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:
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:
| Session | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| First Practice | 2 June | 12:30 |
| Second Practice | 2 June | 16:00 |
| Third Practice | 3 June | 11:30 |
| Qualification | 3 June | 15:00 |
| Race | 4 June | 14:00 |
