Technical challenges of the Circuit de Catalunya

Such is the technical challenge provided by the Circuit de Catalunya, that there’s no hiding from a poor car, and, conversely, a good car is likely to shine. It’s a track where every aspect of set-up needs to be right in order to be quick.

The teams do a lot of testing at Barcelona because it throws up a bit of everything. The long pit straight demands good aero efficiency, there are some very challenging slow speed corners, off-camber and on-camber, and a couple of high-speed corners. If your car is quick here, it should be competitive at most tracks on the F1 calendar.

The circuit has changed quite a lot in recent years. A chicane has been built at the end of the lap to slow the cars through the final corner and the track was resurfaced in 2006. After losing a lot of grip initially, the new asphalt has rubbered-in and is now quicker than the old surface. However, it creates a medium-to-high frequency ripple effect along the straights, which can feel a bit odd for the drivers and gives some interesting data.

Full throttle: 64%
Brake wear: Medium
Downforce level: High – 8/10
Tyre compounds: Medium / Hard
Tyre usage: Hard
Average speed: 207kph