Circuit de Catalunya
Friday 20 May
First practice: 0855-1035, BBC Red Button/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Second practice: 1255-1435, BBC Red Button/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Saturday 21 May
Third practice: 0955 -1105, BBC Red Button/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Qualifying: 1215-1415, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Sunday 22 May
Grand Prix live: 1200-1520, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 live/online
F1 forum: 1520-1620, BBC Red Button/online
Highlights: 1900-2000 and 0230-0330, BBC Three
Standings:
Track:
Track Diagram
Track DRS
The Spanish Grand Prix will have one of the longest zones for the Drag Reduction System seen so far.
The circuit’s official Twitter account said the zone where drivers can use DRS during the race will be 830m long. It is expected to be situated on the start/finish straight.
The FIA reduced the length of the DRS zone at the Chinese Grand Prix from 902m to 752m after concerns were raised that it would make overtaking too easy.
Concerns were also raised at the frequency of overtaking in the DRS zone during the Turkish Grand Prix, and the ease with which drivers could overtaking using their adjustable rear wings.
The Circuit de Catalunya has a reputation for being one of the most difficult F1 circuits to overtake on.
Update: The FIA have produced an image showing where DRS can be used during the race.
Drivers will be able to activate it as they cross the start/finish line, providing they are within one second of another car at the detection point between turns 15 and 16:
Circuit information
Lap length 4.655km (2.892 miles)
Race laps 66
Race distance 307.104km (190.826 miles)
Lap record* 1’21.670 (205.192 kph) by Kimi Räikkönen, 2008
Fastest lap 1’19.954 (209.596 kph) by Rubens Barrichello, 2009
Maximum speed (2010) 312.2 kph (193.992 mph) by Felipe Massa, Ferrari
DRS zone (race) Pit straight
Car performance
Full throttle 58%
Power loss 5%
Tyre energy (1-3) 2
Brake energy (1-3) 2
Downforce level High
Gear changes per lap 44
Fuel use per lap 2.4kg
Strategy
Pit lane time loss 21 seconds
2011 prime tyre**: Hard (2010: Hard)
2011 option tyre**: Soft (2010: Soft)
Spain preview - Barcelona thriller on the cards
The Formula Ones teams are gathering in Spain amid excitement that the combination of KERS, DRS and Pirelli’s tyres will provide an unusual level of overtaking at the Montmelo circuit, which in the past has generated low-key races with relatively little passing.
Spain preview quotes - Red Bull, Force India, Virgin & more
With last weekend’s Turkish race hosted at Istanbul Park on the Asian side of the Bosphorous, the European leg of the Formula One season kicks off for real in Barcelona next weekend. The Circuit de Catalunya is a venue the teams know very well from testing, although racing there represents a completely different challenge. The drivers and senior team personnel discuss their prospects…
- Team Preview
Pirelli
Cosworth Not uploaded yet
Red Bull Not uploaded yet
McLaren
Ferrari Not uploaded yet
Mercedes
Renault
Williams
Force India Not uploaded yet
Sauber
Toro Rosso Not uploaded yet
Lotus
Hispania
Virgin Not uploaded yet
Classic F1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/05/fernando_alonso_picks_his_five.html
It is the turn of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso to pick his five favourite all-time grands prix in the latest edition of our classic Formula 1 series.
Fernando Alonso's classic F1 - Spanish Grand Prix 2006
Watch short highlights from the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix as Renault's Fernando Alonso becomes the first Spaniard to win the race on home soil.
Fernando Alonso's classic F1 - Korean Grand Prix 2010
Highlights of the Korean Grand Prix, where Fernando Alonso takes victory after Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel fail to finish a dramatic rain-affected race.
Fernando Alonso's classic F1 - Japanese Grand Prix 1989
Watch highlights from the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix as Alain Prost wins his third world championship after Ayrton Senna was disqualified after winning at Suzuka.
Fernando Alonso's classic F1 - Japanese Grand Prix 1990
Ayrton Senna clinches the drivers' world title after he and championship rival Alain Prost spin off at the first corner in Suzuka.
Fernando Alonso's classic F1 - Belgian Grand Prix 2000
Watch highlights from the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix as Mika Hakkinen pulls off one of the greatest overtaking manoeuvres in F1 history to win ahead of Michael Schumacher.
Technical Changes - Turkey
Weather Forecast
Practice 1 Fri 10:00
Practice 2 Fri 14:00
Practice 3 Sat 11:00
Qualifying Sat 14:00
Race Sun 14:00
News
Driver Chnages
The track and TV coverage starts
FIA Thursday press conference - Turkey
Friday practice - selected team and driver quotes
Technical changes Spain
Friday practice - selected team and driver quotes
FIA Friday press conference - China
Practice 1
Practice 2
Practice 3
Qualifying
Grid
Race
Standings
Friday 20 May
First practice: 0855-1035, BBC Red Button/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Second practice: 1255-1435, BBC Red Button/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Saturday 21 May
Third practice: 0955 -1105, BBC Red Button/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Qualifying: 1215-1415, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Sunday 22 May
Grand Prix live: 1200-1520, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 live/online
F1 forum: 1520-1620, BBC Red Button/online
Highlights: 1900-2000 and 0230-0330, BBC Three
Standings:
Track:
Track Diagram
Track DRS
The Spanish Grand Prix will have one of the longest zones for the Drag Reduction System seen so far.
The circuit’s official Twitter account said the zone where drivers can use DRS during the race will be 830m long. It is expected to be situated on the start/finish straight.
The FIA reduced the length of the DRS zone at the Chinese Grand Prix from 902m to 752m after concerns were raised that it would make overtaking too easy.
Concerns were also raised at the frequency of overtaking in the DRS zone during the Turkish Grand Prix, and the ease with which drivers could overtaking using their adjustable rear wings.
The Circuit de Catalunya has a reputation for being one of the most difficult F1 circuits to overtake on.
Update: The FIA have produced an image showing where DRS can be used during the race.
Drivers will be able to activate it as they cross the start/finish line, providing they are within one second of another car at the detection point between turns 15 and 16:
Circuit information
Lap length 4.655km (2.892 miles)
Race laps 66
Race distance 307.104km (190.826 miles)
Lap record* 1’21.670 (205.192 kph) by Kimi Räikkönen, 2008
Fastest lap 1’19.954 (209.596 kph) by Rubens Barrichello, 2009
Maximum speed (2010) 312.2 kph (193.992 mph) by Felipe Massa, Ferrari
DRS zone (race) Pit straight
Car performance
Full throttle 58%
Power loss 5%
Tyre energy (1-3) 2
Brake energy (1-3) 2
Downforce level High
Gear changes per lap 44
Fuel use per lap 2.4kg
Strategy
Pit lane time loss 21 seconds
2011 prime tyre**: Hard (2010: Hard)
2011 option tyre**: Soft (2010: Soft)
Spain preview - Barcelona thriller on the cards
The Formula Ones teams are gathering in Spain amid excitement that the combination of KERS, DRS and Pirelli’s tyres will provide an unusual level of overtaking at the Montmelo circuit, which in the past has generated low-key races with relatively little passing.
Spain preview quotes - Red Bull, Force India, Virgin & more
With last weekend’s Turkish race hosted at Istanbul Park on the Asian side of the Bosphorous, the European leg of the Formula One season kicks off for real in Barcelona next weekend. The Circuit de Catalunya is a venue the teams know very well from testing, although racing there represents a completely different challenge. The drivers and senior team personnel discuss their prospects…
- Team Preview
Pirelli
Cosworth Not uploaded yet
Red Bull Not uploaded yet
McLaren
Ferrari Not uploaded yet
Mercedes
Renault
Williams
Force India Not uploaded yet
Sauber
Toro Rosso Not uploaded yet
Lotus
Hispania
Virgin Not uploaded yet
Classic F1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/05/fernando_alonso_picks_his_five.html
It is the turn of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso to pick his five favourite all-time grands prix in the latest edition of our classic Formula 1 series.
Fernando Alonso's classic F1 - Spanish Grand Prix 2006
Watch short highlights from the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix as Renault's Fernando Alonso becomes the first Spaniard to win the race on home soil.
Fernando Alonso's classic F1 - Korean Grand Prix 2010
Highlights of the Korean Grand Prix, where Fernando Alonso takes victory after Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel fail to finish a dramatic rain-affected race.
Fernando Alonso's classic F1 - Japanese Grand Prix 1989
Watch highlights from the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix as Alain Prost wins his third world championship after Ayrton Senna was disqualified after winning at Suzuka.
Fernando Alonso's classic F1 - Japanese Grand Prix 1990
Ayrton Senna clinches the drivers' world title after he and championship rival Alain Prost spin off at the first corner in Suzuka.
Fernando Alonso's classic F1 - Belgian Grand Prix 2000
Watch highlights from the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix as Mika Hakkinen pulls off one of the greatest overtaking manoeuvres in F1 history to win ahead of Michael Schumacher.
Technical Changes - Turkey
Weather Forecast
Practice 1 Fri 10:00
Practice 2 Fri 14:00
Practice 3 Sat 11:00
Qualifying Sat 14:00
Race Sun 14:00
News
- FIA postpone restrictions on exhaust-blown diffusers
In the round-up: the FIA is to restrict how teams use their exhaust-blown diffusers. - Red Bull deny breaking testing rules
Red Bull say they did not break testing rules when Neel Jani drove the RB7 in Spain on Sunday. - Vettel worries F1 2011 confusing for fans in stands
Championship leader Sebastian Vettel says his only concern about the 2011 rules is that the races might become impossible to follow for spectators in the grandstands at the track. - Exhaust limits would affect most teams, say McLaren
McLaren engineering director Tim Goss says the FIA’s plan to restrict the use of exhaust gases to increase downforce would affect most teams. - McLaren to reintroduce Istanbul upgrades in Spain
McLaren will attempt to reintroduce their Turkish Grand Prix upgrade package at Barcelona next week. - Tim Goss Q&A: Ten or more upgrades for McLaren in Barcelona
At the last round of the championship in Turkey, McLaren opted to drop some planned upgrades to the MP4-26 for fear they wouldn’t last the weekend. Whilst the decision may have cost drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button the chance of fighting for a place on the podium, it means the British team’s car will be crammed full of new developments at this weekend’s Spanish round. In a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 'Phone-In' session, engineering director Tim Goss revealed what we can expect to see on the silver cars in Barcelona, and discusses the impact of possible new exhaust/engine regulations and the merits of DRS, KERS and the Pirelli tyres.. - Button predicts rapid McLaren response
Jenson Button is confident McLaren will rebound strongly from their disappointing Turkish Grand Prix and make up ground in the development race before the next race in Barcelona. - Alonso hoping for trouble-free Friday in Spain
Fernando Alonso hopes Ferrari avoid the reliability problems that have hit them in the last two race weekends. - Massa: I can match Alonso's surge
Felipe Massa is sure he could have demonstrated Ferrari's pace improvement just as effectively as Fernando Alonso had he had a clean race in yesterday's Turkish Grand Prix. - Renault aiming for better pit stops
Renault need to improve their pit stops if they are not to squander time gained through car performance upgrades, according to the team’s technical director James Allison. - Force India stands by Sutil for Spain
Force India have reacted to the announcement that Eric Lux, the CEO of Genii Capital – which owns the Renault F1 team – intends to press charges of assault and grievous bodily harm against Adrian Sutil over an altercation in a nightclub in Shanghai on April 17. - Lotus eyeing one second gain from Spain upgrade
Team Lotus are confident they are poised to move into Formula 1’s midfield for the first time in the forthcoming races thanks to a substantial upgrade package to be introduced at Barcelona.
Driver Chnages
The track and TV coverage starts
FIA Thursday press conference - Turkey
Friday practice - selected team and driver quotes
Technical changes Spain
Friday practice - selected team and driver quotes
FIA Friday press conference - China
Practice 1
Practice 2
Practice 3
Qualifying
Grid
Race
Standings
Last edited: