While the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will remain in its spiritual home on the F1 testing calendar, people have been starting to question its value on race day, with a series of sub-par Sundays in recent years.
With long straights and a variety of corners, the track lends itself perfectly to the endless running required in testing, to iron out all those bugs the cars carry from pre-season.
An all-rounder circuit. The Freddie Flintoff of the F1 calendar world – just swap out the Stella for a Sangria.
For us race fans however we want overtakes – preferably a mix of organic and DRS – to keep us on the edge of our seats, lap after lap.
That is something which hasn’t been possible with the narrow track on offer in Spain and not something that can easily be fixed.
Lewis Hamilton is on a five race win streak – a record he is unlikely to continue – so it’s all to play for heading into the weekend as the title race hots up.
Do the rule changes give us hope?
It’s been a mixed bag so far.
The early optimism brought about by the wide-eyed Leclerc and Verstappen waxing lyrical about their Bahrain battle was dampened slightly after the anti-climactic Miami GP.
At least the celebrities enjoyed it, I guess?
It even inspired our own Sean Mckenzie-Kennedy to suggest that F1 is becoming too commercialised with politics seemingly playing as large a role as car design.
This isn’t how it was meant to be.
Although maybe…just maybe Barcelona will pull it out of the bag.
As world champion Max Verstappen put it: “I do think that the cars are better to follow. At least you don’t have these weird moments anymore of like, big oversteer, big understeer.”
The new front wing concept and low-profile tyres will encourage teams who are hoping to follow closely behind cars after getting within DRS range.
It could mean that rather than being tucked up behind a rival for a whole lap, those late on the brakes might be tempted to have a crack around the lap. Something we’ve rarely seen in recent years.
This can only be a plus with cars able to follow closely leading to possible new overtaking opportunities in T5, T7 and even T14 if you’re feeling audacious.
While it might be a step too far to transform Monaco, the new regulations were brought in to give tracks like Spain a leg up.
Organic racing brings out the best in drivers and generally, makes for the most exciting racing.
If Spain can achieve this, at least in some respect, we should be in for a good race.
A recent BBC poll showed fans believe the new rules are better, but not perfect. If it can turn Spain into an interesting event, it will provide hope for fans that other tight and twisty tracks will follow suit.
Whether you like it or not, it’s here to stay
I was honestly surprised when an F1 statement confirmed a contract extension late last year.
The track seemed to be heading in the direction of Hockenheim – an iconic track that lazily drifts off the calendar never to be seen again.
F1 had other ideas and promises have been made.
There will be “improvements including upgrades and improvements relating to the circuit’s sustainability plans,” the statement added.
Rather vague if you ask me, but both teams are clearly onboard to keep Spain around for the foreseeable future.
It will now be with us until at least 2026. A five year cycle which you feel with be pivotal to the Spanish GPs survival.
They can’t rely on the testing card forever and the F1 calendar seems to drift further from Europe with each passing year.
We can only hope that they follow up on this lucrative extension with a detailed plan on how the circuit sees its future.
A Spanish saviour
There’s room for cautious optimism this year that the home crowd may see one of their charges back on the top step.
Carlos Sainz – in the car his hero and compatriot used to drive – will be hoping to get his title charge underway.
Santander have returned to F1 and the Ferrari team in 2022. He’ll hope that is a good omen in a crucial weekend for the Spaniard.
This has a ‘last chance saloon’ feel to it before we see it as a two-horse race for the WDC; what better place to do it?
That’s only going to happen if he gets his act together though. A mixture of bad luck and an inability to hook up a clean weekend has left him trailing his team mate by a whopping 51 points.
Some would say his title aspirations are already over for another season.
This is the perfect opportunity to prove those people wrong. Things can change so quickly in the world of Formula One.
One thing the Ferrari boys will certainly be hoping for is not to repeat Mercedes’ blunder a la 2016.
Many people felt that was the straw that broke the camels back between former chums, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Mattia Binotto will want to ensure that harmony remains a strength for the Scuderia.
The historic Pamplona Running of the Bulls begins in July this year. It’s Ferrari’s task is to make sure it doesn’t start early.