REASONS BEHIND USE OF CHICANE BY FORMULA 1 IN THE SPANISH GP IN BARCELONA.

Why does F1 continue to use the final chicane at the Spanish GP and not the old track to the outside? When did F1 first start to use the layout for grands prix?

Of all the race tracks around the world, there is not one that Formula 1 drivers know as well as the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya – the home of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Not only do they race there once a year – but the track is also used the venue for pre-season and in-season tests.

It is filled with high speed, medium speed and low-speed corners, of all which give teams an idea of how their car is performing.

The most contentious part of the Spanish GP track however is the final chicane – Turns 14 and 15.

Why does F1 use the final chicane at the Spanish GP – when there is the old track layout on the outside?

SPANISH GP FINAL CHICANE
Barcelona first joined the F1 calendar in 1991, giving the series a home in Spain having moved about before that.

The original layout to the end of the lap had a fast, downhill double-left-handed corner.

From 1991, the track used this layout until the 2006 race – when Fernando Alonso claimed the first Spanish GP win by a Spanish driver.

For 2007 however, the end of the lap was drastically reshaped.

In a bid to keep the cars close together and try and promote overtaking down into Turn 1, a final chicane was added to the Spanish GP venue.

It is a tight, low-speed, left-right complex, with cars often riding the kerbs to find lap-time.

The old track remains on the outside, but the FIA frowns upon drivers using it if they need to bail out of a fast lap.

THE PROBLEMS IN USING IT
Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya has always proved to be a difficult one for overtaking, but the final chicane at the Spanish GP has not had the desired affect.

Cars often get strung out through the chicane, making it difficult to be in a position to attempt an overtake down the main straight.

If the cars were to take to the old layout, a slipstreaming effect down to Turn 1 may be created and potentially improve overtaking.

However, that particular layout does not currently hold FIA Grade 1 status – something required by a layout before it can be used on a grand prix weekend.

The final chicane can also cause traffic problems during on-track sessions, especially in practice and qualifying when drivers back-up to try and find some clear air for a lap.