F1: Spanish Grand Prix Preview

[Rory Phoulorie]

Wednesday 9th May 2007

Like lost and weary travellers, staggering on hands and knees across the desert, we behold the Spanish Grand Prix glistening like an oasis in the distance. At last, motorsport.

The gap between the Bahrain GP and the Spanish GP has been four weeks, a gap into which the San Marino race would normally have filled. Bernie Ecclestone cancelled it because the organisers showed no signs of updating the track to his requirements and there wasn't a deal to be struck. It may be a warning to other reluctant payers and spenders (i.e. Belgium and France) to fall into line, but has wrecked all continuity in the World Championship. This should never happen again.

We are also expecting a papal visit from St.Michael of Maranello. If you thought the media scrum around Lewis Hamilton was big, it's going to be nothing compared to the re-appearance of the multi-World Champion. Michael has been watching the races on TV this season as well as making adverts for FIAT and promoting road safety.

One wag in the PF1 office suggested that Michael promoting road safety was a bit like getting Zinedine Zedane to promote Franco-Italian sporting links, but The Schum has long been a patron of good causes and was reportedly the single biggest donor to the Asian tsunami appeal. His heart is always in the right place, even if his car isn't.

Judging from some of the testing times from Barcelona Ferrari don't particularly need a boost right now, they still have the fastest car. The big red point of interest will be who can drive it quicker Massa or Raikkonen. Many people still think that once Kimi becomes established in the team he will go on to dominate the Brazilian, and so it is important for Massa to get his victories in early.

What will be just as fascinating is to see the reaction of Kimi Raikkonen to the return of Ferrari's favourite son. Felipe Massa we already know phones Michael before and after (and probably during) every race, Kimi isn't such a fan. Mark Webber suggested earlier in the year that it might be like the ex-girlfriend turning up. Unfortunately for Raikkonen everybody is still very keen on Ferrari's ex-girlfriend.

Aiming to spoil the redwash at the front of the race will be the McLaren team. There's no doubt that a sell-out Spanish crowd will give Fernando Alonso extra tenths of a second a lap, so if Lewis Hamilton can stay close during the race then it will indeed be a revelation. No heroics needed from the Brit in this race, if he can post a not-too-distant fourth, then that will still be very good.

The McLaren team are aiming to run their revolutionary front wing in competition for the first time, though Barcelona is not the easiest of places aerodynamically. It is a circuit where a car's handling can be badly affected by crosswinds and handling changes from lap to lap.

However the teams do know it very well thanks to the relentless testing programme. This year we will see the results of the changes to the final corner. Much to the anger of the FIA's Max Mosley the drivers in the GPDA persuaded the circuit owners to slow down the final corner, so that entry into the pitlane wasn't so quick. Outrageous. Didn't they realise that drivers' safety should be governed by old gits in blazers who drive Honda Civics, not the people who know what they're talking about.

This slowing down of the final corner may well help overtaking too, because the theory goes that a slow entry to a start/finish straight is always better than a fast one, because it means cars can follow closer. However that theory doesn't always work - take the Hungaroring for example. In the past Spanish GPs have been amongst the most brain-numbing of affairs with only the rarest of overtaking moves, so F1 fans will be ready to pass judgement.

Outside of the top four battle it will be interesting to see if Renault can scare BMW even just a little, or if Red Bull can repeat their fantastic testing times in a race. And finish as well. The team are trying out their experimental seamless shift gearbox this weekend, so expect to see the track covered in carefully-engineered parts after about 45 laps. Mark Webber should start taking out bets that he won't finish races because at least he'll have something to cheer him up on the long walk back to the pits.

Further back on the grid it will be the battle of the factory teams versus their underfunded but similarly engined rivals. Tree-hugging Honda versus the mighty Super Aguri-Honda and Toyota versus Williams-Toyota. There is a lot of Japanese 'face' at stake here and both the senior teams are finding out how F1 is not a business model that responds the same way as car manufacturing.

Though we don't have the prospect of rain spicing up the action, it should be the coolest race of the year so far and how the team get heat and keep heat in their Bridgestones will be a major factor.

It may not be the most dazzling display of F1 you'll see all summer, but when a parched man crawls to an oasis, the last thing he does is complain about the quality of the water...

FH


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