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45-494: The car was expected to be launched on 21 February, but was delayed until March when it failed two of its mandatory crash tests, and was unable to take a third test as passing one of the tests it failed was a pre-requisite of this third test. The car successfully completed its final crash test on 24 February. The team initially attempted to have the car ready for the third test of the off season in Barcelona , but were unable to make

90-410: A clutch failure while leading the race on the last lap, handing the win to Schumacher. At the 2006 event , Fernando Alonso became the first Spanish Formula One driver to win at his home country's track. In 2016 , a crash at turn four took Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg out, allowing Red Bull's Max Verstappen to win the race on his first race for the team. Doing so, Verstappen

135-528: A Grade One certification is required to host events involving Formula One cars. There are 66 Grade Two circuits for a total of 79 layouts as of August 2024. Circuits holding Grade Two certification may host events involving "Automobiles of Groups D (FIA International Formula) and E (Free formula) with a weight/power ratio of between 1 and 2 kg/hp." If a circuit with a Grade 2 layout also has other layouts in other grade/s, will be shaded   on other grade lists. There are 55 Grade Three circuits for

180-412: A medium-speed, uphill, left-right chicane. Drivers brake and shift down to gear three, and must not run too wide as turn eight has a large kerb on its apex which could potentially damage cars' suspensions. Turn 9, Campsa Corner, is a very fast, sixth-gear right-hander which is made incredibly difficult by being completely blind (drivers cannot see the apex on approach). It is initially quite steep uphill but

225-602: A minor concussion, but a few minutes later, spectators were relieved when he gave a thumbs up. The circuit has been the scene of two debut wins in Formula One. Pastor Maldonado took his first and only Grand Prix victory and podium here in 2012 , and in 2016 Max Verstappen won his first Grand Prix. As a result, he became the youngest driver to ever win an F1 Grand Prix race. At the 2009 motorcycle Grand Prix , teammates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo fought all race long for first place, culminating in an overtake on

270-504: A particular grade can also host events featuring categories of cars at lower grades. The grades are issued "with the sole purpose of permitting the registration of races on the FIA International Calendar, for the categories of vehicles specified". Grades 1–4 concern various categories of cars depending on their power to weight ratio , and grade 6 relates to autocross , rallycross and ice racing courses. Grade 5

315-475: A short straight before turn 4, the Repsol curve. Another right-hander, turn four is similar to Monza's Curva Parabolica – drivers brake and take an early apex (in third gear), carrying great speed out of the exit. Turn 5 (Seat) comes immediately after and is a slow left-hander taken in second gear which drops rapidly downhill towards the left kink of turn 6 which is ignored by F1 cars. Turns 7 and 8 make up

360-574: A surface change, and the car chicane was used during that event. After changes to the track in the off-season including removing grandstands in Turn 12, creating additional runoff and a complete repaving of the circuit, the F1 layout from 2004 to 2006, including the new La Caixa hairpin instead of the long sweeper, was used, eliminating the chicane. For 2021, the La Caixa hairpin was remodelled again, slower than

405-466: A total of 59 layouts as of June 2024. Circuits holding Grade Three certification may host events involving "Category II Automobiles with a weight/power ratio of between 2 and 3 kg/hp". Since 2020, there is also a specific grade given for Formula E circuits; which is called as "Grade 3E". As of June 2024 there are 10 Grade Four circuits. Circuits holding Grade Four certification may host events involving "Category I Automobiles. Category II Automobiles with

450-622: Is a 4.657 km (2.894 mi) motorsport race track in Montmeló , Barcelona , Catalonia , Spain . With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit. The track has stands with a capacity of 140,700. The circuit has FIA Grade 1 license. Until 2013 the track was known only as the Circuit de Catalunya , before a sponsorship deal with Barcelona City Council added Barcelona to

495-566: Is a real source of acoustic disturbance, and the noise produced during many days of racing and testing during the year is noticeable for many kilometers around the circuit, especially in the adjacent municipalities, which is recognized by the Generalitat itself, the main owner of the Circuit. List of motor racing circuits by FIA grade#Grade One Appendix O to the FIA International Sporting Code defines

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540-635: Is only guaranteed by large volumes of public money, which both the Provincial Deputation of Barcelona and the Generalitat de Catalunya provide in the form of grants and rinsing of losses. Given these poor results, some senior officials of the Generalitat de Catalunya have considered eliminating Formula One from this Circuit. Due to the irregularities detected in the last audit, the City Council of Barcelona decided to cancel

585-462: Is then difficult to find a good setup since cars can have massive aerodynamic drag and understeer on one part of the circuit in the morning, but suffer oversteer at the same part of the circuit in the afternoon. A given tyre compound can work well when tested, but not so well a couple of months later. These changeable conditions can make for unexpected performances from some teams during the race. The changeable wind conditions have also caused accidents at

630-575: The 2023 race . The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has hosted a motorcycle Grand Prix since 1992, originally the European motorcycle Grand Prix from 1992 and later the Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix since 1996, and hosted two rounds in 2024, with the season-ending one-off Barcelona motorcycle Grand Prix replacing Valencia because of flooding in the Valencia area. There are at least five points on

675-516: The IFEMA grounds would be its home from 2026 onwards. Barcelona has the 3-star FIA Environmental Accreditation and the ISO 14001 certification. In a 2021 report, it was ranked the second most sustainable racetrack in the world, together with Circuit Paul Ricard and behind Mugello Circuit . The circuit has been the site of some memorable moments. In 1991 , Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell went down

720-528: The Montjuïc circuit , which hosted the Spanish Grand Prix four times between 1969 and 1975 and, unlike the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, is actually located within the city of Barcelona . Because so much testing is done at this circuit, Formula One drivers and mechanics are extremely familiar with it. This has led to criticism that drivers and mechanics are too familiar with Catalunya, reducing

765-478: The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya are listed as: The public attendance at the Spanish Grand Prix , and at the Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix , have fallen significantly since 2007, which has complicated the economic solvency of this circuit. At least since 2009, the circuit is economically deficient, and in the period 2009–2018, €50.5m of losses were generated. The economic survival of the circuit

810-896: The FIM to eliminate that chicane (although the Turn 10 hairpin was kept). The track was resurfaced in 2018 as a result of calls by MotoGP riders to improve the amount of grip on the surface. Previously the track had been resurfaced in 2004. The circuit hosted many other international racing series, including the FIA Sportscar Championship (1999–2002), European Touring Car Championship (2003), FIA GT Championship (2003), Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2006–2009), European Le Mans Series (2008–2009, 2019, 2021–present), and World Series Formula V8 3.5 (2002–2004, 2006–2013, 2016), GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup (2017–present), 24h de Barcelona Trofeu Fermí Vélez , and FIA World Rallycross Championship (2015–present). Since 2016,

855-574: The Formula 1 layout was implemented to slow down riders for safety purposes. The FIM made a further change to the chicane for 2017 by moving up the chicane to prevent riders from cutting the pit lane entrance, but that was abandoned because the motorcycle chicane had a surface change that created more safety issues with the transition. Further changes were made to the circuit in December 2017 as grandstands were removed to add additional runoff that allowed

900-482: The Marussias and enabled him and Karthikeyan to match their pace in the race until they both retired with brake failure. They both out-qualified Charles Pic 's Marussia at Valencia and were within 103.7% of the fastest Q1 time, a personal best for the season. De la Rosa out-qualified Karthikeyan at every race except Monza , Singapore and Brazil , and out-raced him at every race except Malaysia , though de la Rosa

945-532: The Spanish Grand Prix on Circuit de Barcelona, but later negotiated an agreement with the teams to allow up to twenty-two Grands Prix, salvaging the Spanish Grand Prix. Before 2021 season, the circuit's F1 deal was extended for one more year. However, in November 2021, the circuit's F1 deal was extended to 2026, with 2025 as the last year the Spanish Grand Prix will be held here; a new circuit in Madrid built around

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990-406: The amount of on-track action. When first used, overtaking was frequent as cars could follow closely through the last two corners and slipstream down the long straight. As aerodynamic balance became more critical, this overtaking method drastically decreased as the cars were unable to follow each other through the fast final corner due to turbulence created by the leading car. The 2007 season saw

1035-539: The circuit, with Fernando Alonso 's testing accident in 2015 partly blamed on the severity of the wind. Through 2015, the MotoGP layout used the 1995–2003 version of the Grand Prix circuit. This was originally the same layout as Formula One, but in 2004 a new, slower La Caixa turn was built; the motorcycles continued to use the old version, and they also ignored the shorter Europcar turn and RACC chicane. The F1 layout

1080-448: The course of the season, however their main rivals Marussia and Caterham improved too, leaving it as the outright slowest car on the grid that season, only managing once to beat any of their rivals on outright pace, with de la Rosa edging out Timo Glock at Germany and Karthikeyan closing in on him in the closing laps. The car had very strong pace at Canada, bringing a new low-downforce rear wing which helped de la Rosa out-qualify both

1125-520: The current layout of the track to the same layout as the one used in Formula One . After off-season discussions, the FIM announced that the track layout would be slightly modified in that the chicane would be moved up a few metres. The track is demanding of a car's aerodynamic qualities. The wind direction at the circuit can change drastically during the day, a significant factor given the importance of aerodynamics to modern Formula One cars. It

1170-508: The deadline. The car made its on-track debut at the circuit on 5 March, during a combined shakedown and filming day, with Karthikeyan completing the maximum allowable one hundred kilometres for a shakedown. The car was launched with a white, gold and red livery, their third livery change in as many years. The team faced further complications at the Australian Grand Prix when the chassis intended to be raced by Pedro de la Rosa

1215-401: The economic grant that the circuit received until now, which has aggravated its economic survival. Recently, some more irregularities have been detected, even by the Generalitat de Catalunya. The circuit is located in an elevated area with respect to its environment, and without protective measures to minimize the noise pollution produced by cars, motorbikes and other vehicles. Therefore, it

1260-431: The entire front straight side by side while dueling for second place, with Mansell eventually taking the position and ultimately the race itself. In 1994 , Michael Schumacher managed to finish in second place despite driving over half the race with only fifth gear. In 1996 , Schumacher took his first win as a Ferrari driver, after a dominant performance during a torrential rainstorm. In 2001 , Mika Häkkinen suffered

1305-409: The exit is then downhill, so it is quite easy to run wide onto the astroturf. The long back straight leads into turn 10 (La Caixa), a third-gear, left-hand corner, then turns 11 and 12, a left kink before a long, slow, third-gear right. Turn 13 and 14, a very fast, sixth-gear double right-hander which takes cars across the start/finish line. As of November 2024, the fastest official race lap records at

1350-423: The final corner by Rossi. Riders and pundits described the race as "historic" and "genius". On 3 June 2016, during Moto2 Free Practice for the 2016 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix , Luis Salom crashed in turn 12, resulting in the session being red-flagged. After being transferred to the local Hospital General de Catalunya , Salom died of the injuries sustained in the crash. Upon hearing this, FIM decided to change

1395-440: The first of the two final sweepers replaced with a slow chicane to reduce speeds through the final corner, where serious accidents could occur, and in an effort to improve overtaking. However, it has been criticised for failing to achieve the latter aim and for causing congestion during qualifying sessions. The 2022 race was, until now, the last Formula One race to use the chicane, with the original configuration restored ahead of

HRT F112 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1440-555: The inspection and licensing process for auto racing circuits intending to host races sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's governing body. The grades issued by the FIA are 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, depending on the suitability of the circuit for different types and groups of cars, with 1 being the highest grade and the only circuits that can host Formula One races. A circuit holding

1485-421: The line around the outside of turn one, can get the inside line for turn two. The corners themselves make up a medium-speed chicane – drivers brake rather late for turn one (Elf) and shift down to gear two, and turn two is almost full throttle as they try to gain as much exit speed as possible. Turn 3 (Renault) is a long, flat-out (in most cars) right-hander that has a g-force of about four, and it leads to

1530-408: The original one but faster than the F1 one. The alterations were done to improve safety for the drivers. The World RX of Catalunya used parts of the track near turns 11–15, with two additional gravel sections. From the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix , Formula One will use the layout used by MotoGP since 2021 removing the chicane in the last sector of the lap that Formula One had used every year since it

1575-493: The race for the second year in a row. The team admitted they were expecting to miss the qualifying cut-off, with team principal Luis Pérez-Sala predicting that the car would not be fully capable of qualifying until the second or third race of the season. It joined the Marussia MR01 in being the only cars that year not to use KERS, and also lacked a brake bias handle in the cockpit. The car's pace steadily improved over

1620-539: The racetrack hosts the 24h BiCircuit Festival, an ultra-distance cycling event featuring 24-hour, 12-hour and 6-hour races for soloists and relay teams up to 8 riders. For the 2020 Formula One season Liberty Media expected the calendar would consist of twenty-one Grands Prix and that any new races would come at the expense of existing events, in particular the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort replacing

1665-410: The track (turns 1–2, 4, 5, 10, 14) where riders are known to overtake. As in Formula 1, Turn 1 is arguably the most popular place for overtaking. The circuit is not known to produce copious amounts of overtaking, despite the long straights. Originally, the Formula 1 circuit changes were not instituted for MotoGP; however, after a fatal crash in the 2016 MotoGP round involving a Moto2 rider, Luis Salom ,

1710-521: The track's title. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was built in 1991 and began hosting the Spanish Grand Prix that same year. Construction also coincided with the Olympic Games scheduled to take place in Barcelona the next year, where the circuit acted as the start and finish line for the road team time trial cycling event . The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya should not be confused with

1755-579: Was directly based on the Force India 's 2008 livery, mainly the red, white and gold. The team had a sponsorship of Tata Group and its automobile division along with other sponsors of the following: KH-7, Panda Security, Yamimoto, Varlion, Transportes Azkar and Ermestel. ( key ) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) Circuit de Catalunya The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ( Catalan pronunciation: [siɾˈkujd də bəɾsəˈlonə kətəˈluɲə] )

1800-507: Was eventually classified ahead as Karthikeyan was given a post-race time penalty for giving Sebastian Vettel a puncture whilst being lapped. After the summer break they suffered from increasing reliability issues due to the declining financial situation in the team which gave rise to rumours they were short of resources and were using components beyond their expected lifespan. After HRT went in to administration in November 2012 both F112 chassis were purchased by Teo Martín . The F112's livery

1845-537: Was implemented for MotoGP originally in 2016 following the fatal accident of Luis Salom in Europcar corner on 3 June 2016 . Race control switched to the F1 circuit for qualifying and the race on 5 June 2016. On 15 December 2016, the FIM announced the change was permanent by announcing plans for a chicane ahead of the current car chicane. However, during the 2017 race, the new chicane was deemed dangerous by riders because of

HRT F112 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1890-407: Was introduced in 2007 reverting the final corners for Formula One cars to a sweeping fast configuration that Formula One last used in 2006. A 1,047 m (1,145 yd) long pit straight leads them into turn 1 which is the main overtaking point at Catalunya, as it is a braking zone at the end of a long DRS straight. The inside and outside are equally difficult for overtaking; drivers who can hold

1935-461: Was not finished before scrutineering on Thursday afternoon. The team requested the race stewards delay scrutineering of the car until Friday morning, with the FIA agreeing. The car was completed on time and approved by the race stewards. Although both cars took part in qualifying, neither driver qualified within 107% of the fastest time set in the first qualifying period, and they were blocked from starting

1980-428: Was previously designated for alternative energy vehicles until September 2022 when this was changed to designate developing circuits with FIA Provisional Circuit Licences . There are 40 Grade One circuits with 50 layouts. Circuits holding Grade One certification may host events involving "Automobiles of Groups D (FIA International Formula) and E (Free Formula) with a weight/power ratio of less than 1 kg/hp." As such,

2025-431: Was the youngest to win a race, the youngest driver to stand on the podium, and the youngest to lead a lap of a race, in addition to being the first Dutchman to win a Formula One race. In 2008 , Heikki Kovalainen left the track at 240 km/h (150 mph) after a wheel rim failure at turn 9. He managed to decelerate to 130 km/h (81 mph) when he hit the tyre barrier. He was temporarily unconscious and suffered

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