2006 SPANISH GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Team McLaren Mercedes travels to Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya
this week for the sixth race of the 2006 Formula One World
Championship, the Spanish Grand Prix.
The race is the second of the five sets of back to back events
this season, coming just seven days after the European Grand
Prix at the Nürburgring. Team McLaren Mercedes has tested
at the Circuit de Catalunya a total of 20 days of car running
time since the start of the year, covering 6,510km of the
Spanish track.
The inaugural Spanish Grand Prix took place at the Pedrables
track in 1951. Since then the event has been a sporadic fixture
on the calendar, held at a number of locations including Jarama
and Montjuich Park, until 1986 when it returned on a permanent
basis. The purpose built Circuit de Catalunya, which is approximately
a 30 minutes drive from the centre of Barcelona, has hosted
the race since 1991.
Team McLaren Mercedes has won four times in the past eight
years. Most recently Kimi Raikkonen took victory at the Circuit
de Catalunya having led the race from pole position. From
1998-2000, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard took three one-two
victories for the team.
KIMI RAIKKONEN
"Over the weekend at the Nürburgring the car was
definitely improving, and I am looking forward to getting
straight back on track in Spain, to try and continue to find
more pace. The Circuit de Catalunya is a very quick track,
not in the same way as say Monza that is all about power,
it is because there are a lot of fast corners that keep you
flowing the whole way round. This does mean though that you
can lose a bit of downforce when you are close behind another
car through the quick corners and this can make it quite difficult
to pass. The aerodynamics of cars are tested the most here,
so set-up is crucial. This can be quite tricky as it can be
quite windy on track and something that worked really well
in the morning doesn't always work as well in the afternoon."
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA
"It wasn't the best race for me in Europe, but that is
racing and you have to move on. There has traditionally been
quite high levels of tyre degradation at the Circuit de Catalunya,
this was less last year with the resurfacing, but over the
course of the past twelve months it has returned to being
fairly abrasive. With all the super fast corners there are
big loadings on the tyres, so tyre wear is still a consideration,
particularly the front left. We have worked hard with Michelin
in preparation for the race, and final selection between the
prime and option will be our main focus in the early part
of the weekend. I have tested at the Circuit de Catalunya
for seven days since the start of the year, providing useful
data. The Michelin tyre selection process for the race started
in early April when we were testing at the track and we completed
it at Silverstone a couple of weeks ago. Overtaking here is
not easy and to do it having good traction out of the corners
is a must, there is one chance, as you can slipstream along
the main straight and then try to overtake at the first corner."
MARTIN WHITMARSH, CEO FORMULA ONE, TEAM McLAREN MERCEDES
"The European Grand Prix demonstrated that we are in
a ferociously competitive Championship, and Team McLaren Mercedes
has to push forward to find the extra pace we need to challenge
for victories. The Spanish Grand Prix sees us race at a demanding
circuit that necessitates optimum performance form the entire
MP4-21. The Circuit de Catalunya is a very changeable track
to run on, whether it is the wind affecting the aero efficiency
or the temperature changing having a significant impact on
grip levels."
NORBERT HAUG, VICE PRESIDENT, MERCEDES-BENZ MOTORSPORT
"Barcelona is the circuit which all teams know best,
because it’s the test track they use the most. Since
the beginning of this year all teams together completed about
54000 kilometres in total here and with more than 6500 kilometres
we are by far not the team which tested the most. The circuit
is characterised by sweeping and mainly fast corners and a
long front straight. About 62 percent of a lap will be run
under full throttle. This track is the most demanding of all
circuits in terms of a car’s aerodynamic efficiency
and is considered the yardstick for the competitiveness of
a technical package for the entire season.”
USEFUL STATISTICS
Spanish Grand Prix McLaren Team McLaren Mercedes Kimi Juan
Pablo
Circuit length 4.627 km Race starts 601 191 92 90
2.875 miles Race wins 148 44 9 7
Race distance 305.256 km Pole Positions 122 43 9 12
189.777 miles Points 30679.5 1172 304 296
Laps 66 Podiums 387 134 32 28
Inaugural race 1951 Fastest Laps 128 58 17 12
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