Formula 1 is back this weekend with the sixth round of the 2022 World Championship, the Spanish Grand Prix to be held at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona at Montmelò.
The Catalan track has already hosted the first of two pre-season Formula 1 test rounds, so the teams will start the weekend with references for the first time this season.
The same goes for Pirelli, which will bring the following compounds to Montmelò:
Pirelli PZero White Hard C1
Pirelli PZero Yellow Medium C2
Pirelli PZero Red Soft C3
This is therefore the most conservative choice, because the three hardest compounds of the 2022 range created by the Milanese manufacturer will be brought. In reality, considering the nature of the track and the asphalt, it is nothing more than the perfect choice to face the Catalan weekend.
The tires on the track
- At the Spanish Grand Prix, of which it is title sponsor, Pirelli brings the hardest compounds of the 2022 range: the C1 as P Zero White hard, the C2 as P Zero Yellow medium and the C3 as P Zero Red soft. It was a pretty straightforward choice, and the same as last year even if you’re using a brand new tire family, as the challenges of the Barcelona circuit are clear from previous tests and races. These include the long curve 3 and curve 9: both of them pour a lot of energy on the tires.
- The teams were in Barcelona in February, three months ago, for pre-season testing. However, there are three major differences to consider compared to then: firstly, in testing, the teams focused on the mid-range compounds rather than the hard; secondly, the weather conditions were much cooler; finally, the new cars were not yet in the final version. Since then, the cars have improved considerably and it will be interesting to see how remarkable the advancement achieved with the latest updates actually is.
- As Barcelona is a very popular circuit, there will not be a huge evolution of the track over the course of the weekend, thanks in part to a busy schedule of support races. Temperatures are expected to be dry and warm, which adds an additional challenge to those already predicted for tires. The track is unchanged from last year, when turn 10 was modified by slightly increasing the overall length of the circuit.
- Last year’s winning strategy was a two-stop, traditional approach to Barcelona, with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton triumphing after starting from pole using medium and soft. The soft-medium-soft strategy was also used by all the riders who reached the finish line between second and eighth place.
Mario Isolahead of car racing at Pirelli: “It is difficult to say much more about Barcelona than has already been said, considering that it is probably the circuit on the calendar best known by the drivers, with its layout that makes it a perfect proving ground. It has a little bit of everything, with the very technical final sector becoming particularly important when it comes to tire management. “
“Therefore, the teams will have a good opportunity to evaluate the progress made with their cars since the start of the season, even if the weather conditions will be much warmer and there will probably be much more use of the compound than seen in the tests. hard, which could be the key option for the race. In the past, Barcelona has traditionally been a two-stop race, so it will be interesting to see if the new generation of tires this year pushes anyone to aim for the single stop“.
Minimum pressures at the start (dry tires)
Front: 22.5psi
Rear: 19.0 psi
Maximum camber
Front: -3.25 °
Rear: -1.75 °
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