Round 4: Spanish GP preview/weekend thread!

Knowlesy · 1 May 2007, 18:22 (Ref:1904416)

Well the four week gap is zooming in and we are in Spain already for, err, the Spanish GP a week on Sunday. The teams are testing there right now, notably McLaren who are trying to make their car look as silly as possible. As if those ridiculous sidepod wings and clutter weren't enough, they have bent a javelin around the top of the cars nosecone. Will it race? Will it be banned? Who knows. And frankly, who cares. I don't know why I mentioned it.

The Circuit de Catalunya is unfortunately yet another rubbish track that we have to sleep through early season before we get to mens tracks. The bad news is the track has got even worse. You know that balls out, super quick double right hander before the pit-straight? Well, forget it. It now has a chicane plonked in the middle of it for no good reason. Actually, there is a reason, the drivers were getting scared of it (oh dear, there goes that macho image then). Quite what they will do when we get to circuits like Silverstone I don't know, a boycott perhaps?

Anyways, enough of the wimpishness prevalent in F1 lately, let's talk about the race. What can we expect? Sadly, I rather think we can expect a procession for a kick-off led by red and chrome cars. Spain is notoriously dull, so let us hope there is some rain (for the first time since 1996)!

All eyes, I suspect, will be on the usual suspects. Looking for Kimi to respond to Felipe's recent form? Well, where better place for him to start than Barcelona, a circuit he seemingly likes very much having won at a canter in 2005 and where he put in his greatest drive (according to some McLaren folk) in last years race. The Finn is my tip for the win this time out.

It will be a three way scrap for the second spot between the McLaren chaps and Felipe I guess. Or will it? Will the wheels fall off the record breaking rookie bandwagon that is Lewis Hamilton's season? Will Fernando lose the plot (ha!)? Has Felipe found his Malaysia race brain again?

All fascinating stuff, but the race will be dull. Let's laugh at Honda's continuing form instead then, should the rain not transpire.

Drivers championship standings (after three rounds)

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points	Wins
1.	Fernando Alonso	McLaren-Mercedes	22	1
1=	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	22	1
1=	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	22	0
4.	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	17	1
5.	Nick Heidfeld	BMW-Sauber	15	0
6.	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	8	0
7.	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	4	0
8.	Robert Kubica	BMW-Sauber	3	0
9.	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	2	0
10.	Heikki Kovaleinen	Renault	1	0
10=	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	1	0

Constructors championship standings (after three rounds)

Pos.	Constructor	Points	Wins
1.	McLaren-Mercedes	44	1
2.	Ferrari	39	2
3.	BMW-Sauber	18	0
4.	Renault	9	0
5.	Toyota	5	0
6.	Williams-Toyota	2	0
7.	Red Bull-Renault	0	0
7=	Honda	0	0
7=	Super Aguri-Honda	0	0
7=	Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari	0	0
7=	Spyker-Ferrari	0	0

Spanish GP: recent history

2006 top eight finishers

Pos.	Driver	Team	Time/gap	Grid pos.
1.	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1h26m21.759	Pole
2.	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+18.502	3rd
3.	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+23.951	2nd
4.	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+29.853	4th
5.	Kimi Raikkonen	McLaren-Mercedes	+56.875	9th
6.	Jenson Button	Honda	+58.347	8th
7.	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+ 1 lap	5th
8.	Nick Heidfeld	BMW-Sauber	+1 lap	10th

	Driver	Team	Laptime
2006 fastest lap	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1m16.648
2006 pole position	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1m14.648
Lap record	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	1m15.641 (set in 2005)

Other previous winners

Year	Driver	Team
2005	Kimi Raikkonen	McLaren-Mercedes
2004	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
2003	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
2002	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
2001	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
2000	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren-Mercedes
1999	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren-Mercedes
1998	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren-Mercedes
1997	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault
1996	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari

Circuit and race weekend information
Homepage
Map
Timetable
Live timing

And don't forget...
Why not chat about the race in our chat room?

And take a look at the predictions competition also. New entrants are always welcome!

Sodemo · 1 May 2007, 19:27 (Ref:1904456)

I think we are overdue for a nice wet race, please let it be so...

Pro Racer · 2 May 2007, 01:49 (Ref:1904666)

i hope for a wet race as then maybe Webber might get a podium if the testing times in the wet were to translate to the race.

FPV GTHO · 2 May 2007, 08:29 (Ref:1904797)

Webber was only 2nd in the wet testing as nobody was taking to the track seriously. If you look at the times, he was still ~1.5s behind Raikkonen.

Barca is usually the first track that sets the good cars from the bad. So far we know the McLaren and Ferrari are really good, with the BMW not too far back. Then theres Renault, Williams, RBR and Toyota all scrapping about a tenth off each other. Whilst one might hope this mid grid battle will lead to some action, it will likely give us a set order to how each team is performing.

mjstallard · 2 May 2007, 08:59 (Ref:1904820)

At last, we get back to some F1!

And I MUST remember to actually enter the predictions comp this time around!

Raikkonen has been rather bullish about Ferrari's testing form so far, so I fear a red-wash of the race. But then again, McLaren were previously very bullish about their chances once they reach Europe. Who am I kidding? It's just too ruddy hard to predict this year!

Marbot · 3 May 2007, 10:02 (Ref:1905677)

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monster

I think we are overdue for a nice wet race, please let it be so...

Spain is currently having one of its wettest Springs for quite some time.Whereas here in the UK it's probably going to be the driest for some time.Which means that more people will stay in the UK for their hols,which means less pollution from aeroplanes,which means less global warming,which means more rain in the UK and less rain in Spain.So it all balances out quite nicely.
Now what was it I originally wanted to say?

BootsOntheSide · 3 May 2007, 16:58 (Ref:1905925)

I hadn't noticed just how close the 2006 result was to the final championship order. Swap Massa and Fisichella, and insert JPM, and you have it.

As for 2007, rain might be the only hope for a thriller, but it should be fascinating to see which teams have made the best use of the testing time. Good cars always do better than good drivers here - expect a Noah's Ark grid, with little disadvantage for the rookies due to the amount of testing. Williams might be up against it after their 2 testing crashes, but otherwise we should get a representative outcome.

Marbot · 3 May 2007, 18:18 (Ref:1905977)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BootsOntheSide

Williams might be up against it after their 2 testing crashes, but otherwise we should get a representative outcome.

They did plenty of pre-season testing there,so they should be OK.

It's really quite barmy that teams are allowed to test at circuits shortly before they race on them (What the Hell are Friday's for!).In MotoGP for example,you can only test at the circuit you've raced on after the race as taken place.Unless it is your nominated test circuit.

**Born Racer** · 3 May 2007, 19:16 (Ref:1906022)

Quote:

It's really quite barmy that teams are allowed to test at circuits shortly before they race on them

I recall that some years ago they were going to instigate a rule against this.

**Bononi** · 6 May 2007, 21:33 (Ref:1907986)

Knowlesy nice work as always, no, it's getting better !

F1Pete · 8 May 2007, 01:41 (Ref:1908722)

Fascinating it will be! Will Alonso fall behind Lewis on his home turf? Will the Ferrari's still outperfom the Macs? I read so much about the improvements to the Macs. I read little about the improvements on the Ferrari's other than the drivers are happy with the car. 5 lights, 4 lights, 3 lights.....I can't wait!

Charlies · 8 May 2007, 18:56 (Ref:1909256)

Ferrari seem bullish from their pre-race statements; hopefully Alonso can perform as he did last year, which was dull but impressive and put up a fight. Be interesting to see if the mid-field pack has been shuffled since Bahrain. Red Bull seemed quick in testing.

Wasn't there going to be a team running in a football team's colours this weekend? Real Madrid if I remember correctly.

Sodemo · 8 May 2007, 19:11 (Ref:1909268)

Incidentally, I don't think the track is rubbish, its the cars that are rubbish. The cars from 1991 could pass fine on it.

Change the cars, not the tracks.

Knowlesy · 8 May 2007, 19:13 (Ref:1909271)

GP2 cars struggle on it.

1991 was damp, which helped a lot.

Marbot · 9 May 2007, 12:42 (Ref:1909850)

The weather doesn't give us any hope of a less processional than usual race.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=0042

Our only hope is that the two top teams can battle it out for a bit.At least until they pit that is.

flor · 10 May 2007, 20:06 (Ref:1910588)

http://www.motorsport-total.com//bil...1178733657.jpg
looks like someone got a new hospitality unit

steve nielsen · 11 May 2007, 07:23 (Ref:1910829)

That's not a motorhome, that's a skyskraper

and Red Bull has got a new front wing:

http://images.gpupdate.net/large/73469.jpg

MikeH · 11 May 2007, 11:14 (Ref:1910978)

Oh man, Barcelona. I like F1 but getting ready to watch the race in Spain is like getting ready to contract rabies - you just know it probably wont be much fun...

Knowlesy · 11 May 2007, 12:19 (Ref:1911022)

First practice.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laptime
1	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:21.880
2	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren-Mercedes	1:22.268
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:22.291
4	10	Robert Kubica	BMW	1:22.446
5	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:22.565
6	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri-Honda	1:22.665
7	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:22.740
8	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	1:22.843
9	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	1:23.048
10	7	Jenson Button	Honda	1:23.114
11	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams-Toyota	1:23.131
12	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW	1:23.170
13	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri-Honda	1:23.316
14	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	1:23.322
15	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	1:23.397
16	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault	1:23.428
17	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1:23.444
18	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:23.479
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker-Ferrari	1:23.954
20	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Ferrari	1:24.104
21	19	Scott Speed	STR-Ferrari	1:24.179
22	21	Christijan Albers	Spyker-Ferrari	1:24.396

MrTTraces · 11 May 2007, 12:23 (Ref:1911025)

Davidson 6th.... Nice one! Lets hope he continues this form into qualifying

Marbot · 11 May 2007, 12:33 (Ref:1911038)

Second practice should be more telling.

Faster times were on the softer tyres,which were not used by all the drivers.

Adri_tifosi · 11 May 2007, 13:42 (Ref:1911087)

Free Sesion 2

1. Alonso McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:21.397 33
2. Fisichella Renault (B) 1:21.684 + 0.287 39
3. Kovalainen Renault (B) 1:21.966 + 0.569 38
4. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:22.048 + 0.651 31
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:22.188 + 0.791 37
6. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:22.251 + 0.854 33
7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:22.415 + 1.018 29
8. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:22.543 + 1.146 40
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:22.589 + 1.192 39
10. Speed Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:22.617 + 1.220 35
11. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:22.710 + 1.313 43
12. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:22.719 + 1.322 30
13. Button Honda (B) 1:22.808 + 1.411 39
14. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:22.926 + 1.529 40
15. Wurz Williams-Toyota (B) 1:22.950 + 1.553 30
16. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:23.143 + 1.746 29
17. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) 1:23.219 + 1.822 28
18. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:23.307 + 1.910 42
19. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:23.493 + 2.096 40
20. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:23.497 + 2.100 49
21. Sutil Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:23.609 + 2.212 33
22. Albers Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:23.736 + 2.339 30

climb · 11 May 2007, 13:51 (Ref:1911092)

Apart from Macs dominance, it's hard to read something into the comaprison between the two session.

Apparently they Dennis' boys have made their homework, surely better than at Ferrari.

chillibowl · 11 May 2007, 13:59 (Ref:1911095)

missed practice, but just looking at the times, was their any mention of what tire each driver achieved their best runs on?

MikeH · 11 May 2007, 14:14 (Ref:1911112)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adri_tifosi

Free Sesion 2

1. Alonso McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:21.397 33
2. Fisichella Renault (B) 1:21.684 + 0.287 39
3. Kovalainen Renault (B) 1:21.966 + 0.569 38
4. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:22.048 + 0.651 31
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:22.188 + 0.791 37
6. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:22.251 + 0.854 33
7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:22.415 + 1.018 29
8. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:22.543 + 1.146 40
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:22.589 + 1.192 39
10. Speed Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:22.617 + 1.220 35
11. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:22.710 + 1.313 43
12. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:22.719 + 1.322 30
13. Button Honda (B) 1:22.808 + 1.411 39
14. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:22.926 + 1.529 40
15. Wurz Williams-Toyota (B) 1:22.950 + 1.553 30
16. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:23.143 + 1.746 29
17. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) 1:23.219 + 1.822 28
18. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:23.307 + 1.910 42
19. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:23.493 + 2.096 40
20. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:23.497 + 2.100 49
21. Sutil Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:23.609 + 2.212 33
22. Albers Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:23.736 + 2.339 30

Jeez, remember the days when 2.3 seconds usually covered the top 3 or 4 cars?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Bahrain GP weekend thread!	Knowlesy	Formula One	190	23 Apr 2007 01:10
Malaysian GP preview and race weekend thread!	Knowlesy	Formula One	101	18 Apr 2007 09:51
Australian GP preview and race weekend thread!	Knowlesy	Formula One	300	25 Mar 2007 09:06
Predictions Competition-Round 6, Spanish GP	Inigo Montoya	Predictions Contest & Fun	40	12 May 2006 11:48
F1 Results Prediction Competition - Round Five, Spanish GP, Barcelona	R	Predictions Contest & Fun	78	2 May 2003 06:13