F1 Preview: Spanish Grand Prix – Circuit de Catalunya

This week sees the first European F1 race of the season taking place at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, so here's a look at the track and what to expect.

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Name: Circuit de Catalunya
Location: Montmeló, Barcelona
Distance: 4.655km
Laps: 66 (total distance of 307km)
First Race: 1991
Last year’s winner: Pastor Maldonado – Williams Renault
Fastest Lap record: 1:21.670 secs, Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari (2008)

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The Spanish Grand Prix has actually been running since 1913 and the very first GP to be held in Spain was won by a Rolls-Royce (so that will tell you how long ago it was). However, since the first Spanish Grand Prix the location of the race has changed a few times, and this weekend it will be held at the current home of Spanish F1, the Circuit de Catalunya.

A brief history

It’s an exciting track that requires a lot of care and attention from the drivers and it’s certainly had some memorable moments over the years. Back in 1991, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell went down the entire front straight side-by-side while duelling for second place, with Mansell taking the front position and eventually the race itself. It was a truly tense moment and it's the type of thing that F1 fans love to see – good proper racing.

In 1994, Michael Schumacher finished in second despite only having the use of fifth gear and at the 2006 GP, Fernando Alonso became the first Spanish Formula One driver to win at his home country's track.

The Track itself

The Circuit de Catalunya really is the testing ground for the rest of the season. Drivers that do well in this race tend to be pretty successful for the rest of the season (with the exception of poor Pastor Maldonado last year). It’s a combination of high and medium-speed corners, so overtaking can be tricky and dangerous and getting off the line first is important.

Previously, the track was known to be terrible for overtaking and in the 1999 Spanish GP there was only one overtaking manoeuvre recorded by race officials. However, thanks to the introduction of DRS, drivers now have ample opportunity to get around each other with over 50 manoeuvres recorded last year.

Who to watch

Kimi Raikkonen will be looking to secure his third win at the track having already won in 2005 and 2008. A win for Kimi would see him jumping up to 92 points in the drivers' championship. This could easily put him in with a shout of taking the top spot, so we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on him this weekend.

Speaking about the upcoming race, Kimi said, "I have won twice in Barcelona and I was on the podium there last year too, so I'm really look forward to going there again. The set-up is crucial as the track changes with the wind and temperature so there's plenty of work for the engineers too."