Following a rain-affected race in Monaco, it’s straight on to Barcelona and the Spanish Grand Prix

• Toto Talks Spain
• Fact File: Spanish Grand Prix
• Stat Attack: Spain and Beyond

Toto Talks Spain

It’s always a challenge when rain falls midway through a race and the Team handled it well in Monaco. We made the right calls and scored some solid points. It is impossible to evaluate our upgrades on a circuit like Monaco, but at least we didn’t have any nasty surprises.

We now move on to Barcelona. Spain will provide an opportunity for us to establish a new baseline with the W14. It is a track that we are familiar with, although the removal of the final chicane will make it a much quicker lap. It comprises a wide range of corner types; that provides a good opportunity for us to learn about the new package. We don’t expect to see a step change in performance, but we’re hopeful it will provide a more stable platform.

After the Grand Prix weekend, Mick will also get his first real-world taste of the W14 on the second day of the Pirelli tyre test. He has done a great job with the Team so far, working hard back in the simulator and giving valuable input trackside. We’re looking forward to him getting his first taste of on-track running this year, and sure it will help him in his role as Reserve Driver.

Fact File: Spanish Grand Prix

• The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has a revised layout for this year’s race. The slow, final chicane has been removed, returning the track to its original, 4.657km layout, 18 metres shorter than previously.
• The circuit is an ideal track for both testing and evaluating an F1 car. It has a wide range of corner types and speeds, plus some long straights. Slow-speed corners such as Turn 10 focus on mechanical grip, with high-speed sections such as Turns 3 and 9, and now the T13-14 sequence, test a car’s aerodynamic grip.
• A new Pirelli tyre specification, containing materials that have already been developed for 2024 tyres, will be given its first run on a Grand Prix weekend during FP1 and FP2 in Spain.
• As current F1 cars get faster and induce more downforce, the tyre manufacturer has developed a new spec that will make the tyres more resistant. They will come into use at the British Grand Prix. For Barcelona, teams will be given two extra sets per car to be used during FP1 and FP2.
• Barcelona has one of the longest runs from pole position to the braking zone at the first corner, measuring 613 metres.
• The wind at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya often changes during the day. Usually, there is a tailwind on the main straight in the morning, which produces a headwind into the high-speed turns. This helps provide better car stability. It then tends to rotate in the opposite direction in the afternoon making balance more challenging.
• Turn 5 is a unique corner, because drivers approach it differently depending on the session. The camber of the road drops at the apex, which unloads the inside-front tyre and increases the risk of lockups. Drivers will take a tighter line in Qualifying as it shortens the distance, but on a race stint, lockups can cause vibrations and damage the tyre. So they take a wider line to keep the load off the inside-front and reduce the potential of a lockup.
• By adding another quick right hander and making T14 faster than before, the new layout now also adds further duty on the left-hand tyres. There remain only three left-hand corners now and those are low speed, thus the loading on the tyres is extremely asymmetrical.

Stat Attack: Spain and Beyond