The Circuit de Catalunya is a racetrack in Montmeló, to the north of Barcelona, Spain. It is home to the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix. With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit. As such it is probably one of the sport's most important testing grounds.

The Circuit de Catalunya was built in 1991 and is often referred to as 'Barcelona' in the racing community, despite the fact that it is located in Montmeló. The Circuit de Catalunya should not be confused with the Montjuïc circuit, which hosted the Spanish Grand Prix four times between 1969 and 1975 and, unlike the Circuit de Catalunya, is actually located within the city of Barcelona.

Due to the fact that 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 the amount of on-track action.

Overtaking can be difficult, as cars are unable to follow each other through the fast final corner due to turbulence created by the leading car. This makes it difficult for a car to get close enough to the car in front of it to attempt a pass at the first turn, which is the only obvious overtaking point on the circuit. The 1st of the 2 final sweepers has now been replaced with a slow chicane.

The circuit has been the site of some memorable moments. In the 1991 Spanish Grand Prix Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell went down the entire front straight side-by-side while duelling for second place, with Mansell eventually taking the position and eventually the race. In the 1994 Spanish Grand Prix Michael Schumacher managed to finish in second place despite driving over half the race with only fifth gear. Two years later, in the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix Schumacher took his first win as a member of the Ferrari team after a dominant performance during a rainstorm. In the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix Mika Häkkinen suffered a clutch failure while leading the race on the last lap, handing the win to Schumacher. At the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso became the first Spanish Formula One driver to win at his home country's track.

Drivers usually opt for a medium to high downforce set-up here, but the mixed corners and ever-changing wind conditions make finding the ideal set-up a difficult task. The unpredictable winds can result in a car working perfectly in morning tests, but then suffering heavy loads of understeer later on in the day.

The circuit is not too hard on brakes, but tyre wear can be slightly more of a problem - expect it to be more noticeable this year as race drivers are forced to use one set of the soft compound tyres at one point during the race.

The torrential rain we saw last week when teams were testing at the circuit is not characteristic of area, and the race is expected to be held in dry conditions.

BMWF1Talk Track Comments

The Circuit de Catalunya is famous for revealing the true line-up in F1, in terms of which team has the best package. Teams struggling with their cars will have difficulty pulling wool over anyone's eyes this weekend - it just isn't really possible here, where aerodynamic efficiency is of the utmost importance.

So, it'll probably be hard for our boys to beat a McLaren or a Ferrari this weekend. However, considering the performances the team have pulled out of the bag in the opening three races, I wouldn't bet against it! I wouldn't bet for it either though... so I guess I won't be betting! I'll just keep everything crossed!

Chris, chris@bmwf1talk.com

Barcelona is a nice site to visit, not only for its circuit, but also for its cosmopolitan "spirit". It's also the first race in European soil, and will be decisive for the Championship battle. It will be like another start to the season.

The atmosphere at the circuit will be incredible, with more than 145,000 spectactors expected to attend the race, most of them cheering their local hero Fernando Alonso.

The track layout is quite challenging, with a lot of fast corners, that require high aerodynamic efficiency and downforce. It's a track where if the car goes well, then it will have good pace during the rest of the season.

Overtaking is difficult, but with the new chicane at the end of the lap we might have some extra overtaking at the main straight.

And don't forget that after a 4-week stop, teams will bring lot of new parts, that will probably change the field order a bit.
Expect Ferrari to be very strong, Mclaren to be fast too, BMW Sauber to get closer and some teams to improve a lot, such as Red Bull.