Circuit de Barcelona (Spain)

MONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 12: General view of the main straight and grandstand during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 12, 2013 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Track name: Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya
Times the race has been held here: 12
First GP: 1991, won by Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
Total number of race laps: 66
Complete race distance: 104 kilometers (190.826 miles)
Pit lane speed limit: 80 kph (50 mph)
Pitlane length: 420m/0.261 miles, estimated time loss 21s
2016 winner: Max Verstappen, 66 laps, 1:41:40.017
2016 pole position: Lewis Hamilton 1:22.000
2016 fastest lap: Daniil Kvyat, 1:26.948 on lap 53.
Most wins (driver): Michael Schumacher - 6
Most wins (team): Ferrari - 8
Lap record: Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari – 2008 – 1:21.670
Smallest winning margin:  085, in 2014
Circuit Length: 4.655km/2.892 miles
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 16
Distance to Turn 1 : 730m/0.454 miles (longest of the season)
Longest straight: 1.047km/0.651 miles, on the approach to Turn One
Fastest corner: 265km/h (165mph), Turn Nine
Slowest corner: 75km/h (47mph), Turn 10
Top Speed: 345km/h/214mph, on the approach to Turn One
Full throttle: 63%
DRS Zones: Two, on the approaches to Turns One and 10
Key Corner: Turn Three, an uphill right-hander, through which the cars accelerate from 180km/h (112mph) to 260km/h (162mph)
Fuel consumption: 1.7kg per lap, making it fairly average
ERS Demands: Medium
Brake wear: Medium. There are eight braking events around the lap, but only two big stops, into Turns One and 10
Gear changes: 44 per lap/2904 per race
Safety car likelihood: 35 per cent. If there is a Safety Car, the history of this race would suggest that it’ll come on the opening lap.
Tyre choices: Hard, Medium, Soft
Weather: Warm
Chance of rain: 35%
Grip levels: High. The asphalt is old and abrasive
Run off: Medium


A lap around Barcelona.

Barcelona is probably the track you know best in the world. You can name every part of the layout. There’s a long straight, then the first two corners right and left. You carry quite a good speed into them, and then there’s the famous turn three, which you try to take as flat out as possible. Turn four, there’s usually some front-locking.

The hairpin into turn five, going down you don’t see the apex until late, so it’s a tricky corner. Turns seven and eight going up the hill lead to the very high-speed turn nine, which has a new curb on exit. Then you get to the hairpin at turn 10, which is very tricky under braking. Turns 11-15 are almost one corner – as a complex, it’s difficult to get a good flow around those corners. You need to get a good balance there.

Turn 16 is the last corner and you want to try to stay as flat-out to prepare for the straight and get a good lap time.