The F1 teams at the Circuit de Catalunya. They say it's the perfect track for testing. A reasonable amount of high-speed corners to check your chassis and aero works fine, a whopping long straight to make sure you power unit has the legs and enough slow speed corners to allow you to work on traction.
It's not a bad track by any means, I quite enjoy driving it, (virtually) The first two sectors are quite technical and require absolute precision. The third sector isn't great, with that fiddly chicane at the end of the lap, but the undulation change through there is brilliant.
However. As good as the track is to drive, it has one fundamental issue.
It is difficult to overtake. Unless you're a Bottas, or a Massa and you come up behind a Sainz Jr. or a Verstappen with DRS. Then you may as well be an LMP1 car overtaking a Renault Clio. I felt for the Toro Rosso boys this weekend. They did a great job in qualifying, getting themselves in the top 6 for the race. Then they both got mugged. Nothing they did wrong by the way. Quite simply, their motors simply can't run fast enough. Mercedes and Ferrari have horsepower. Renault has donkey power and Honda, well they're using cows at this point I think. Sounds like a cows rear end anyway.
For Rosberg, it was merely a formality. Take his first win of the season from pole position. He wasn't challenged, he wasn't flustered and built a huge unassailable gap, according to Mercedes. Nico has been on it this weekend. On his day, he's a top class driver, he's just got to have more of his days. Although on the other side of the Mercedes garage, I admired Lewis' attitude towards the end of the race, "Is it impossible or just difficult?" Always up for a challenge, apparently.
The rest? Well. Not much really. Kimi's opening lap was brilliant. Passing both Toro Rosso's around the outside in the middle sector was impressive. But that was lap 1. That was a long time ago, even in highlights by the time you get to the end of the race.
I wish they'd get rid of Catalunya. It's not a track that allows great racing and when Alonso retires, I can't imagine the turnout being quite has high for the albeit impressive Carlos Sainz Jr. or the invisible Roberto Merhi.
I'd like to see it gone. Which is why it has just extended it's contract to the end of 2019...
Oh goody.
Cheerio,
Stevie.
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