Spanish Grand Prix Preview
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
by Toby Waller
England

Circuit Length: 2.937 miles / 4.727 km
Race Length: 65 laps (190.919 miles / 307.255 km)

The race at the Barcelona track often provides the best indication of the relative performance of the teams. By now, the drivers and engineers will be familiar with their cars and the real form guide for the remainder of the season will become clear.

The circuit itself is superb. In a calendar where most circuits are slow twisty affairs, the Barcelona venue provides long straights, fast corners, plenty of runoff and several good overtaking opportunities. The event is usually one of the better races of the year, and it's history contains some of the best moments of Formula One action. Who can forget Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna, wheelnut-to-wheelnut, as they fought a duel of nerves down the mile long straight in 1991. Mansell won that particular battle, but Senna would go on to take the title. That was the Barcelona circuit’s debut, after the race had been moved from Jerez following Martin Donnely’s near fatal crash in 1990. The Jerez circuit had hosted the event for much of the 1980’s, and saw one of the closest victories of all time when Senna beat Mansell to the chequered flag by a mere 0.014s. 1992 saw Nigel Mansell take his second Barcelona victory, despite atrocious conditions that caused many of the top drivers to spin off. Alain Prost won the race in 1993 after being shadowed by Williams team-mate Damon Hill, in only his fifth race, for much of the afternoon. Damon would win the event a year later in 1994, providing the Williams team with some comfort after Ayrton Senna had died at Imola just two races earlier. Michael Schumacher had driven one of the most astounding races in his career, spending much of the afternoon stuck in fifth gear. He was able to finish second though, and this undoubtedly contributed to his world championship success that year. On present form, expect the unusual this weekend.

Lap Guide
The Circuit de Catalunya is a tight, technical circuit, but has some fast corners that really sort out the men from the boys. The circuit is bumpier than most and this can really be felt in the tight confines of an F1 car. After travelling down the mile long straight, the drivers slam on the brakes, change down to third, and enter the tight, uphill Elf chicane at around 100mph. The next corner, Curvone Renault, is a nearly flat uphill right hander that allows the quicker drivers to gain precious time over their rivals. After a couple of slow hairpins, Repsol and Seat, the drivers pass through a left handed kink before changing down to third again for the tight left hander Wurth. Uphill again, and a slight dab on the brakes to prepare the car for the refined Campsa corner. The next stretch used to contain a fast chicane but, in light of the Imola tragedies, this was replaced with a revised straight for 1995. The fact that the straight is longer means that there is now a superb opportunity for outbraking into La Caixa, a tight hairpin normally taken in second. After another tough hairpin, where the balance of the car must be just right if the drivers are not to lose time, the cars enter the final two right handers. These corners are taken with only the slightest lift of the throttle, and have the highest measured lateral forces of the year, almost 3.5g. Cars use a lot of kerb on the final corner, and many top drivers have almost come to grief on the dust before accelerating across the start finish line to begin another fast lap.

What Happened Last Year?
After having been so dominant in the first three rounds, the Williams drivers suddenly found themselves eclipsed by the Benetton team. Damon Hill and David Coulthard were unable to find a good balance, eventually lining up fourth and fifth on the grid. The Ferrari cars were looking good, with Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger lining up second and third. Michael Schumacher had dominated the qualifying session and took pole by over half a second. The race was dominated by the German as he led from start to finish. Johnny Herbert took the other Benetton to second, despite a scary moment when he exited the pits with the rear jack still attached. The Ferrari pair had their usual contrasting fortunes, Berger driving a steady race to finish third and Alesi suffering the first Ferrari engine failure of the year. Damon was lucky to finish the race at all, his hydraulics failing on the final lap. He limped round to take fourth though, ahead of Eddie Irvine and Olivier Panis. The saddest sight of the afternoon, for many Formula One fans, was the retirement of Nigel Mansell. The car had been undriveable, despite being radically reworked to accommodate Nigel's physique, and, after sliding off the circuit, the ex-World Champion retired from the race and his F1 career.

1995 Results
1.  Michael Schumacher  Benetton-Renault        1h34m20.507s
2.  Johnny Herbert      Benetton-Renault        +51.988s
3.  Gerhard Berger      Ferrari                 +1m05.237s
4.  Damon Hill          Williams-Renault        +2m01.749s
5.  Eddie Irvine        Jordan-Peugot           + one lap
6.  Olivier Panis       Ligier-Mugen Honda      + one lap

Pole Position    Michael Schumacher  Benetton-Renault    1m21.452s
Fastest Lap      Damon Hill          Williams-Renault    1m24.531s

After predicting so confidently that the Ligier cars would be lucky to finish Monaco at best, I feel even less inclined to suggest a winner for this weeks race. However, with the Barcelona circuit providing a slightly more conventional yardstick, I suggest that the teams will be performing as follows:

Ferrari
I wouldn't be surprised to see a Ferrari driver on the top step of the podium this weekend. The car has been performing superbly at the last three events, and I wouldn't be surprised if Michael Schumacher can easily take pole and win this time round. He made an uncharacteristic error on the first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, but don't expect this to diminish his confidence in any way. Eddie Irvine had an eventful Monaco weekend, but drove superbly in an ill handling car to hold off Frentzen. Expect him to have a bit more confidence at this race and probably finish in the points. The team are just about to begin a series of developments on the car to attempt to catch the dominant Williams, so expect to see a marked improvement in their performance soon.

Benetton-Renault
Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger performed well at Monaco, but were still complaining that the car was difficult to drive and had problems getting the front tyres up to temperature. Berger was running third before a gearbox sensor failed, and Alesi would have probably won the race had it not been for a suspension failure. It amazes me that their team boss, Flavio Briatore, is still considering replacements for one of his drivers. If he only tried to work with what he has, instead of regretting the departure of Schumacher, then he will probably have the best driver pairing of all the teams. Expect them to do well this weekend (barring red mist and reliability problems).

Williams-Renault
The team were testing at Silverstone this week and fairly dominated the proceedings. Expect the usual good results from the team this weekend. Damon Hill was unlucky not to win the Monaco Grand Prix. After a superb start, he drove brilliantly in tricky conditions only to retire with a rare Renault engine failure. I expect him to be fighting Schumacher's Ferrari for pole and race win. Jacques Villeneuve had a bit of a poor weekend, especially in comparison to other Monaco rookies, but expect him to bounce back this weekend. I'm not entirely sure if he has ever driven on the Barcelona circuit, but it is a fairly easy track to learn so expect him to be near the front or thereabouts come the end of Saturday.

McLaren-Mercedes
After a disappointing, problematic qualifying performance, the cars ran well on Sunday. David Coulthard is looking increasingly confident in the car and was nearly the victor of the race. I expect him to be doing exceptionally well this weekend. Mika Hakkinen appeared to be regaining some confidence, but was unlucky to be stuck in a train of cars for much of the race. His eventual retirement was through no fault of his own, but he will be keen to prove to Ron Dennis this weekend that he is a match for his Scottish team-mate. The McLaren team had a special, short wheelbase, version of their car for the twisty Monaco circuit. It now appears that this will be alternated with the conventional car for the rest of the season.

Ligier-Mugen Honda
Well, who would have thought it! I was much impressed by Olivier Panis in his debut season, but he performed poorly compared to Martin Brundle last year. It was great to see a different face on the top step of the podium last weekend, but don't expect a repeat performance come the end of this Sunday’s race. The victory was hard won, and Panis drove well to get it, but don't forget that a lot of it was through luck. I would be surprised to see a Ligier running near the front this weekend, but they might get some points. Diniz had a terrible Monaco weekend, but seems to be getting the hang of Formula One. Expect him to be pressuring his team-mate this weekend.

Jordan-Peugot
The Jordan team were looking promising at Monaco after Rubens Barrichello qualified in the top six. Martin Brundle was unlucky to line up sixteenth, especially having been fastest in every sector over the weekend. Both drivers threw it away in the initial laps though. Jordan are having a weird season, up and down the grid from practice session to practice session, but should run well at Barcelona. Any takers for a points finish?

Sauber-Ford
Both Sauber drivers were caught up in the traffic jam last weekend after average qualifying performances. Heinz Harald Frentzen was unlucky not to win the race, having to pit for repairs after bashing the rear of Irvine's Ferrari. He drove brilliantly for much of the weekend though, and deserved his fourth place behind team-mate Johnny Herbert. The Englishman drive a steady race to grab the remaining podium place, but he still seems to be the number two driver in the team. It's been a disappointing season so far for the Swiss team, but expect them to be fighting for the points this weekend.

Footwork-Hart
Amazingly, Jos Verstappen is being hawked by his manager at a price of $5m for next year. He drove brilliantly in the first few races, but is currently suffering from a lack of performance. He made a brave gamble to start the race on slicks, but was out by the first corner after having been pushed off. Riccardo Rosset is currently failing to match Verstappen's performance but could do all right at a 'conventional' circuit such as Spain.

Tyrrell-Yamaha
Like most teams, Tyrrell had a terrible time in qualifying and the race last weekend. Mika Salo is the shining light of the team at the minute, but Ukyo Katayama is an able team-mate. I hope the pair do well this weekend, but I expect them to be fighting for points at best.

Minardi-Ford
Pedro Lamy and Giancarlo Fisichella provided the team managers ultimate nightmare at Monaco, they collided at the first corner! Typically, both drivers blamed the other. Expect the usual mid-field qualifying performance at Spain and a finish at best.

Forti-Ford
Usual predictions here. They'll qualify. They'll run at the back of the pack. They'll hold the leaders up. They'll finish (possibly). Unless there's a torrential rainstorm that takes out the remaining twenty cars. Don't laugh, stranger things have happened!