre changes from wet to dry, Senna lost his nerve and spun, leaving Mansell to become the first victor at the circuit.
1981 Villeneuve wins1996: Schumacher in the wet: Michael Schumacher was in a class of his own at the wet 1996 Spanish Grand Prix. The hectic race saw plenty of drivers slide off the track, including polesitter Damon Hill. Schumacher snatched the lead from Hill’s team-mate Jacques Villeneuve and proceeded to set lap times three seconds faster than any other driver. He eventually won the race by over 45 seconds from Jean Alesi to take his first victory for Ferrari.
2001 : Mika Hakkinen looked set for an easy victory until the final lap when his clutch exploded. The McLaren crawled to a halt just five corners from the chequered flag.
2006 Fernando Alonso became the first Spaniard to win his home (Championship) GP.
Oh I better not say that @Michael Ferner will correct me.
OK.... before Fernando won in 2006, the last Spaniard to win their home Grand Prix was Carlos de Salamanca driving a Rolls-Royce in a sportscar race at Guadarrama back in 1913 – the very first year the event was held.
2012: Maldonado’s only victory: After Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the Qualifying result, it would be Pastor Maldonado who started from pole for the first time in his career. He faced no easy feat on Sunday, with Fernando Alonso starting alongside him on the front row. Predictably, Alonso overtook him at the start, but Williams’ pit-stop strategy and a super speedy out-lap while the Ferrari was stuck in traffic saw Maldonado emerge in the lead. He went on to take his only F1 win, as well at the only Grand Prix victory for a Venezuelan driver. It was Williams’ first win in eight years, and their latest so far in F1.
2016: Verstappen makes history, and Nico and Lewis took each other out.: The first lap of the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix is notable for one of the most talked about incidents of recent times in F1, as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg came together on the opening lap, ending both of their races. The crash allowed Max Verstappen to take an impressive victory on his very first appearance with the Red Bull team. It was hard fought for, as Kimi Raikkonen pushed Max all the way to the finish, Max winning by just over half a second. As a result, he became the youngest ever Grand Prix winner at 18 years and 228 days.
2018 Romain Grosjean and the Hulk got together. Romain went wide , put his boot in and spun back on to the track blinding the oncoming pack with thick tyre smoke. The stewards were not impressed.
Some of those are in the following video
Click "Watch on Youtube"
Are you still with me?
WHO HAS WON THE SPANISH GP.(More than once)?
Michael Schumacher, who won the race six times in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Lewis Hamilton equalled Schumacher’s Spanish Grand Prix win record in 2021.
Other multiple winners of the event include Jackie Stewart, Mika Hakkinen, Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost, each with three wins apiece.
Between 2007-2016, the Spanish Grand Prix was won by ten different drivers! Then Lewis got a bit possessive with it winning every race from 2017. Only 3 of the current crop have wwone here (Alonso Max and Lewis.
Multiple winners
SCHUMACHER Michael 6
HAMILTON Lewis 6
STEWART Jackie 3
MANSELL Nigel 3
PROST Alain 3
HAKKINEN Mika 3
FITTIPALDI Emerson 2
ANDRETTI Mario 2
SENNA Ayrton 2
RAIKKONEN Kimi 2
ALONSO Fernando 2
SPECIAL MENTION: Rubens Barrichello has 7 non-finishes, also a record.
Multiple Constructors winners Nb
Ferrari 12
McLaren 8
Williams 7
Mercedes 7
Lotus 6
Red Bull 3
OK back to the present and the track as it is today....
First Grand Prix
1991
Number of Laps
66
Circuit Length
4.675km
Race Distance
308.424 km
Lap Record
1:18.149 Max Verstappen (2021)
Catalunya
When was the track built?
In case you didnt read the history, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was built as part of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics development programme. The foundation stone was laid in 1989. Oh and the first car race was a round of the 1991 Spanish Touring Car Championship.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Two weeks after the touring cars raced at Barcelona, it was Formula 1’s turn. The track enjoyed a sensational debut, with Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna’s famous eyeball-to-eyeball drag race down the straight, before Mansell took the lead and drove on to victory.
What’s the circuit like?
The drivers seem to like Catalunya, which is just as well, because historically they have spend huge amounts of time pounding around it during winter testing. Barcelona’s mix of high- and low-speed corners, plus its abrasive and rather bumpy track surface, makes for a physically and mechanically taxing race.
Tyre wear is particularly high and the varying winds that cut across the circuit mean an optimum set-up can be hard to find..... with the challenging Turn 3 right-hander a great chance to evaluate the balance of the car your team’s designers have given you to fight with. But Catalunya often provides a shit race....
Talking of tyres I will add the tyre preview separately. I think you already have enough to read!
Finally some pics of winners with the year they won.
Graham Hill on his way to winning at Jarama 1968
1969 Jackie Stewart, Matra. Montjuic
1970 Jackie Stewart, March Jarama.
1971 Jackie Stewart Tyrrell Montjuic
1972 Fittipaldi Lotus. Jarama
1973 Emmerson Fittipaldi.on the Podium Montjuic. With Cevert. Bonus point for who tthe other driver on the podium is.
1974 Lauda
1975 Jochen Mass Montjuic
1977 Mario Andretti Lotus Jarama
1986 Senna Lotus Jerez
1987 Mansell Williams Jerez
1988 Prost Jerez
1989 Senna Jerez
1990 Prost Ferrari Jerez.
And then we moved on to Catalunya.and I think that is enough photos already.
