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| Location | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
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| Time zone | GMT +1 |
| Major Events | F1, MotoGP, GP2, Spanish GT |
| Circuit Length | 4. Barcelona is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia. Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT) is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London Overview A Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix was first organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM in 1949 For the article about the Asian version of the GP2 series see GP2 Asia Series. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. A grand tourer ( Gran turismo) ( initialised GT) is a high-performance Automobile designed for long-distance driving 655 km (2. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand 875 mi) |
| Turns | 16 |
| Lap Record | 1:21. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States 670 ( Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari, 2008) |
The Circuit de Catalunya [seer-kweet-da-Cataloonya] is a racetrack in Montmeló, to the north of Barcelona, Spain. Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (ˈkimi ˈmɑtiɑs ˈræikkønen born October 17, 1979 in Espoo) is a Finnish Formula One race car driver currently Scuderia Ferrari is the name for the Gestione Sportiva the division of the Ferrari automobile company concerned with racing Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It Montmeló is a municipality north of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It is home to the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix and the motorcycle Catalonia Grand Prix. The Spanish Grand Prix ( Español Gran Premio de España, Català Gran Premi d'Espanya) is a Formula One The Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event held at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain, as part of the With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit. As such it is probably one of the sport's most important testing grounds.
The Circuit de Catalunya was built in 1991 and is often referred to as 'Barcelona' in the racing community, despite the fact that it is located in Montmeló. The Circuit de Catalunya should not be confused with the Montjuïc circuit, which hosted the Spanish Grand Prix four times between 1969 and 1975 and, unlike the Circuit de Catalunya, is actually located within the city of Barcelona. The Montjuïc circuit is a former racing circuit located on the Montjuïc mountain in Barcelona, Catalonia. The Spanish Grand Prix ( Español Gran Premio de España, Català Gran Premi d'Espanya) is a Formula One
Because so much testing is done at this circuit, Formula One drivers and mechanics are extremely familiar with it. This has led to criticism that drivers and mechanics are too familiar with Catalunya, reducing the amount of on-track action.
Overtaking can be difficult, as cars are unable to follow each other through the fast final corner due to turbulence created by the leading car. In Fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a fluid regime characterized by chaotic Stochastic property changes This makes it difficult for a car to get close enough to the car in front of it to attempt a pass at the first turn, which is the only obvious overtaking point on the circuit. The 2007 F1 Season saw the 1st of the 2 final sweepers replaced with a slow chicane to improve overtaking. Pre-season testing Pre-season testing began in November 2006 at the Circuit de Catalunya, with ten of the eleven teams participating in the test sessions
The wind direction at the circuit can change drastically during the day, a significant factor given the importance of aerodynamics to modern Formula One cars. It is then hard to find a good setup since cars can have massive aerodynamic drag and understeer on one part of the circuit in the morning, but suffer oversteer at the same part of the circuit in the afternoon. A given tyre compound can work well when tested, but not so well a couple of months later. These changeable conditions can make for an unexpected performances from some teams during the race.
Racing history
The circuit has been the site of some memorable moments. In the 1991 Spanish Grand Prix Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell went down the entire front straight side-by-side while duelling for second place, with Mansell eventually taking the position and eventually the race. The 1991 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 29, 1991 at the Circuit de Catalunya. Ayrton Senna da Silva ( pronounced, March 21, 1960 &ndash May 1, 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver and triple Biography Mansell was born in Upton-upon-Severn, a small Town in the English county of Worcestershire. In the 1994 Spanish Grand Prix Michael Schumacher managed to finish in second place despite driving over half the race with only fifth gear. The 1994 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 29 1994 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona. Michael Schumacher (German pronunciation;) (born January 3, 1969, in Hürth-Hermülheim, Germany) is a former Formula Two years later, in the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix Schumacher took his first win as a member of the Ferrari team after a dominant performance during a rainstorm. The 1996 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 2, 1996 at the Circuit de Catalunya. Scuderia Ferrari is the name for the Gestione Sportiva the division of the Ferrari automobile company concerned with racing The 1999 Spanish Grand Prix was notable as there was only one reported overtaking move during the race. The 1999 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 30, 1999 at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain In the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix Mika Häkkinen suffered a clutch failure while leading the race on the last lap, handing the win to Schumacher. The 2001 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 29, 2001 at the Circuit de Catalunya. Mika Pauli Häkkinen ( (born September 28, 1968 in Helsingin maalaiskunta) is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula A clutch is a mechanism for transmitting rotation which can be engaged and disengaged At the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso became the first Spanish Formula One driver to win at his home country's track. The 2006 Spanish Grand Prix was the sixth race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. Fernando Alonso Díaz (born July 29, 1981 in Oviedo, Spain) is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time
In 2008 Heikki Kovalainen left the track at 240kph after a rim failure, he managed to decelerate to 130kph when he hit the tyre barrier. He was temporarily unconscious and had minor concussion but a few minutes later, spectators were relieved when he gave a thumbs up.
External links
- Circuit de Catalunya
- Circuit de Catalunya History and Statistics
- Statistics from official F1 site
- Trackpedia's guide to driving and racing the Circuit de Catalunya
- BBC's circuit guide
- Spectator testimonial of visiting the Circuit de Catalunya
- TSN Track Walkthrough
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