Spanish GP Red Bull Racing Preview

Circuit de Catalunya

MARK WEBBER

Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: xpb.cc

“The circuit is great, the surface and layout are both very good for driving an F1 car on the limit. The last sector used to be very, very quick and now, for the last few years, we’ve had a slow chicane which breaks the rhythm of the lap up a little bit, but all in all I enjoy driving the car on this track. Of course I want to improve on my result in Turkey, so that means trying to finish on the top step. It would be nice to add to the special memories I have. It’s one of the best races of the season in terms of atmosphere, because of the support Fernando gets. I love the drivers’ parade when we see the fireworks in the crowd going off and they sing songs too, it is always entertaining.”

SEBASTIAN VETTEL

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: xpb.cc

“We know the Barcelona circuit well from winter testing – it should be suitable for our car and our plan is to get the best team result possible. Historically Barcelona is a circuit that is poor for overtaking, but with the DRS this will now be quite different. I like Spain and know Barcelona well from racing there – it’s a great modern city with lots of life and interesting architecture. I like the Spanish people and their culture, it’s always a fantastic atmosphere at Spanish sporting events, such as the grand prix and football matches. This is the first race of two back to back events, I’m returning to Switzerland after Barcelona, so there will be a lot of travel.”

Ciaron Pilbeam, Race Engineer

As you know, we return to Barcelona with the RB7 for the first time since the winter tests in February and March. It is a circuit where we know the layout and general characteristics well. It has some high speed corners such as Turns 3 and 9, and a slower last sector where good grip and traction are important. When we finished winter testing we were very happy with the setup of the car. However, we have learned a lot about RB7 since early March.

It is a circuit where we know the layout and general characteristics well

Ciaron Pilbeam

There have been four race weekends since our last day of testing, so the car has developed. Items such as KERS have changed in terms of performance and our understanding of the tyres has improved significantly. Added to that the track and ambient temperatures will be higher than they were in winter, so although we have a good basis for a starting setup, we will have some tuning to do in the practice sessions during the race weekend.