Buenos dias, Barcelona! F1 heads to Spain for a fiesta around Catalunya circuit of old

Formula 1 heads to Spain for this weekend's race around the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona, an exceptional venue that tests both man and machine.

The track is a well-balanced one, offering both high- and low-speed corners that will truly put a car through its paces.

Turn 3, coming out of the right-left that is Turns 1 and 2, is another test for the cars, will prove whether or not the aerodynamicists and designers have got the balance right.

Catalunya has always been the track where F1 would complete winter testing ahead of a new season, but with tighter budgets and the sport becoming more financially efficient, testing has moved to Bahrain - the starting block for a new season in recent years.

Back to the old

Between the circuit's inception in 1991 and 2006, F1 cars would go around the final two corners - 13 and 14 - at an incredible speed.

But safety precautions meant that between 2007 and 2022, a kink was put in between 13 and 14, adding two extra turns. F1 cars were around six seconds per lap slower than pre-kink.

For 2023, F1 reverts to the old design, enhancing the DRS effect down the main straight between Turn 14 and Turn 1. As such, Turns 13 and 14 will again be the last two corners, allowing cars to reach high speeds as they make their way across the start/finish line for another lap.

The circuit is now 4.657km long and will be run over 66 laps for a total race distance of 307.236km. Given the new layout, there are no lap records, but this will change after Sunday's race.