05/05/2007
NEWS STORY
The second round of the GP2 Series takes place at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain alongside the fourth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship on May 11-13.
Twenty-six drivers from 15 nations will go head to head at the 4.655km circuit with all drivers using the hard compound of Bridgestone Potenza GP2 slick tyre for the first time this season. The circuit has been revised since the GP2 Series was there in 2006 and there is a different pit entry too, providing a new challenge for all drivers. The circuit can be a severe one for tyres, particularly those on the left hand side of the car, with high loads in particular experienced in turn three.
Saturday sees teams tackle the 39-lap pit stop race while the shorter 26-lap event will run on Sunday. The first round, held in Bahrain last month saw Luca Filippi and Nicolas Lapierre taking their first wins in the series. Filippi currently leads the championship with 16 points to Timo Glock (iSport) on 14.
Hirohide Hamashima - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development: "The layout of the Barcelona circuit has changed and although it is not as thrilling or high speed as it was in its previous configuration we will use the Bridgestone Potenza hard compound slick tyre. On the earlier layout there was a premium on high speed cornering but this is no longer so much the case at this track. Braking stability is more important now and it is very important to get a good car balance in the slow speed corners. The average speeds will not be as high as the last corner speed is slower after its revision and this leads on to the main straight where the highest speeds of the lap are achieved."