Pierre Gasly is set to feature in Alpine colours for his first race of the 2023 calendar. Gasly who until now drove for Red Bull and AlphaTauri switched to his new team, completing an all-French lineup with Esteban Ocon.
However, the Frenchman and his French team will not be treated to a Home GP at Paul Ricard. This means Gasly’s fans will not get to watch him drive on home soil.
New beginning! @AlpineF1Team pic.twitter.com/vlECgsNTTR
— PIERRE GASLY (@PierreGASLY) February 17, 2023
Instead, the Spanish GP has welcomed French supporters to cheer for their driver from an exclusive fan space. That’s right, a few thousand fans will get to watch the driver race for his new team at the closest race to home!
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Pierre Gasly receives a Grandstand at Spanish GP
Gasly had a grandstand to his name at the 2022 French GP at Le Castellet. Thousands of fans waived the French tricolour cheering for homegrown Gasly. But, with the French GP’s cancellation, his fans will be unable to cheer for him as he drives for a French team.
However, for this year’s Spanish GP, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has reserved an exclusive grandstand for the Frenchman’s fans. This means, his fans can still flock to neighbouring Spain and cheer for the driver.
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The grandstand is located at the entrance of Turn 5. Fans can buy the 3-day pass which will give ticket holders access to activities happening in the fan zone throughout the race weekend.
Fans will also receive driver’s merchandise. The Spanish GP will take place between June 2-4. Tickets for the fan zone start at $420.
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Spanish GP reverts to a faster track layout
While Pierre Gasly will enjoy home support, fans can expect a much more exciting Spanish GP this year. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has undergone some severe changes to its track layout, and its good news for fans.
The Spanish GP has often been quoted as a snoozefest of a race. The race often lacks overtakes, and the driver’s familiarity with the track owing to the circuit being the traditional testing venue has limited on-track action.
BREAKING: The #SpanishGP will be changing its track configuration
The final chicane will be removed, leaving the circuit to its original last two corner layout!#F1 pic.twitter.com/qCVJy0t8Lt
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 27, 2023
However, the race track has changed the track layout making it much faster. This includes stripping off the notorious chicane around 14-15 which has often been blamed for poor racing.
The chicane was installed in 2007 to curb the high tuning speeds of the car. Due to the lack of runoff area, the chicane was the only way to make the track safer. However, new barriers have been installed as a remedy.
Drivers will now be allowed to go flat out around Turn 13, and then approach the final corner. This means the lap times will drop considerably.
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