Spanish Grand Prix

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Track Guide

The Circuit de Catalunya is known to be very hard for overtaking, but also for being very well-balanced. A combination of straights, twisty technical sections and long-winding corners make it the perfect venue for testing, which is why it’s the host of pre-season testing in Formula 1 as well.

Turn 1 immediately forms the best overtaking opportunity of the track, coming at the end of the long home straight. Turn 1 and 2 form a right-left chicane, with exit speed being crucial heading into turn 3. Turn 3 is a very long, flat out right-hander, followed by a short straight towards turn 4.

Coming out of the slow turn 4 and turn 5, F1 cars build up a lot of speed through a left kink and towards the chicane of turn 7 and 8. Turn 9, a quick right-hander, is one of the most corners of the track, with the apex being invisible on approach. Exit speed is crucial, though, as it’s followed by a DRS straight.

Into the slowest part of the circuit now, with the straight ending with a left-handed hairpin. Turn 11, a kink, leads into the slow, long right-hander turn 12. Another slow right hander follows, which bleeds into a left-right chicane onto the main straight. The track record, set by Lewis Hamilton in 2018, is 1:16.173.

Race history

Although he’s won the Spanish Grand Prix twice, Ayrton Senna has never won it at the Circuit de Catalunya, where it’s been held since 1991. Williams actually won the first four editions at the circuit, and did so again in 1997 with Jacques Villeneuve.

Michael Schumacher won in 1995 and 1996, the latter being his first race for Ferrari. He would win it four more times for the Italians between 2001 and 2004.

Ever since Fernando Alonso became competitive in F1, the even has been very well attended. The Spaniard drew massive crowds to the venue and finally won it in 2006 as he was on his way to consecutive championships. He became the first Spanish driver to win a home race. He won it one more time for Ferrari in 2013, the last time the Scuderia have won in Spain to date.

In recent years, it’s been all about Mercedes, with the team winning four of the last five races. However, that one race they didn’t win in that timespan was in 2016. Max Verstappen, making his debut for Red Bull Racing at 18 years old, became the first Dutchman and the youngest driver ever to win a Grand Prix.

In 2018, Lewis Hamilton won the race from pole position. Only 3 out of the last 18 editions the pole sitter hasn’t won the race.

When is the 2019 Spanish Grand Prix?

The race weekend in Spain kicks off Friday May 10th, with Free Practice 1 starting at 11am local time (10am BST, 5am EST). FP2 starts that afternoon at 3pm (2pm BST, 9am EST). On Saturday, FP3 starts at 12pm local time (11am BST, 6am EST), and qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix takes place at 3pm on Saturday (2pm BST, 9am EST). The Spanish Grand Prix will start at 3.10pm local time on Sunday May 12th (2.10pm BST, 9.10am EST).