The Formula One circus embarks on its first European Grand Prix this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. It’s a circuit that every single seater driver knows very well and where a top qualifying performance is pivotal because of the track’s lack of overtaking opportunities. Having gained his first and very important F1 point a fortnight ago at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Brendon Hartley says he is now more confident in the car and has a better understanding of the tyres and what is required to put in a top qualifying performance.
“Barcelona is probably the track on the calendar that every single driver knows better than any other, which also makes it extremely challenging when it comes to trying to get any advantage over your team-mate or the others drivers and teams,” commented Hartley. “But that’s all part of the challenge here. It’s not just the actual testing that means we all know it well, because, from my time working in simulators for various teams, I know that the Catalunya track is used a lot in the sim.
“It’s an enjoyable track to drive and offers a bit of everything. It is also tough physically, especially with the long right hand corners in particular putting a strain on the neck muscles.
“Qualifying is very important at this track, because overtaking is not so easy. So far this year, I’ve been relatively happy with my qualifying performance, especially compared to last year, when I had not yet developed an understanding of how to get the most out of the tyres.
“Now, I feel like I’m understanding the car and tyres more and more and that’s given me a lot more confidence going into qualifying sessions. It’s one of the most fun parts of the weekend because all the fuel load comes off, the rubber goes down and that’s when these cars really come alive.
“They’re literally the quickest cars on earth and qualifying really highlights that. It’s not often that you don’t have a smile on your face with the amount of grip that we have and the lap times we’re doing.
“Tyre management will be very important at this track because, even on a qualifying lap, you have to keep the rears alive for that last sector where you need the traction.
“You can easily destroy the rear tyres through that first part with all the high-speed corners but it’s one of the challenges of getting the most out of the qualifying lap.”
Expect the weekend to be very competitive throughout the field with a number of teams bringing major upgrades to their cars.
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