Spanish GP Preview: Michelin
11/05/2006 The Spanish Grand Prix has been one of the most itinerant in the Formula One world championship's 57-season history – present host the Circuit de Catalunya is the fifth track to have staged the race and the third different Barcelona venue. The sixth round of this year's world championship, the Spanish GP was first included on the F1 calendar in 1951. The inaugural race took place at Pedralbes, 7km north-west of the Catalan capital, and the event flitted from Jarama (near Madrid), to Montjuich Park (central Barcelona) and Jerez (in Andalusia, southern Spain) before moving to its present home, 20km north of Barcelona, in 1991. This will be the 36th Spanish GP and the 16th at the Circuit de Catalunya, which has been the event's most durable host. Michelin has participated in eight Spanish GPs and has notched up two victories, with Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari, Jarama, 1981) and Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren-Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2005). When local favourite Fernando Alonso graduated to motor racing's top echelon in 2001, only one Spanish driver – Fon de Portago, at Silverstone in 1956 – had achieved an F1 podium finish. Alonso has since rewritten the record books, however, becoming his nation's first world champion and sparking a huge surge of interest in the sport. The Spanish GP didn't always attract a capacity crowd, but it is now a guaranteed sell-out. In F1 terms, Alonso is the youngest driver to have qualified on pole position (Malaysia 2003), set fastest lap (Canada 2003), recorded a race victory (Hungary 2003) and secured the title (clinched in Brazil last year, aged 24 years and 59 days). He achieved all of these feats on Michelin tyres. More than 9 000 people work for Michelin in Spain. The group has four production sites in the country, at Aranda de Duero, Lasarte, Valladolid and Vitoria. There is also a research and development facility in Almeria. Spain plays a major part in the Michelin Group's European production cycle and half the tyres produced are exported to overseas markets. Michelin manufactures a wide variety of tyres in Spain - they are destined for a range of vehicles, including scooters, motorcycles, cars, vans, 4x4s and agricultural machines. Nick Shorrock, Formula One director, Michelin: "Following an exciting weekend in Germany, where Michelin partners Renault and Fernando Alonso finished second to maintain a comfortable lead in their respective world championships, the F1 campaign transfers to Spain – Fernando's homeland. The Circuit de Catalunya, near Barcelona, was resurfaced at the end of 2004 but has now satisfactorily 'worn in'. It is a track that we know well because we do much of our testing here throughout the year. "The track features several long, fast bends and a lengthy main straight. Teams tend to run fairly high downforce levels to generate more grip. The track characteristics mean the tyres we use need to be able to support both high mechanical and thermal loads – and that makes Barcelona a demanding circuit from our perspective. "Selecting appropriate tyre compounds is a balancing act – they need to resist high loads and significant temperatures without being vulnerable to blistering, yet we also have to generate strong first-lap performance and consistency over long race stints. We have been working on some interesting new ideas recently and will introduce some of them this weekend in Spain. "I'm confident that the work done by our team will once again yield very competitive products and we look forward to another nail-biting race." Fernando Alonso, Renault F1 Team: "Racing in Barcelona makes me very proud: to see the fans, their support and their passion is something really fantastic. I want to win for them, but it is not an extra pressure. In my mind the support of the fans makes me even stronger when I am racing in Spain. "In terms of the circuit, everybody knows it very well from testing, of course, and the car needs a bit of everything to be strong – good aero efficiency, a stable balance and good engine power for the long straight. Tyres are very important too. The track was resurfaced last year, but it is still very aggressive because of the long, fast corners and the high loadings. We have had some very good tests there with Michelin and tried out a large range of tyres. When we get to Spain I am very confident that Michelin will have exactly the tyres we need." |
