Six rounds of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.
The Spanish Grand Prix is one of the classics of the F1 calendar, and as is often the case in previous seasons, this year’s races will see several teams introduce upgrades based on the results of their previous rounds.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a team and the drivers are well aware, as it has been on the calendar since 1991 and is the place where the first winter test was held. The 2.9-mile track has gone through some minor changes over the past year and includes a mix of high, medium and low speed angles, direction change, ondulation and a long start-finish straight. There is something here that makes it an ideal place to experiment.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, home of Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix
There are two DRS zones, one main straight towards the first chicken and the other after nine turns, straight towards the back which takes a turn at number 10. As always in this circuit, drivers have to deal with changes in wind direction, which has a big effect on the balance of the vehicle, which explains the medium to high downforce layers used here. Looking at the weather, we should be in good shape for both Saturday’s qualifiers and Sunday’s race. Pirelli named its hardest compounds: C1 as white hard, C2 as yellow medium and C3 as red soft.
It will be interesting to see how the newly designed cars of 2022 will be rented in Spain, especially due to changes in the rules that look back to ground effects. The changes aim to create closer racing and more overtaking opportunities, although the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is not the easiest place to pass successfully.
Over the weekend, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc advanced to the 2022 Drivers’ Championship with 104 points. Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen is second with 75 points and fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez is third with 6 points. In the Constructors Championship, Ferrari leads with 157 points, Red Bull’s 151 and Mercedes-Benz AMG’s 95 points. In Spain, last year’s winner Lewis Hamilton was driving a Mercedes.