The sixth round of the 2022 F1 season takes place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend in the form of the Spanish GP.
The Spanish GP has been an ever present name in the F1 calendar. It has been a regular in the F1 World Championship since 1968, and is hosted in one of the most iconic racing tracks in the world.
Charles Leclerc goes into the race as Championship leader with 104 points to his name. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is 19 points behind the Ferrari driver in P2.
It’s also a special weekend for Carlos Sainz Jr. and Fernando Alonso, with it being their home race. Sainz in particular, has never raced in Barcelona behind the wheels of a race-winning car. This time, he’s going to be driving a Ferrari car which is fighting for the Title. As a result, he’ll be hoping to finish P1 in front of his home fans.
Previous winners of the Spanish Grand Prix
Last year’s Spanish GP saw a battle of strategy between Red Bull and Mercedes. An extra stop made by the latter allowed Lewis Hamilton to overtake Max Verstappen towards the closing stages of the race. The Brit took P1, extending his lead over Verstappen that afternoon.
Hamilton has six wins in Barcelona, tied with Michael Schumacher as the driver with most wins in the circuit. This track is a happy hunting ground for Hamilton, as he has won all but two races at this circuit in the turbo hybrid era (2015 and 2016).
However, with Mercedes’ struggles in the 2022 season so far, it’s unlikely that Hamilton will take another victory, unless we’re in for a major surprise.
How long is the 2022 Spanish GP?
The current layout of the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya features 16 turns, and has two DRS zones. The best overtaking opportunity is down the main straight at turn 1.
The 2022 Spanish GP will have 66 laps of racing action. In 2021, the layout of the track was changed, with turn 10 being remodeled. This year too, the drivers will be racing on this layout.
The length of the circuit is 2.905 miles (4.675 km). The total length of this race is going to be 191.645 miles (308.424 km).
Spanish Grand Prix lap records-
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has had numerous changes in layout over the years. The Grand Prix layout for F1 races has mainly gone through five major changes, with the first one coming in 1994.
The latest change came last year, and the current record for the fastest lap lies with 2021 World Champion Max Verstappen.
