The ‘European’ leg of the F1 season starts in Spain, following the Canadian GP weekend. The Barcelona circuit is one of the best known by the teams and was once the home of pre-season testing. It contains a wide range of corners in terms of speed and shape and a long straight. Precisely for this reason, teams tend to introduce upgrades at this venue. After the progress made at the beginning of the season, VCARB (Racing Bulls) plans to take another step in Spain. They will introduce a new floor, as anticipated by formu1a.uno a short time ago.
A FLOOR FOR VCARB: BUT BETTER ONES WILL BE AVAILABLE TO TSUNODA AND RICCIARDO
VCARB’s Technical Director has provided the following assessment for the Spanish GP:
“The circuit offers a good test of the competitors’ aerodynamics and tyre usage with a good mix of cornering speed, hard braking and direction changes combined with a long main straight over 4.65km,” explained Jody Egginton, underlining all the challenges that the Catalunya circuit offers.
Having a balanced and well-rounded car is critical at a circuit like this. Furthermore, driver impact – although relevant as always – is generally less significant at such a familiar track:
“It is also used in the junior championships, and all the drivers know it well. But it remains challenging, and a track excursion is punished harshly by the gravel.”
The Racing Bulls technical director also highlighted weather conditions and track evolution. A warm temperature is expected, certainly different from that of Canada, with a more ‘normal’ track evolution. Other categories will also race in Spain this weekend.
However, upgrades will also be very important. Jody Egginton confirms our previous reports of a new floor arriving:
“Faenza and Bicester have done significant work to bring a new floor, rear wing and bodywork changes that will be available for both the cars and should bring a reasonable benefit.”
The battle in the midfield is increasingly heated and intense. For this reason, it will be necessary for VCARB to minimise mistakes. This starts in Free Practice 1, where data collection will be critical across the field.
THE VCARB01 HAS BEEN COMPETITIVE EVERYWHERE, BUT BARCELONA IS THE ‘LAND OF UPGRADES’
The team’s two drivers expressed positive feelings about returning to Spain. It is a well-known circuit generally respected by drivers. In particular, Daniel Ricciardo noted the third sector – “modified last year, using the fastest configuration. I can’t wait to go back to this track”, said the Australian.
Tsunoda made slightly more technical comments, describing how Barcelona requires set-up compromises for the single-seaters:
“The first and third sectors are very different, and it is therefore difficult to have a balanced car in both; a compromise is needed. It’s not something that worries me, though. So far, the VCARB01 seems to perform well on all tracks,” said the Japanese driver, showing confidence in his car.
Ricciardo also pointed out that upgrades are common in Spain, meaning this is a variable to consider.
The two drivers arrive in Barcelona after a weekend in Canada that can generally be described as positive. Although more points were on the table, the VCARB 01 showed good pace.
“The race didn’t go the way I wanted, but overall, it was positive to see how we managed to change from free practice to qualifying. This also gives me confidence for the future,” explained Tsunoda.
In reference to Barcelona, it will be essential for Tsunoda to understand the package and how to extract the maximum potential as soon as possible. Overtaking will be complicated, meaning qualifying will have great importance: “In the last few races, I feel fast in Qualifying. It’s something linked to the way in which I improve but also to how I manage to control my emotions and manage myself.”
Daniel Ricciardo also received a lot of confidence from the result in Montreal. This is how he described this weekend:
“I hope I can start my season from here – I like to see it like this. I waited a while, but I hope now to be able to consistently show performances like those in Montreal.”
