2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Preview

After a two week break we kick off the European season as the Formula 1 circus reassembles to roll into Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Circuit de Catalunya has been the home of Spanish fans since 1991, and has also seen regular in-season and pre-season tests throughout the years. It has been the scene of many great wins, six of them coming from all-time legend, Michael Schumacher. It's also the spiritual home of double-World Champion, Fernando Alonso who won in 2006 for Renault and last year in 2013 for Ferrari.

The inaugural race in '91 saw a titanic battle between the late-Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell, with the two drivers going wheel-to-wheel down the main straight. The Brit ultimately emerged as the winner.

We have also seen records broken at the track, none other than when Pastor Maldonado became the first Venezuelan to take Pole and Race win in Formula 1 history after outpacing the Ferrari of Alonso, although he was largely helped by Lewis Hamilton being disqualified from qualifying and starting from the rear of the field.

Let's also not forgot the scenes of sadness though, in 2001 Mika Hakkinen came within one lap of winning the race before his Mercedes engine blew up and the Finn stopped on track, leaving Michael Schumacher to take the spoils much to the delight of the crowd who favoured the German after his spectacular win in appalling wet conditions in 1996.

We see the use of the Hard tyre return to this weekend’s event for the first time since Malaysia, this time it will be paired alongside the Medium compound with the usual Intermediate and Wet tyres also being present if needed.

The circuit itself is one that is full of a combination of slow hairpins as well as fast right and left-handers that lead into medium speed corners. Turns 1 and 2 are a tricky right-left where the driver has to spot his braking point at the 100m board before shifting down three gears.

The last sector in particular was a favourite among drivers, with two high-speed right handers. However, in 2007 a chicane was added to reduce speeds and increase overtaking, although it is not favoured by the drivers.

The weather is looking perfect throughout Friday, Saturday and Sunday with temperatures expected to be in the mid-to-high 20's all weekend, meaning that the abrasive surface may take its toll on tyre wear with 3, potentially 4-stop strategies expected should tyres wear more quickly than expected.

With two weeks off and more chances for development to take place, it's anybody's guess who will be dominant come the chequered flag on Sunday. Mercedes will be interesting, if Hamilton can continue his dominant form so far, he could be on for taking a fourth win in a row and therefore the lead in the Drivers' Championship.

Keep an eye out for McLaren also as they are expected to test and potentially run a Lotus-style two prong nose this weekend, which will improve airflow under the car, thus aiding aerodynamic efficiency. It will also be interesting to see if Ferrari has made any gains also, given their somewhat lacklustre performance so far this year.

Furthermore, Sauber are going to be running their new 'lightweight' C33 which is expected to boost their effort up the field to potentially harass the likes of Force India and McLaren. It will also be interesting to see if the former (Force India) have made some upgrades to the VJM-07 after a podium in Bahrain and a further 10 points last time out in China.

Lotus are also hopeful of some strong results, with an upgraded Renault power unit and aerodynamic changes they may finally be able to score their first points of 2014. Towards the rear of the field, the limited budgets of Caterham and Marussia may struggle to be placed further up the grid as they will only have minor, if any upgrades at all.

Both qualifying and the race are due to get underway at 13.00 BST (14.00 Local Time) and we will of course be bringing you full reports of the sessions and any news that we receive as it unfolds.

Tom Brooks
Chief UK Editor