What's at stake at Barcelona?

F1 is back in Europe. And for the first time fin many years its destination on the “old” continent is Barcelona as the Imola circuit, which used to be the first rendezvous on the European calendar after the overseas races, is being rebuilt. In addition, the teams have had four weeks to maximise the development of their cars, and last week’s test session in Spain helped to validate a considerable number of new modifications.

In the light of the results of last week’s test the two teams currently leading the championship should still be favourite this weekend. Ferrari and McLaren are both involved in a frenzied development battle. The boys from Woking have come up with some new aerodynamic tweaks including a heavily-revised front wing, while the Scuderia reckons it has managed to adapt the F2007 to Kimi Raïkkönen’s driving style. “We think we’ve gained two or three tenths per lap, but Ferrari has certainly done the same,” said Fernando Alonso. “We’ll know in the next few weeks if we can beat them fair and square.”

The team used the test to fit specific measuring instruments to the R27. The aim was collect as much date as possible to try and pinpoint the problems afflicting the car, and then apply the most effective remedies. In the opinion of Pat Symonds, the executive engineering director, the ING Renault F1 Team has progressed in its understanding of the situation. Even if there are no miracle solutions the team is now in a better position than it was a month ago. In addition, the on-going development programme has led to a few new aerodynamic and mechanical improvements that the R27 will use this weekend. To say victory is a possibility would be a tad optimistic, but the step forward should not go unnoticed.

Behind the Ferrari-McLaren duo the possible points scorers are legion! Among them BMW-Sauber which is currently third in the constructors’ championship ratings after the first three grand prix. Toyota, whose season has got off to a promising start, is confident that its new aerodynamic package will boost the T107’s performance. The team, though, that seems to have made a spectacular break-through is Red Bull. In Bahrain the Renault-powered car was very quick early on in the race, and its speed in testing last week seems to prove that the Adrian Newey-designed RB3 has made a significant performance gain. Its aim is to overtake BMW-Sauber in the coming weeks. It will have a new aerodynamic package in Spain and another major up-date is scheduled for Montreal.