Grand Prix 2023 Spanish Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

May 2006, 17 years ago, Lewis Hamilton was a young lad ripping up the grid for ART in GP2, Gnarls Barkley were half way through a 9 week run at Number 1 in the UK Charts with their single "Crazy" and David Tennant was battling the Cybermen as the 10th Doctor Who in the 2 part episode "Rise of the Cybermen".

What on earth has this got to do with F1 you ask?

Well, I shall tell you.

It was also the last Spanish GP held at the Circuit De Catalunya, Barcelona in which the long, 6th gear, double right hander of turns 13 and 14 were used. From 2007, a chicane was added before the final turn with the intention of causing cars to run more closely through the final turn and increase the chances of an overtake and making it safer. Predictably it had no effect what so ever and if anything, took away what was the only relatively interesting part of the track.

Fortunately, for 2023, the layout of the final turns will revert to the 2006 layout and we will once again be able to watch cars hammer it around the last corners and hopefully be on the ragged edge. Will this new layout make a massive difference to the eventual winner? Of course not. The Red Bull in it's current configeration will absolutely blitz this section of the track and be off and in the distance before Logan Sargeant has even had a chance to put his racing gloves on.

Born in April 2001, Oscar Piastri is currently the youngest driver on the grid having just turned 22. That would have made him 5 years old in 2006 when Fernando Alonso crossed the line to win the Spanish GP on the way to his second F1 world title. Will he win again on home soil for the first time since 2013? That 2013 Spanish GP also marks the last time he won a race anywhere. Despite 10 years of F1 races without a win, amazingly, Alonso has scored 93 points so far this season meaning he has already scored more points than he scored in the whole of each of the previous 6 seasons. While I doubt he'll be on the top step again a podium spot for the local fans to cheer is more than likely.

This will be the first real chance for Mercedes to prove that their new design of side pod will actually help their season and try and close the gap to Aston Martin. While Ferrari and Alpine will also be looking to kick on.

For those who can be bothered to watch to find out who will finish behind the Red Bulls, the UK session times are as follows:

SessionDateTime
First Practice2 June12:30
Second Practice2 June16:00
Third Practice3 June11:30
Qualification3 June15:00
Race4 June14:00
 
May 2006, 17 years ago, Lewis Hamilton was a young lad ripping up the grid for ART in GP2, Gnarls Barkley were half way through a 9 week run at Number 1 in the UK Charts with their single "Crazy" and David Tennant was battling the Cybermen as the 10th Doctor Who in the 2 part episode "Rise of the Cybermen".
just realised all we need is Gnarls Barkley to make a comeback & its 2006 all over again

im very pleased that :censored: schicane has gone, i never felt just anger for a piece of track. i hope the person who decided to instead of a challenging quick 90 degree corners to finish. replaced with a clumsy schicane. was fired or at least never got promoted. as circuit redesign goes that howler is high up with butchering of hockenheim

im hoping this leads to the improvement of the spanish gp but lets face it i already call it the worst race of the year so it cant get any worse. & that i think monaco is unfairly treated as their might not be overtakes galore but you still have the glamorous surroundings. i still have nightmares about spain 2020 race to me the most boring race ive ever seen in the 400-450. ive seen nothing happened from start to finish. it was so bad even the test cricket fans where laughing at us. & i thought the 3 months of no F1 seemed preferable.

but nobody after year after year of dreadful races, nobody is petitioning for spain to lose its place on the calendar
 
i hope the person who decided to instead of a challenging quick 90 degree corners to finish. replaced with a clumsy schicane. was fired or at least never got promoted. as circuit redesign
Need you ask?

It was the designer of some of the most iconic run off areas in F1 history. The man responsible for more vandalism at classic circuits than a "Just stop oil" protester.

The man whose legacy consists of a single turn at a track no longer used in F1.

Owner of a set of four crayons pinched from a Toby Carvery, best friend of dear old Bernie. The creator of pitlane exit models in play dough, the man, the myth, the legend....

Hermann Tilke.
 
i hadnt realised that he designed the las vegas circuit, after they had to completely redesign abu dhabi he wouldve been on a blacklist
 
Wow, if it can be worse than Baku then we have a REAL stinker to look forward to. It doesn't look much like there isn't even a chance that a bit of rain to spice things up. This is courtesy of the Williams F1 website - Weather Watch: Spanish Grand Prix forecast

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i say that we cant judge any order on this FP1 its all over the place & weirdly i say its like bahrain all-over again & its qualifying when we will find out

just watching its clear what an absoulte travesty that chicane was. its up there with butchering of hockenheim as 1 of worst F1 circuit changes of recent times. its seems to have transformed the circuit
 
bit of strange classification. Verstappen in a different league but then there is smaller gap from 2nd to 15th than there is from red bull teammates

temp 1.jpg
 
1 second between 1st and 17th in FP2.

Well done everyone, you almost made it look like there will be some sort of competition.
 
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