BMW Sauber F1 Team - GP Spain - Preview
Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona.
12th - 14th May 2006
6th of 18 World Championship rounds
This coming Sunday, 14th May 2006, Formula One will be rolling
onto the grid of the Circuit de Catalunya for the next World
Championship race - the sixth of 18. With such a tight schedule,
teams will have to do their packing and unpacking in record
time. En route from the Eifel to Barcelona, the team trucks
and motorhomes will clock up a good 1,300 kilometres. That
leaves no time for a breather, let alone any testing.
Nick Heidfeld:
"Every driver is very familiar with the circuit at Barcelona
because so much testing takes place there. That's mainly because
the Circuit de Catalunya is a very challenging track in terms
of aerodynamics. That more or less sums up the circuit: it
is fast, and in its great high-speed corners you have to make
sure your aerodynamics do the job. In the meantime, the race
has also taken on a special status from a spectator point
of view - due to Fernando Alonso's success, of course. During
the last test session I noticed they've even built new stands
and heard that it's a sell-out event. It looks like the Spanish
GP is going to be a very good race."
Jacques Villeneuve:
"The Circuit de Catalunya is a good circuit and one where
I've been pretty successful, having won three GPs there. And
of course we all know the track like the back of our hands
because we do a lot of testing there. It has a couple of exciting
high-speed corners, but not too many overtaking opportunities.
There's quite a lot of understeer to contend with. But the
race track apart, Barcelona's a great city! It's a happening
place where people like to go out and the atmosphere is great.
I love the lifestyle of the city. It's sometimes a bit difficult
to understand Catalan, but with a smattering of Spanish you
can get by."
Robert Kubica:
"This grand prix is a special one because of all the
testing that takes place here. For me, it's interesting to
compare my personal performance on familiar circuits and those
that are new to me. I like the circuit in Barcelona with its
long, fast corners. In my opinion it's one of the best Formula
One tracks - it's challenging and great fun driving an F1
car there. I'm really looking forward to the weekend. Unfortunately
I've never raced in Barcelona. My first experience there was
my debut Formula One test last December. But since then I've
had eight or nine days of testing on the circuit."
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
"In previous years, Spain often failed to attract a large
number of fans. Then in 2005 the organisers announced a sell-out
crowd. It will be the same again this year. The euphoria that
Fernando Alonso has sparked off is quite palpable. Spain is
also a strong growth market for BMW and we welcome the burgeoning
interest in Formula One.
Drivers and engineers regard Barcelona as a known quantity.
No other race track sees so much testing, and the wealth of
data for basic set-up is correspondingly great. Nevertheless
the race weekend throws up surprises time and again. Conditions
on the track change almost by the hour. Our aim is to get
both cars into the third qualifying session and to pick up
a few points in the race.
After the successful debut of the BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit
Lane Park, the theme park will make its second appearance
in Barcelona. But rather than at the race track, which is
a long way out of town, it will be set up in the heart of
Barcelona - in the harbour at the end of the famous Las Ramblas
boulevard."
Willy Rampf, Technical Director Chassis:
"Barcelona is known for its long, high-speed turns such
as T3 or the two right-handers before the start/finish straight,
where the left front tyre takes most of the strain. That is
why aerodynamic efficiency and tyre performance are crucial.
The circuit used to be known as a bit of a tyre-wrecker, but
it was resurfaced at the end of 2004, which meant softer rubber
could be used last year. The track is very sensitive to fluctuating
temperatures, which affects grip levels and consequently lap
times. As a result, you constantly have to make adjustments.
Another difficulty is that you can't ignore traction, as the
left-hander at the end of the back straight has been made
even narrower."
BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park:
Following its successful debut at the Nürburgring, the
Pit Lane Park will be make its second appearance in Barcelona.
This time the complex won't be at the race track but in the
bustling centre of the city: at Barcelona's harbour at the
end of the famous Las Ramblas. The theme park once again offers:
- repeated demonstration runs by the Formula One car and
a Formula BMW on the Pit Lane Park track section,
- show cars on display in the pit lane garages,
- a photo opportunity wearing racing overalls,
- a wide range of technical exhibits,
- participation in an interactive Formula One quiz,
- lining up of teams to allow the public to test their skills
in the Pit Shop Challenge,
- driving in the race simulator,
- a BMW Sauber F1 Team merchandising shop,
- Speaker's Corner, where fans can put questions to drivers
and F1 experts several times over the weekend.
- The Pit Lane Park in Barcelona will be open to visitors
free of charge from Friday to Sunday evening, capacity permitting.
- There are plans to set up the Pit Lane Park in Silverstone,
Montreal, Monza and Shanghai.
History and background:
Since the official launch of Formula One in 1950, there have
been 35 Spanish Grands Prix. The first two GPs were held in
Pedralbes, and subsequent venues were Jarama (9), Montjuich
(4) and Jerez (5). Since 1991, Formula One has regularly been
hosted by the Circuit de Catalunya, which is about half an
hour's drive north of the city of Barcelona. 2006 sees the
16th Spanish GP held there.
Since a crowd of 115,900 spectators thronged the circuit
last year on race Sunday (around 300,000 over the entire GP
weekend), modernisation work has been carried out. New toilets
and ticket booths have been built in the spectator area, pedestrian
bridges and walkways have been extended and more parking space
created. Stand N has been redesigned and fitted with seats,
while Stands P and V are completely new.
The city of Barcelona (population approx. 1.8 million) with
its Mediterranean port lies in the northeast of Spain. It
is the economic and cultural hub of Catalonia and is home
to several universities and colleges as well as numerous museums
and cultural monuments. It counts among its most famous sons
Art Nouveau architect Antonio Gaudí (1852-1926), whose
works include the still unfinished Church of the Sagrada Familia.
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