Posted on 8th May 2013
Tom Wilkinson's (Barcelona)
The Facts:
Lap – 4.655km
Race Laps: 66
Lap Record: 1:21.670 K Raikkonen (2008)
2012 Winner: Pastor Maldonado
Race Date: 12.05.2013
Safety Car – Possible
Weather – Warm & Sunny
Tyre Allocation -Medium & Hard
DRS Zones: Pit straight and backstraight, with separate detection points.
The Circuit.
The Circuit de Catalunya is a very popular venue among the F1 teams, drivers and fans. It's a well known layout as this circuit is used for winter testing, the teams have plenty of knowledge about the car setup, but it can still be a challenge.
With two long straights, it's a very fast circuit with some quick corners too. The first sector of the lap here is immense, turns 2 and 3 are both flat out and it's incredible to watch the cars through this section of the circuit.
I drove this track on a simulator recently and it was terrific, it flows well, and it's mighty quick. Overtaking is possible around the track, there are numerous points around the lap where a move can be made, so the racing is always exciting.
As the Formula 1 circus moves into Europe for the first time in 2013, we will be seeing plenty of updates and new parts brought to this event. The development of the cars began back in China, but traditionally here in Spain it will become much more frequent and in depth as all the teams have plans in place.
Home favourite Fernando Alonso will be looking to impress in front of his home fans, and I believe Ferrari will be a real force this weekend. They are the most successful constructor in Spanish GP history having won 11 times, 7 of which were at this circuit.
The first Spanish Grand Prix was held at the Pedralbes street circuit in Barcelona in 1951, and it has been held at several different circuits before moving to the Circuit de Catalunya in 1991, where it has remained ever since.
Tom Wilkinson's Pre-race Pointers.
Lotus have announced this week that Technical Director James Allison is leaving, and is being replaced by Nick Chester. It isn't yet known where Allison is heading, but the rumours suggest McLaren, Williams and Ferrari are high on the list of possibilities. He is highly respected in Formula 1 and will be in demand. One of my contacts in the paddock says he will be heading to McLaren. Nothing has yet been confirmed.
McLaren have confirmed they will bring “Significant†upgrades to Spain this weekend. However Jonathan Neale has said the team are remaining cautious, “Some things will work, some things won’t. We’ve got a lot more work to do on Fridays as well, so I don’t see us being able to just run the car without a huge degree of upgradesâ€.
Changes to tyre allocation come into force this weekend, as Pirelli bring an extra set of tyres for Friday's practice sessions in a bid to increase the amount of time cars spend on the circuit. A prototype hard compound will be allocated, Pirelli say they have been designed with a focus on durability so that drivers can run as long as possible.
F1 Session Times (GMT)
Practice 1 – 09:00 Practice 2 – 13:00
Practice 3 – 10:00 Qualifying – 13:00
Race – 13:00
You can watch this weekends Spanish Grand Prix live on BBC Television and Sky Sports F1 HD. See your TV guide for official Programme times.
GP2 also returns this weekend, Driving For Pleasure will be covering all the action to the fabulous Formula 1 feeder series.
You can stay up to date with all the Formula 1 news by following me on Twitter @TomWilkinsonF1 #TWF1 where I'll be commentating Live throughout the weekend.
I'll be reporting right here at Driving For Pleasure on Qualifying and the Race, don't miss out on any of the action.
