Why moving testing wouldn’t improve racing in Spain
The Spanish Grand Prix drew criticism, as usual, for processional racing up front - and many of the critics suggested that holding pre-season testing elsewhere could be the solution. STUART CODLING disagrees
Among the least insightful 'hot takes' barked out by the opinionati in the wake of a Spanish Grand Prix which was, on the face of it, less than thrilling, was the claim that Barcelona's status as F1's default testing venue militates against good racing there. Some voices went so far as to suggest that F1 should abandon world championship venues for its pre-season routine, testing only at circuits that don't feature on the calendar.
All of this is predicated on several assumptions, chief of which is the trope that nobody can find an edge at the Circuit de Catalunya because the teams know it so well, and have vaults full of data covering every possible scenario. If this were so, though, why is it that ho-hum races occured here before it became F1's winter go-to?
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