The fifth round of the 2004 Formula 1 World Championship, the Spanish Grand Prix, takes place this coming Sunday, 9th May at the Circuit de Catalunya, a short drive from Barcelona. The event will hold few surprises for the ten grand prix teams as the track is one of the most frequently used venues for winter testing and the majority of drivers have thousands of Catalunya kilometres under their belt.

The reasons for this circuit’s popularity with the F1 development engineers is twofold: firstly, its southern location means it usually gets the best of the winter weather in Europe and secondly, its layout provides a good baseline for evaluating several aspects of a car’s performance. Long fast corners and an 880 metre-long main straight provide a good test of aerodynamic efficiency, while the loadings in the long corners put a heavy strain on tyres and the relatively high speeds down the straights mean it also give engine specialists plenty of useful data. However much data the teams have on this circuit, it usually only serves as a baseline for car set-up over the race weekend, as temperature changes and especially wind direction down the main straight usually affect the overall performance of the car.

The first ever Spanish GP was held in Barcelona at the Pedrables circuit in 1951 and again in ’54. The twisty Jarama track in Madrid then took over in 1968, alternating with the spectacular Montjuich Park track in Barcelona for a few years. A brand new track in Jerez de la Frontera hosted the race from 1986 to 1990, before the Spanish Grand Prix found its new home at the Circuit de Catalunya. Originally planned to host its first event in 1992 to coincide with the city’s hosting of the Olympic Games, it was actually ready a year earlier.

Prior to the arrival of circuits like Sepang and Bahrain, Catalunya was the epitome of a modern race track and proved popular with the drivers. It offers plenty of variation with changes of camber and gradient and fast corners, including a sweeping downhill corner leading onto the main straight with a tight corner at the other end, which is where most of the overtaking occurs.

Along with many of the European circuits, Catalunya underwent significant changes for 1995, following the Imola tragedies the previous year. 2004 also sees a modification, at the left-hand Turn 8 at the end of the back straight. The corner has been moved to create a larger run-off area, which will see cars brake earlier than in the past, so watch out for an additional overtaking opportunity. The changes have reduced the track length by about one tenth of a kilometre.

Since the San Marino GP ten days ago, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro has carried out an extensive test programme at two circuits, Mugello and Monza, working mainly on Bridgestone tyre development and validation of a new engine specification. Four drivers were involved: the two racers, Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, official test driver Luca Badoer and, on loan from Sauber, Felipe Massa.

While the Scuderia can expect the opposition to continue to try and close the gap in the championship, the Reds will be hoping to maintain their excellent record in Spain. In 2003, Michael Schumacher completed a hat-trick of Barcelona wins, while Rubens Barrichello set a new lap record for the Catalunya track. Michael has won this event a total of five times, four with Ferrari, while the Scuderia has a total of 8 Spanish GP victories to its name.