Spanish GP - Bridgestone - PreviewFormula One moves on to the fourth round of the championship this week with the Spanish Grand Prix.
The two Bridgestone Potenza compounds brought to this circuit will be the hard and medium compounds, the same as those used in Malaysia
and Bahrain, and both will have to be run during the course of the race. The softer of the two, the medium compound, will feature a painted white groove to distinguish it.
A circuit where aerodynamics is crucial, it has become a popular test venue for Formula One teams over the years. Barcelona has also undergone changes ahead of this season. Nevertheless, all eleven teams tested at the 4.655km track in February of this year and again last week from 30 April – May 2, giving them plenty of time to adjust to the new track layout at the final turns.
Kees van de Grint, Head of Track Engineering Operations
“In the past, the nature of this circuit has resulted in high degradation and graining, particularly on the front left tyres.
However, this has become less of an issue now as the construction of the 2007 tyres provides a good balance for the cars and that, in combination with the track layout changes and the introduction of the chicane, which make speeds lower through the final turns, has resulted in a less severe circuit from a tyre manufacturer’s point of view.”
“From the test last week it was clear that the medium compound was, on the whole, the more competitive compound. However, we should keep in mind that track temperatures last week and in February were on the low side and we also had rain which meant we had quite a green track at times. Should we experience higher temperatures during the race weekend the hard compound tyre could well come into play. Last week’s test also enabled the teams to run both the wet and extreme wet weather tyres and, in our opinion, both performed well in each of their respective windows.”
Source Bridgestone
