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Tyres NorthamptonAfter Formula One broke new ground by racing at the heavily marketed Miami Grand Prix, it's far more familiar – and far less marketing – at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend. The teams and drivers are well used to racing around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with the track being a long-term testing venue for the sport.
A mixture of low, mid, and high-speed corners plus the temperate Catalan winter climate has made the Spanish circuit the go-to place to find out how car and driver are ready for the season, but it's all about the racing this time around.
Although the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola last month was in Italy, the Spanish Grand Prix represents the traditional starting point for the European leg of the season. As such, it's here where most teams will unveil new developments thanks to the easier logistics in getting new parts shipped, tested, tweaked, and potentially shipped back to their European factories for refinement.
The advancements we are likely to see at Barcelona are more crucial than usual, too. The 2022 regulation change meant all the teams faced the unknown when they hit the same track for pre-season testing in February. The new Pirelli tyres for this year plus the aerodynamic rule changes have seen all ten constructors with lessons to learn from the opening five rounds. It's here where they'll put their latest ideas out on display.
While the season looks to be shaping up to be a Charles Leclerc vs Max Verstappen battle in the Drivers' Championship and Ferrari vs Red Bull in the Constructors', there's every possibility that any team could stride forwards in Spain. If Mercedes fix their porpoising problems, for example, they could knock on the door of the leading pair. The busy midfield scrap could shake up further, too.
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Although Pirelli will be bringing the same tyre range to Barcelona as they did for the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix, it's an entirely different compound for 2022, thanks to the updated rules for this season. It's the hardest trio of Pirelli tyres, meaning the C1, C2, and C3 will be the hards, mediums, and softs, respectively. However, with Pirelli and the teams being so used to the track, there should be little tyre surprises even with the new 2022 compound.
That being said, the weather for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix is all change from the temperatures seen in February. Forecasters expect the mercury to break the 30°C mark on race day, replacing the cooler pre-season testing weather three months ago. Additionally, the packages that the teams ran back then were at even earlier stages of development than they have today, so perhaps it won't all be plain sailing.
Another factor to consider is the level of grip that the Pirelli rubber will have, following the amount of high amount of running the circuit will see from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon's race. F1 will have F2, F3, and the all-female W Series championship, all racing on the same weekend for the first time. With Formula 2 and Formula 3 also running Pirelli tyres and with a total of 54 cars between them, there will be plenty of rubber laid down by the time the 20 F1 drivers race for success in the Grand Prix.
One storyline to follow if you're tuning in this weekend is whether Carlos Sainz can turn his season around after a frustrating 2022 so far. After the Spaniard shone by beating out the current championship leader Leclerc at Ferrari in their first year as teammates last season, Sainz hasn't hit those same highs yet, especially after two retirements in the previous three races. With this being his home Grand Prix, there's no better venue for him to show that he's serious about being a championship challenger.
Qualifying is at 15:00 on Saturday and the race at 14:00 on Sunday.
