31/05/2023
NEWS STORY
The Barcelona-Catalunya circuit returns to the layout used up until 2006, doing away with the chicane in the third sector, as it hosts the seventh round of the season, the Spanish Grand Prix. It is Carlos Sainz's home race, at which he finished fourth last year, his best ever home result in Spain.
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal: Just a few days on from the race in Monaco we are back on track in Barcelona for Carlos' home race, the Spanish Grand Prix. It means that for the second race in a row, one of our drivers can count on support from his fans, a further incentive for the whole team to do well on one of the best known circuits on the calendar.
In Monaco we couldn't show the real potential of our car, but the race in Barcelona will provide a clearer picture, also because we have brought some further upgrades here, just as we have done at every race so far this season. We expect to make some progress in terms of performance and we hope to bring home a good result for the team.
Ferrari at the Spanish GP
GP contested 52
Debut 1951 (J. F. Gonzalez 2nd; A. Ascari 4th; P. Taruffi ret.; L. Villoresi ret.)
Wins 12 (23.08%)
Pole positions 14 (26.92%)
Fastest laps 12 (23,08%)
Total podiums 55 (24.36%)
Three questions to Carlos Sainz
For the first time since you've been racing in F1 you will tackle the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit without the chicane in the final sector. Are you happy with this change? CS: Do you think it will help improve the show during the race?
Yes, I think it's a good idea and it will be fun to race with this new layout in sector 3. There was nothing really wrong with the chicane, but it's good to try a different approach and see how it affects lap times and the race. I'm looking forward to it.
Your racing career started on home soil in Spain. What can you remember about your early races and where did they take place?
CS: Spain has a long and lasting relationship with motorsport and there are many race tracks all over the country. My first karting races were in my home town, Madrid. From there I started to travel all over the country, competing in different categories. Then I did my first ever laps in a single seater at the Jarama Circuit, also in Madrid. Maria de Villota was my instructor that day and I will always cherish it in my memory. She was a great person and sportswoman and since she sadly passed away, I have always carried her logo, a star, on the back of my helmet.
This year there will again be the Grada CS55 grandstand. How special is it to race at home and have an entire sector of the track dedicated to your supporters? What would you like to offer them this weekend?
CS: I really enjoy having the Grada CS55 in Barcelona. The Spanish fans are extremely special for me and I'm incredibly happy to have a dedicated grandstand for them. If anything, it is too small! But I know there are many fans on other grandstands also cheering me on. It's difficult to explain what it feels like to race in F1 at home. I simply love it and I hope we can put on a good show and get a good result. They can be sure I will giving my absolute best.
Spanish Grand Prix - Facts & Figures
12. The number of ghost stations on the Barcelona metro, the second largest in Spain with 165 stops. There are stories that go with some of these, such as Correos, Gaudi and Banco, which have never been used after the network was changed. Some can be seen in the city, such as Correos, closed in 1972, as it was next to the new Barceloneta station and had also been used by the postal service as a sorting office. There's an opening in the Placa d'Antonio Lopez, near the Post Office building where the stairs of the old station can be seen through a ventilation cover. The Gaudi station, near the Sagrada Familia can be spotted from trains on lines 2 and 5. It is said to be haunted and there are some who swear they have seen ghosts and spirits waiting on the platforms. The Banco station at the Placa Antoni Maura in Laietana street also has a tale to tell. It was rumoured that a platform was used to take money straight to the Banco de Espaņa, but apparently this was never the case.
16. The number of years when the slow chicane in sector 3 at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit was used, prior to being done away with this year. The reasons for its introduction in 2007 were twofold: to slow the cars down in turns 13 and 14 and to allow the cars to run closer to one another, without the turbulence which occurred in the previous fast right handers. So for this year, Sector 3 returns to the way it was back in 2006.
40. The percentage of new businesses run by women in Spain out of the 800,000 set up in Spain in the past five years. This is the highest figure in Europe. In the previous five year period only one out of five businesses was run by women. This change is attributed to a major change in working practices in Spain in the recession that hit the country in the wake of Covid-19. The unemployment rate for women was 54.7% so they came up with new ways of working and found alternative professions.
346.3. The top speed in km/h at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit. It was recorded by Felipe Massa in 2016 at the wheel of a Williams. After that, the introduction of the halo produced increased drag thus lowering top speeds.
1615. The year in which Don Quijote of La Mancha was published in two volumes. Written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, it is regarded as a literary masterpiece and considered to be the first modern novel. It presents an unusual mix of the picaresque with the epic-chivalry novel. Its two main protagonists, Alonso Quijano (Don Quijote) and Sancho Panza are two of the most famous fictional characters of all time.