The 2007 Spanish GP Preview

The Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona hosts the fourth round of the 2007 F1 championship. The drivers' championship is tied three ways, and the teams are coming to Europe after a four-week break.

Analysis

The teams spend a lot of time testing at Barcelona because it is an excellent test of aerodynamic and tyre wear. The high-speed corners need good downforce: on the other hand, the long straight punishes drag, so being slippery or having a powerful engine is a must. The high-speed corners mean that this circuit is tough on tyres - so getting the balance right is critical to using them properly over a race distance.

One of the downsides of all the testing at this circuit is that the teams are usually pretty dialled in before they arrive. The drivers cannot usually add much to the package, so they typically line up close to each other on the grid. On the other hand, it sets out a fairly unequivocal view of the relative performances of the teams for the start of the European legs.

Since last season, there is a change to the layout - the final fast two corners being replaced by a chicane. It could offer a chance for drivers to tuck under the wing of the car in front as they hit the straight, but overtaking will remain a difficult proposition here: qualifying well is going to be vital for scoring points. The drag down to the first corner will be vitally important, as it will make of break strategies: getting stuck with a light load behind someone who is running long would be bad news.

Flashback

In 2006, Alonso put the car comfortably on pole, leading teammate Fisichella in an all Renault front row in front of his home crowd. Michael Schumacher, the only real threat to Renault all weekend, pulled out third place for Ferrari, after being fastest in the second session; he led teammate Massa.

Honda and Toyota were evenly matched for rows three and four, with Barrichello having an edge over Ralf Schumacher, Trulli and Button. Raikkonen was surprisingly slow in ninth for McLaren, ahead of Heidfeld.

Race day saw the first two rows pull away in order, but Raikkonen was having none of it, moving up from ninth to fifth off the line; Button followed Raikkonen past the Toyotas. At the front, Alonso proceeded to lap half a second quicker than anyone, as Fisichella slowly opened a gap to Schumacher. Massa held station behind is teammate.

The first round of stops started on lap 17 with Alonso; Fisichella and Massa stopped a lap later . but Schumacher stayed out for another five laps, returning to the track just ahead of Fisichella. Massa's stop brought him out behind the long running Honda's: he was unable to challenge Fisichella until they pitted.

Schumacher set about closing down Alonso in the middle stint: the Spaniard pitted on lap 40, then put in quick laps on full tanks. Schumacher's stop on lap 46 brought him out 12 seconds adrift of the Renault, and the race was now about reliability.

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time
1.  Alonso        Renault              (M)  1h26:21.759
2.  M.Schumacher  Ferrari              (B)  +    18.502
3.  Fisichella    Renault              (M)  +    23.951
4.  Massa         Ferrari              (B)  +    29.859
5.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes     (M)  +    56.875
6.  Button        Honda                (M)  +    58.347
7.  Barrichello   Honda                (M)  +     1 lap
8.  Heidfeld      BMW-Sauber           (M)  +     1 lap

Fastest race lap: Massa, 1:16.048

Qualifying best: M.Schumacher, Q2, 1:14.637

Weather

Scattered showers on Friday may interrupt the practice sessions - otherwise, there should be plenty of sun and little wind all weekend. Air temperatures might get in to the seventies, so the track may be moderately warm.

Strategy

Although this is usually a two-stop race, cars that are especially easy on their tyres may opt for heavy fuel loads and either a long opening stint or single stop. Three stops is unlikely to pay off as overtaking is tough.

Conclusions

Ferrari retain the favourites tag overall, though marginally: the money is on local hero Alonso topping the podium, with the Ferrari duo right behind, although when considering the performance Hamilton has put on so far, seems he ought to be featuring as highly.

Things are more complicated behind the leaders. Red Bull think they have made a solid step, perhaps enough to challenge BMW-Sauber for 'best of the rest' - these teams are looking to lock out the points, though Toyota and Renault have both made progress too, and will make that difficult.

A Lap of Barcelona with Fernando Alonso

"The Barcelona circuit is my home track and there is always a really good turn out from the Spanish fans, which makes it a very special race for me. Also we test here a lot, so all the drivers know it very well so basically we could do a lap here with our eyes shut. Nevertheless the circuit is very good, for testing as well as for racing.

"For the car this is a very demanding circuit both aerodynamically and on the engine side but is very complete from a technical perspective. We normally run the hardest tyre compounds of the year here as it can be very hard on them; also they tend to suffer from a lot of front and rear wear and even front graining is characteristic of Barcelona.

"There are a lot of high speed corners, which are very demanding on the tyres. This year will be very interesting as they have introduced a new chicane before the last corner. I will miss the final two corners, because as I driver I prefer the high speed turns which are more fun to drive, however it should enable us to get a good slip stream onto the main straight and have a go at overtaking onto Turn One, which is always a good thing.

"One of the downsides of Barcelona is that overtaking has always been very difficult, as the two corners that led onto the main straight were always very high speed and it was difficult to get a tow and get close to the guy in front. This will now change and it will be much better for the spectators and even for the drivers as we all want more opportunities for overtaking. It is a great track, although it can be demanding on the right-hand side of the neck for the driver, it is a Grand Prix that I always look forward to."

Team by Team

McLaren Mercedes

In 2006, McLaren had a tough outing, qualifying ninth and twelfth. Had Raikkonen not made a brilliant start to take fifth place, the weekend would have been completely unremarkable. Things are rather better this year - they have two drivers tied in the drivers' championship, and seem poised to fight through the season.

The recent tests saw some interesting developments, including a radical take on the front wing: they are taking it to Spain, though it remains to be seen whether their drivers run it in qualifying and the race. In principle, the team have taken a sizeable step forward and are likely to be on the same pace as Ferrari: in some areas, they might now have an advantage, though the Italian marque still has better experience of the Bridgestone tyres.

With these improvements, two drivers who are capable of putting the car on the front row and racing at the front, the team will be fighting to finish with both cars on the podium.

1. Fernando Alonso: if a home Grand Prix is worth a couple of tenths a second per lap, then Alonso is a shoe-in to win this weekend; however, the Spaniard has not finished settling in yet, so the chance remains that he could have another off weekend.

2. Lewis Hamilton: approaching the weekend with substantially more miles under his belt here than at any other circuit raced so far this year, Hamilton might be able to leverage his familiarity to climb one step higher on the podium - a tall order, but clearly within his potential.

Objectives: Qualify on pole, both cars on the podium - with a race win.

Renault

A year ago, Renault filled the front row in qualifying, Alonso won his home race whilst Fisichella came third, and they were well on the way to winning both championships. This year, the car is a challenger for 'best of the midfield' and their world champion driver has left for a rival team.

During the last few weeks, testing has not really shown Renault close the gap to the front - their developments seem to be maintaining the status quo, but the data gathered from testing is steadily eliminating potential causes of problems, leading to a more positive longer term prognosis. Of course, that leaves them expecting to struggle for points this weekend.

3. Giancarlo Fisichella: apparently getting the most out of the car, Fisichella continues to face questions about what Alonso would be able to make of it, had he remained with the team - and there is nothing he can do to stop the doubters. Rather, maintaining his dominance of Kovalainen and trying to pick up points remains the only way forward.

4. Heikki Kovalainen: despite being overshadowed by his teammate, Kovalainen has been showing steady progress as his experience improves; rather like Button before him, he has discovered an on form Fisichella is surprisingly quick. With plenty of testing experience at this circuit, he might be able to surprise him this weekend, but targeting a points finish has to be his main goal.

Objectives: Get at both cars in to Q3 and finish in the points.

Ferrari

Filling the second row behind Renault last year, Ferrari had been showing good form and were expected to be in a position to take the challenge to the French outfit. As it turns out, Michael Schumacher was able to make up a place, but never really put Alonso under pressure.

For the next race, the team have a significant upgrade to the aerodynamic package, offering some improvement to single laptimes; they are particularly expecting to demonstrate gains on longer runs, however, so improvements to fuel consumption and full-fuel set-up have to be coming through too.

It will be interesting to see whether they have improved their starts: both the last couple of races showed they are vulnerable to losing out against fast-starting McLarens.

5. Felipe Massa: having missed out on the podium last year, Massa has to be looking at the potential to win again in 2007 and move closer to the top of the championship. This year, the car is arguably the strongest over a single lap and his qualifying form has been excellent, so pole position should be possible. If he can lead through the first corner, then he should be able to control and win the race.

6. Kimi Raikkonen: lamenting his single lap form, Raikkonen has been working on improving his qualifying performance - unused to playing second fiddle, he is intent on getting the most out of the car to ensure he can match his teammate. The latest developments play to his style, which should allow him to gain more from the changes than Massa.

Objectives: Qualify on pole and win the race - both cars on the podium.

Honda

In 2006, the Honda team started as though on fire, but already seemed to be struggling when the circus arrived in Spain - though both cars at least finished in the points. What a difference a year makes; a repeat of last season's disappointment would mark a considerable step forward for the outfit, who have suffered the ignominy of being outperformed by the Honda customer Super Aguri outfit.

The disastrous start has seen the team looking at radical solutions to their woes: having identified front downforce and stability as a particularly weak area, they have been trialling so-called 'Dumbo Wings' on top of the nose - it will be interesting to see if they run with these in Barcelona, or if they are intended for less drag sensitive circuits.

With the final high-speed corners changed to a slow chicane, the team are going to be compromised less for drag, but they will have another chance for their poor balance under braking to be exposed: this could let chasing cars get closer to them to draft down the main straight, making them vulnerable to being overtaken into turn one, unless they compromise their laptimes with a lower drag set-up to pick up straight line speed at the expense of cornering speeds. It could be an interesting tightrope.

On the positive side, although the competition has been moving forward, the team believe they have improved the aerodynamics and established a better baseline: it might let them unlock some of the potential in the car.

7. Jenson Button: the season has been pretty miserable for Button so far and there is little reason to expect much to change - getting in to Q2 will be difficult, and overtaking a challenge on race day.

8. Rubens Barrichello: rather like his teammate, Barrichello will have his work cut out to make much of the weekend ahead.

Objectives: get both cars in to Q2, and both home in the race.

BMW Sauber

This time last year, BMW-Sauber were a new outfit that was just starting to show promise - strong racing after tough qualifying saw Heidfeld came home with a point. It was a sign of things to come: this year, he has finished fourth at every race, confirming the team's progress to become the top challenger to the leading duo.

Since Bahrain, the team have been working hard to improve the car, as much to keep ahead of the chasing midfield as to close on the leading outfits. They are not yet ready to challenge Ferrari or McLaren, but are on the verve of scoring podium finishes on pure merit if more than one of the leading drivers has an off day.

To fulfil their potential, the team have to be looking for both drivers to score points this weekend - to which end, they are maximising time on track for their race drivers, so test driver Vettel will not be running during the Friday sessions.

9. Nick Heidfeld: after overtaking Alonso at Bahrain to take his fourth place, Heidfeld is coming into this weekend with plenty of confidence: another strong race could net fourth again, though scoring a podium is probably too much to ask for as this point.

10. Robert Kubica: having finally finished in the points, some of the pressure on Kubica has been released, but he is still being comprehensively overshadowed by his teammate. The youngster is still very quick, but doesn't seem to have quite worked out how to get the most out of Bridgestone's tyres without compromising his natural style.

Objectives: Both cars in Q3, both cars in the points.

Toyota

Last year, the team went to Spain without a technical director, after Mike Gascoyne was sacked for the poor performance at the opening rounds, but they looked good in qualifying with sixth and seventh on the grid. Unfortunately, they then struggled in the race after their drivers tangled on the opening lap.

This season has not been stellar, but neither has it been a complete disaster. Although off the front-running pace, Toyota have been pretty consistent - they have got at least one car to Q3 every weekend, and finished with one in the points, which is better than most predicted as the teams were flying to Australia for the first event.

The recent tests showed some promise - clearly, they have improved the aerodynamics, which is going to be vital to stem the strengthening challenge from Red Bull, but it is unlikely to move them closer to the front-runners.

11. Ralf Schumacher: the new car seems not to suit Schumacher's style; not only has he been outqualified consistently by his teammate, but he has really not shone on race day either. With the amount of testing that has taken place at Barcelona, he has little reason to struggle with setting the car up this weekend, so perhaps an uptick in form will result.

12. Jarno Trulli: apparently back at his best, Trulli is qualifying well then battling for places during races; another good Saturday should set him up to increase Toyota's points haul, though the improving form of Red Bull will give cause for concern.

Objectives: get both cars to Q3 and score more points.

Red Bull Racing

Last year, Red Bull failed miserably to impress, struggling both with pace and reliability - though some of their practice times were surprisingly quick: it would not be saying much to conclude they are expecting more this year. However, the story from Bahrain was surprisingly positive. Despite qualifying 21st as a result of failing gears, Coulthard set about running fast, overtaking at will to progress through the grid before a broken driveshaft ended his race (whilst in seventh place).

During the mini-break since then, the team have confirmed the introduction of their new seamless shift gearbox - which they might as well run, considering the singularly unimpressive reliability of the old one - and put together some aerodynamic updates, besides working on reliability. If the promise from testing is fulfilled, they will have made solid strides towards the front, and should be capable of beating Renault and Toyota, which would lead to both cars scoring points.

14. David Coulthard: after a stunning run in Bahrain, Coulthard seems to have a new lease of life. Should he be able to carry the momentum, then a strong weekend is possible; on the downside, with overtaking almost impossible, qualifying well is vital here. something that has never been the Scot's strong suite, even when he doesn't have terrible luck with reliability.

15. Mark Webber: despite comprehensively outqualifying his teammate and making it in to Q3 every weekend, Webber has been looking somewhat less comfortable on race day - confirming his reputation as a qualifying specialist, though fairness would admit he is still new to the team and acclimatising. With the car improving, another strong qualifying session is likely, and there is a decent chance he should be able to hold on for a points finish if that is the case.

Objectives: At least one car in Q3 and both aiming for points.

Williams

Despite a tight budget, Williams hit the season running, scoring points in the opening race: they have been able to take the fight to Toyota, Renault and Red Bull. However, even during the fly-away races, it seems they are struggling to maintain the development pace of the midfield, with Red Bull in particular showing more progress.

Whether they can continue to make trouble for the manufacturer outfits will be completely dependent on how far they can develop the car: with the last three weeks seeing them struggle to get through their testing programme, between poor weather and Nakajima then Rosberg destroying the cars, it seems doubtful that their aerodynamic or mechanical updates have kept pace with the front-runners.

16. Nico Rosberg: so far, Rosberg has comprehensively outperformed his teammate, and there is little reason to expect changes this weekend, though the performance gap should be far lower at this circuit, where so much testing takes place. That said, he did write off his car at the last test - it may take a weekend to restore his confidence in the chassis.

17. Alex Wurz: despite being lauded within the team for his fantastic understanding of the car and feedback in testing, Wurz is not making as much of an impression on the track as his less experienced teammate - something he will have to do something about if he is not to be stuck at the test track again in the future. Making a strong showing this weekend would do much to put off his doubters.

Objectives: Get a car in to Q3; score a point.

Toro Rosso

Last year, both cars retired from the race, though they had looked a match for the Red Bull team early on. A year later, they are not such a threat to the senior outfit. Their relatively inexperienced drivers are struggling to dial in the chassis, so speeds are compromised and they are looking to make up places with aggressive strategies.

With so much testing taking place in Barcelona, finding the 'right' set-up should be that much simpler, so the Spanish Grand Prix might be their best chance to step up. Unfortunately, it is also a place where every other team have considerable experience, so they will have to literally get every erg from the car in order to show well. Of course, if they can't improve reliability, then the odds are not favourable.

18. Vitantonio Liuzzi: improvements to race day pace have Liuzzi encouraged about the future, as the car is clearly better understood now than at the start of the season; showing better than his teammate so far, another weekend on top would let him worry more about developing the car.

19. Scott Speed: with a tail end car and the team questioning his motivation, Speed has plenty to prove. This circuit allowed the American to show good speed last year, until his engine failed, so this is probably a good opportunity to get back on terms with his teammate.

Objectives: Get a car in to Q2 and both to the finish.

Spyker

Having discovered their competition is rather more prepared for the season than they are, Spyker have embarked on a tough course of action, aiming to close the gap to the midfield at least. Although they are concentrating on producing a B-specification car, it has not stopped them from building on what they have now.

The recent tests were limited, but saw improvements to the set-up base line that will let the team move forwards; whether that makes any practical difference is to be seen, but at least the team will have more confidence, and can hope to make life more awkward for Toro Rosso.

20. Christijan Albers: at a circuit where his teammate has experience, Albers will have his work cut out to be quicker; a level head on the opening lap will be important, but outright speed is important here. The race was not good to the Dutchman last year, so don't be surprised to see him struggling to match his teammate's pace.

21. Adrian Sutil: although Sutil seems very quick, he often seems to get in to trouble on the opening lap of the race, taking pressure of Albers. Rookie mistakes aside, Sutil must take full advantage of his testing experience in Barcelona - the first circuit he has driven before the race weekend - to show well.

Objectives: Get a car in the Q2 and both to the finish.

Super Aguri

A year ago, Barcelona demonstrated Super Aguri were making steady progress, but they were still clearly the slowest team on track by some margin. This year, they are showing far improved form with their variation on the 2006 Honda chassis - and have to be optimistic about their chances in Barcelona, despite the two engine failures at the last outing.

In the last three weeks, they have been out testing, putting up some encouraging times. The pace of development might not match the leading outfits, but it could well be enough to keep providing embarrassing moments for the Honda outfit; indeed, Barcelona might even play towards some of the strengths of this package, so they will be ready to pick up points if there are any problems in the midfield.

22. Takuma Sato: with his teammate providing genuine competition, Sato is working hard to bring his experience to bear - and so far has been showing well. Barcelona has a couple of very quick corners, which benefits his bravery: he can usually pull a couple of extra tenths from the car in qualifying, which should make Saturday interesting.

23. Anthony Davidson: having a strong race in Bahrain has pumped the Briton's confidence; provided it doesn't lead him to overdriving during the weekend coming, he ought to be a menace in the midfield - the car is good enough to qualify anywhere in the midfield, and he will be there to race.

Objectives: Get both cars in to Q2 and fight well in the midfield.

We want to hear from you!

Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.

Take our survey

- The Autosport.com Team

Read and post comments