SPAIN: Barcelona’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is bringing back its original final-sector layout for the 2023 Spanish GP, F1 has announced.
The final chicane will be removed as a part of many changes introduced to the track, giving way to faster lap times and providing more overtaking opportunities along the main straight, also referred to as the pit straight.
The move will result in the circuit having 14 corners, down from 16, and lap times speeding up by several seconds as the slow chicane makes way for the final sweeping right-hander that preceded it.
The Spanish GP will now end with a downhill right-hander that will see the cars enter the final corner, now Turn 14, at around 170-180 mph before a slight lift of the throttle before slinging onto the pit straight.
The circuit had been using the chicane since 2007, but it will now return to being a faster proposition for drivers once again, similar to when F1 started racing at the circuit in 1991.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has confirmed that the FIA has homologated the track to its standards with or without the final chicane. The organisation added that the FIA left it up to the individual series that use the circuit to decide upon the layout.
Listening to the fans’ requests, Formula 1 has decided to remove the chicane for the 2023 Spanish GP.
The announcement is part of several changes being made to the circuit ahead of this year’s Spanish GP, which will include the installation of new TECPRO barriers at the final two corners to address the risks from the higher speeds in that area of the circuit.
The track length will be reduced by 18 metres to 4.657 km, and an increased run-off area will also be in place at the start of the lap at Turn 1.
From a fan experience perspective, the pit exit will have a “more modern” signalling system, and the organisers will remodel the scoreboard this year.
Additionally, the organisers plan to refurbish permanent toilets in fan areas and extend corporate hospitality areas.
Motorsport fans worldwide welcomed the announcement of the change to the circuit’s final sector layout.
The faster end to the lap will increase excitement and improve the overall fan experience, making the Spanish GP one of the must-see events on the F1 calendar.
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