Spherical eight of the 2023 Method 1 World Championship is on this weekend at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

There is a slight change to the circuit for this yr’s Spanish Grand Prix, because the observe structure returns to the one used up till 2006. The important thing distinction is the removing of the sluggish chicane within the third sector, making the two.9-mile observe roughly 60 ft shorter than the earlier yr.

Groups and drivers know the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya effectively, because it has been on the calendar since 1991 and is a well-liked web site for pre-season testing. It consists of a mixture of high-, medium-, and low-speed corners, adjustments of course, undulations, and a protracted start-finish straight. There’s slightly little bit of the whole lot, which makes it a super place for testing.

The frequent change in wind course on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya additionally makes steadiness tougher. Normally, a tailwind on the primary straight within the morning produces a headwind into the high-speed turns. This helps present higher automotive stability. It then tends to rotate in the other way within the afternoon, and drivers must adapt.

Trying on the climate forecast, some rain is predicted for each Saturday’s qualifying session and Sunday’s race.

Pirelli has nominated its hardest tire compounds for the weekend: the C1 because the White laborious, the C2 because the Yellow medium, and the C3 because the Pink smooth. Groups throughout the follow periods will even get to check tires that includes compounds already developed for the 2024 season, Pirelli has confirmed. The compounds have been made extra resistant to allow them to take care of the sooner speeds and elevated downforce of the newest crop of F1 vehicles.

Going into the weekend, Pink Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen leads the 2023 Drivers’ Championship with 144 factors. Fellow Pink Bull driver Sergio Perez is second with 105 factors, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is third with 93 factors. Within the Constructors’ Championship, Pink Bull leads with 249 factors. Aston Martin is second with 120 factors, and Mercedes-Benz AMG is third with 119 factors. Final yr’s winner in Spain was Verstappen, driving for Pink Bull.