Circuit de Catalunya, 25-27 April 2008
Round four of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship takes the Honda Racing F1 Team to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix. The 66-lap race is held at the 4.655km (2.892mile) Circuit de Catalunya and marks the start of Formula One's European season.
The track has staged the Spanish Grand Prix every year since 1991 and is also a renowned F1 testing facility, thanks to its demanding and varied layout. The track has undergone various 'facelifts' in its 17-year history, the most recent of which took place two years ago, when a chicane was added prior to the final corner.
The Honda Racing F1 Team completed a successful four-day test session at the track this week, where new mechanical and aerodynamic components were evaluated on the RA108 car, and the team enters the Spanish Grand Prix weekend hoping to challenge for a points finish.
CIRCUIT DE CATALUNYA - THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE
Such is the technical challenge provided by the Circuit de Catalunya, thatthere's no hiding from a poor car, and, conversely, a good car is likely toshine. It's a track where every aspect of set-up needs to be right in orderto be quick.
The teams do a lot of testing at Barcelona because it throws up a bit ofeverything. The long pit straight demands good aero efficiency, there aresome very challenging slow speed corners, off-camber and on-camber, and acouple of high-speed corners. If your car is quick here, it should becompetitive at most tracks on the F1 calendar.
The circuit has changed quite a lot in recent years. A chicane has beenbuilt at the end of the lap to slow the cars through the final corner andthe track was resurfaced in 2006. After losing a lot of grip initially, thenew asphalt has rubbered-in and is now quicker than the old surface.However, it creates a medium-to-high frequency ripple effect along thestraights, which can feel a bit odd for the drivers and gives someinteresting data.
Full throttle: 64% Brake wear: MediumDownforce level: High - 8/10 Tyre compounds: Medium / Hard Tyre usage: Hard Averagespeed: 207kph (128mph)
HONDA TEAM TALK
Ross Brawn, Team Principal
Q. How do you expect the Honda Racing F1 Team to perform at the SpanishGrand Prix?"The team has made good progress at each race so far this season, gaining inconfidence and performing better on each occasion. Our recent developmentpush on the RA108 with a new aerodynamic package, suspension modificationsand driveability improvements showed pleasing results during the four-daytest this week. I expect these developments to add to our competitivenessand improve our points scoring potential at the Spanish Grand Prix and theraces to follow."
Rubens Barrichello
Q. How did the RA108 perform during testing this week?"We had a very successful four-day test at the Circuit de Catalunya and wereable to work through a lot of test items. Our main focus was the mechanicaland aerodynamic developments for the RA108 car at this race.We saw a significant lap time improvement with the new upgrades which isvery pleasing, but as ever, we need to wait until the race weekend todetermine how this will impact our position on the grid. I'm confident thatwe have continued to make good progress."
Q. You know the track well from testing. Does that help you to extract moreperformance from the car?"Every driver and every F1 team knows the Circuit de Catalunya well as weuse the track so often for testing in the winter months and throughout theseason. The test which takes place in advance of the Spanish Grand Prixmeans that we are very well prepared for the race weekend and have a lot ofdata on the set-up and tyre requirements.However there are always variables in the weather, the wind conditions andthe resulting grip levels so there is still a great deal of preparation workto do during the practice sessions to extract the maximum levels ofperformance from the car."
Jenson Button
Q. What are your hopes for the Spanish Grand Prix weekend?"Our performance over the first three races showed a steady rate ofimprovement which was encouraging for the whole team and has given usrenewed confidence in the car. Although I was not able to complete muchmileage at the test this week due to the weather, the team had three daysevaluating the new upgrades, so I am confident that we are in good shape.The circuit here is very familiar so we will make the best use of our timeon track to fine-tune the set-up of the car. We hope to be challenging fora top ten qualifying position again which would put us in position for astrong race."
Q. What is the key to a quick lap around the Circuit de Catalunya?"The key to a really quick lap is having a car with good downforce; you needto feel confident when you commit to the very high speed corners.Overtaking can be a real challenge here and one of the best opportunities isgoing into the first corner after the start. You can squeeze by there oncethe race has settled down but it is very difficult. The chicane can also betricky as it is extremely slippery and so very slow. One little mistakecould cost you a lot of time there."
