I saw Nathan Drake.
3 Likes
What are the realistic prospects of the FIA revoking Strollâs F1 license for breaking the the most important rule in motorsport?
Donât drive kak.
4 Likes
Itâs been too quiet in here for a RAWE CEEK!! Letâs fix that - ÂĄViva España!
2023 Spanish Grand Prix 
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | MontmelĂł | Barcelona | Spain | 4 June
2023 Season - Round 8/23
Vital Statistics
- First Spanish Grand Prix â 1913, F1 Championship since 1951 (Pedrables Circuit)
- First Spanish Grand Prix at CdBC - 1991
- Track Length â 4.657 km
- Number of Turns - 14
- DRS Zones - 2
- Number of Laps - 63
- Race Distance - 307.236 km
- Lap Record â N/A (configuration change for 2023 reduces track length by 18 meters)
- Previous Lap Record - 1:18.149, Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 2021
â - Pole Turn 1 Braking Point â 595 metres
- Overtakes Completed in 2022 â 75
- Safety Car Probability â 50%
- Virtual Safety Car Probability â 25%
- Pit Stop Time Loss â 22.88 seconds
â - Most Pole Positions - Michael Schumacher (7)
- Most Wins (Drivers) â Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton (6)
- Most Wins (Constructors) - Ferrari (12)
** Last Race (2022)**
- Pole Position - Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (1:18.750)
- P1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull (1:37:20.475)
- P2. Sergio PĂ©rez, Red Bull (+13.072)
- P3. George Russel, Mercedes (+32.927)
- Fastest Lap - Sergio PĂ©rez, Red Bull (1:24.108)
Most Recent Spanish GP Pole Positions
- 2022 â Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 2021 â Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2020 â Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2019 â Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
- 2018 â Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Most Recent Spanish GP Winners
- 2022 â Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2021 â Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2020 â Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2019 â Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
- 2018 â Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Random Trivia
- The first F1 Championship Spanish Grand Prix, held on the very wide Pedralbes Street Circuit in the western suburbs of Barcelona, was where Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio won the first of his five World Championship titles in 1951.
- Pedrables would host only one more grand prix, the second Spanish GP in 1954 before the circuit was permanently closed after the sweeping sporting and spectator safety regulation changes following the horrific accident at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans that killed 83 spectators and French driver Pierre Levegh, and injured nearly 180 more. (It was this accident that prompted Mercedes-Benz to withdraw from motor racing until 1989.)
- Following Pedralbes, three other Spanish circuits hosted F1 grands prix before the event moved to the newly constructed Catalunya circuit in 1991: Circuito del Jarama (9 times), MontjuĂŻc Circuit (4 times), and Circuito de Jerez (5 times).
The Schedule
Early Summer in Spain and the European time authorities continue to look kindly on us Southern hemisphere plebs with sensible times across all of the weekend sessions.
FP1 on Friday is a go at 13:30, while FP2 gets the green flag at 17:00. Final Practice on Saturday at 12:30 slots in perfectly as pre-lunch entertainment, while Qualifying at 16:00 leaves you plenty of time to do your nails and makeup before heading out for your Saturday date night. The main event on Sunday is scheduled to go, go, go at 15:00 again.
The Circuit
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a 4.657 km permanent race track in MontmelĂł, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit and has been used many times as the venue for official pre-season testing and for tyre testing.
From the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, F1 will use the layout used by MotoGP since 2021. The chicane in the last sector of the lap that Formula One had used every year since it was introduced in 2007 is removed, reverting the final corners to the sweeping, fast configuration that was last used in 2006. Combined with the DRS zone that still extends down the length of the main straight, this change should result in a lot of overtaking action around Turn 1.
When was the track built?
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was built as part of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics development programme. The foundation stone was laid in 1989, while the first car race was a round of the 1991 Spanish Touring Car Championship.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Two weeks after the touring cars raced at Barcelona, it was Formula 1âs turn. The track enjoyed a sensational debut, with Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Sennaâs famous eyeball-to-eyeball drag race down the straight, before Mansell took the lead and drove on to victory.
Whatâs the circuit like?
The drivers love the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which is just as well, as they have traditionally spent huge amounts of time pounding around it during winter testing. The track is a good mix of high- and low-speed corners, with the challenging Turn 3 right-hander a great chance to evaluate the balance of the car your teamâs designers have given you to fight with for the season.
The Driverâs View - Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver
Barcelona is a nice circuit, but everyone knows it like the back of their hand, which kind of makes it feel like home, because itâs the one that we have historically spent a lot of time driving at, although not during testing this year.
Itâs really flowing and tough on the neck and the body because of the long corners coming through Turns 3 to 4 and Turn 9. Itâs also tough on the front-left tyre, with tyre wear generally high in Barcelona thanks to abrasive tarmac.
Overtaking is pretty tricky, with Turn 1 pretty much the only spot you can pass at â itâs also the trickiest corner. Turn 4 to 5 is a nasty, downhill braking zone, which again can sucker you into braking a little bit late, but because thereâs a bit of camber on it, you can miss the apex slightly and not lose a heap of time.
The previous final sector was not a pleasure to drive. You had to balance your tyre performance in the first and final sector, it felt really slow, and you squirmed your way around the final chicane trying to compete the lap. But thatâs all gone for 2023.
The Weather
I donât know how far away Barcelona is from the plains that the rain in Spain mainly falls on, but a fair portion of that rain is forecast to fall on the circuit over the weekend. With a high probability of rain on both Saturday and Sunday, expect some interesting on track action. FP3 will likely be wet, Qualifying should be dry to damp, and the race itself could be starting just as the heaviest rainfall subsides.
Friday - FP1 and FP2
A sunny morning is expected followed by unsettled conditions with showers around the track area, mainly on the hills around, including a slight chance of it briefly hitting track during FP2.
FP1: 22°C | FP2: 23°C
Max: 23°C | Min: 15°C
Chance of rain: 40%
Saturday â FP3 and Qualifying
The same kind of weather is due with unsettled air mass in the afternoon, developing showers and a slight chance of them spreading over the track.
FP3: 21°C | Q: 23°C
Max: 23°C | Min: 15°C
Chance of rain: 40%
Sunday â Grand Prix
The day will be sunny at first then become unsettled on the hills around with a slight chance of a shower during the race.
RACE: 23°C
Max: 23°C | Min: 15°C
Chance of rain: 40%
The Tyres
- The teams will have the C1 as P Zero White hard, C2 as P Zero Yellow medium, and C3 as P Zero Red soft at their disposal in Barcelona.
- The MontmelĂł track has undergone a major modification this year. The final chicane (Turns 14 and 15) that was introduced in 2007 has now been removed, with the track reverting to its original configuration. Other improvements concern the first corner, with a wider escape road and new barriers.
- This key change to the final sector will make it more flowing and less severe for the tyres in terms of traction. The left-hand corners are mainly taken at low speed, while the right-handers tend to be flat-out.
- Last year, Red Bullâs race winner Max Verstappen used a three-stop strategy like most of his rivals, alternating between soft and medium. With the introduction of the new hard tyre, this now adds another strategic factor into the mix.
Pirelli will hold a two-day development test after the Grand Prix. âWe also continue our 2024 testing campaign after the race, with Mercedes and Ferrari running over two days as we develop the compounds and constructions for next year.â
The Digital Race Programme
Not seeing the DRP for Spain 23 in the Race Programme catalogue yet again. There definitely was one for last yearsâ event so hopefully itâll get uploaded by the powers that be soon enough. Once it has been Iâll update here.
(Works on desktop, but best viewed on mobile.)
ÂĄVamos!
3 Likes
I made a joke during FP1 that âthe rain in Spain falls mainly in the PITLANEâŠâ I thought I was VERY cleverâŠ
3 Likes
Looks like the rain probability for Qualifying has increased enough to be sending out extra Intermediates to all the teams.
1 Like
Right, which unlikely driver is getting pole today?
2 Likes
Rain in Spain.
Dry tyres expire.
Rhyme every time.
Must be Stroll for the pole!
(I am a poet in case you didnât know it. I have rhymes for all times.)
4 Likes
And there goes all my predictions
1 Like
I never got to make it before quali coz I had issues with the app, glad I didnât. FFS. and I didnât even see what happened. Will have to catch the bits afterwards
2 Likes
Ayyy Sainz 2nd, Norris 3rd, noice.
3 Likes
Man, what a kak time to be a Ferrari fan. From having hope last year and things going south, then thinking ok letâs focus on next year and then ending up worse. Watte fok.
Even Merc that had an even worse car is now better than Ferrari.
I give up on this year⊠Next year again.
3 Likes
Right there with you mate. The faith remains, but they make it so hard at times 
Despite the Ferrari fiascos, the biggest loser today though still has to be Lando and the McLaren team.
1 Like
Dude, McLaren fans have it worse. We were on a great upward trajectory⊠And look at us now. Lando broke my heart today after a great qualy.
PawpawsâŠ
2 Likes
yeah dammit have to feel for him, that went south so quickly.
2 Likes
Yea I have to agree, Ferrari fans have it good compared to us Macca fans.
Lando broke my heart, I struggled to watch the race!
There was some good overtakes, lots of action, max so far in the distance that I still believe he naps during races.
The Mercs impressed.
And the papayas just am devastatedâŠ
1 Like
And just like that, SAGP 2024 also confirmed out. Love it.
1 Like
Iâm reserving full judgement until/if anything official gets said, but Racing Newsâ suggestion as to the reason for F1 abandoning the idea wouldnât surprise me in the slightest:
RacingNews365.com, however, understands a decision has been made to abandon plans for a South African GP in the near future due to political reasons.
According to sources, the decision was taken because South Africa has aligned closely with Russia.
Itâs the âaccording to sourcesâ bit that always worries me.
2 Likes
so glad I am going to watch the Belgium F1 this year. If I wait for a local one I will probably never see one live. Thanks, ANC.
3 Likes
On the radio I was hearing about the bid for the Womenâs Soccer World Cup that is going ahead, and the Netball World Cup will be happening in Cape Town this year.
Will be interesting to see if we get snubbed for the WSWC because of the Russian ties, or if this is a convenient excuse.
2 Likes
Formula 1 is getting into the scripted television business.
Felicity Jones is to star in a family drama series set in the high-stakes world of motor racing â marking the organizationâs first officially sanctioned scripted series.
Jones, star of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Theory Of Everything, will star in and produce One, which comes from Tony Toâs Bedrock Entertainment and writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. Jones will produce via her Piecrust Pictures banner.
One will focus on the tumultuous ascension of a fictitious family-owned Formula 1 team as it contends with fierce personalities, ever-changing rivals, and multi-million-dollar stakes. It will blend fiction with the real-world of F1, which has 23 races scheduled for the 2023 season.
Pending the resolution of the writers strike, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby will serve as writers and exec producers of the series. The pair were nominated for an Oscar for Children of Men, wrote Iron Man and created sci-fi series The Expanse.
2 Likes