The consensus surrounding Barcelona has always been that if a car performs well around the Circuit de Catalunya’s layout, then it should perform well everywhere.
Well, it’s already been established that Red Bull’s RB19 is a dominant and versatile machine capable of outperforming its rivals – at least on race day – regardless of the environment or conditions.
F1 teams know every inch and crack in the tarmac of Barcelona’s track, given that the venue is a regular testing site for the sport.
But the circuit is looking a bit different this year, with its previous final chicane complex replaced by a pair of high-speed sweeping right-hand corners that lead on to the main straight.
Barcelona’s final Turn 14 hasn’t changed but drivers are now entering the corner a lot faster and exiting approximately 20km/h faster, a change that should create more overtaking opportunities in the race.
Nico Hulkenberg – who qualified an excellent P8 on Saturday – put the velocity of his Haas VF-23 to good use as he topped the speed trap readings at 333.7 km/h, just edging poleman Max Verstappen.
All signs point to the Red Bull charger running away with the race on Sunday afternoon. But with a tight spread separating the Dutchman’s rivals behind, and with Sergio Perez determined to power through the first half of the field, fight for a spot on the podium will be fast and furious.
But the track’s new asymmetric configuration, with a bias towards fast right-hand corners, will likely require some handy tyre management throughout the race, with left fronts potentially prone to degradation.
Last year, Verstappen relied on a three-stop strategy to win, like most of his rivals, alternating between Pirelli’s soft and medium compounds.
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Barcelona Speed Trap: Who is the fastest of them all? F1i.com.
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