Barcelona (dpa) - The drivers know no other track as well as the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It is THE Formula 1 test course, the reference track.
Here are a few highlights about the race:
The route: It has the reputation of being the benchmark for practically all courses. A car that works on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya works everywhere, and vice versa. Exceptions are street circuits such as Monaco or Singapore. The route in Spain is 4.655 kilometers long. It has been on the racing calendar since 1991. In 1992 the Olympic team time trial for cyclists took place on the circuit. The course is anything but flat, it goes up and down.
The location: For a long time the course was only called Circuit de Catalunya. The proximity to the Catalan metropolis of Barcelona is now also clear in the name. It is around 30 kilometers from there to the route in Montmélo.
The statistics: Michael Schumacher is the record holder with six wins. Lewis Hamilton has also left Catalonia four times as a race winner. Last three times in a row. In general, the course has been decried as a Mercedes track since the reintroduction of turbo engines. 2014: Hamilton, 2015: Nico Rosberg, 2017 to 2019 Hamilton. And what was 2016? Max Verstappen won.
The unforgettable race: It was above all the race that the Mercedes crew marked in red. In 2016 what must not happen happened: The pilots in the Silver Arrow drove into their cars. Both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were eliminated. Hamilton had started from Pole, the then World Championship leader Rosberg from second place. After the start, everything went very quickly: It was the low point of the toxic British-German team duel.
This is how it went last year: Hamilton managed the hat trick. Started from second position behind pole man Valtteri Bottas, he relegated the Finn to second after 66 laps, while Verstappen came in third.
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