F1: Barcelona wants F1 to bypass chicane (Approved!) (Update)

It’s now official after this report from back in December.

Formula 1 announced today that the Spanish Grand Prix venue at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will feature a revised configuration for this year’s race – the eighth round of the championship. Furthermore, the track will feature new safety features and renovated paddock facilities.

The circuit just outside Barcelona first hosted the Spanish Grand Prix in 1991 – where Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell went wheel-to-wheel for championship glory – and has undergone several changes since.

In 2007, a chicane was introduced before the final corner in Barcelona but this year, the chicane (currently Turns 14-15) will be removed to return the section to its original layout.

New TECPRO barriers will be introduced in the last two high-speed corners and the official length of the track for the Spanish Grand Prix will be 4.657 kilometers, which is 18 meters shorter than the previous track.

The Spanish track will also undergo other changes, with a widening of the run-off area in Turn 1, including 70 more meters of gravel plus a slope of 5%, and a new fence protecting Turns 1 and 2 to improve the safety of drivers.

The scoreboard at the pit lane exit will be remodelled for 2023, including a “more modern” signalling tower – plus re-painting and replacing of kerbs and tyre barriers.

Finally, the hospitality and corporate areas of the long pit building along the main straight will be enlarged and modernised, while permanent toilets in fan areas will be refurbished for the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix on June 2-4.

The operators of the Circuit de Catalunya intend to offer Formula 1 the option of bypassing the slow chicane at the end of the lap to improve overtaking down the main straight.

George Russell told RaceFans last year it would be “an easy fix to a circuit that is pretty poor.” Spanish F1 driver Carlos Sainz Jnr has also said he’s keen to try the layout without it.

The track’s operators confirmed to RaceFans they intend to ask the FIA to homologate two layouts at the Montmelo circuit, one with the chicane and one without, so race promoters can select which version they prefer. Some minor reinforcements of the existing safety elements at the current turns 13 and 16 will be made in order to ensure the final sector can be raced safely without the chicane.

Work has already begun on an extension to the gravel trap at turn one, which is expected to be complete by the end of March. The total area of the run-off will increase from 5,200 square meters to 7,200. The total gravel area will rise from 3,100 square meters to 5,100. This is needed because the speeds down the main straight and into the downhill Turn 1 will be slightly higher if the chicane is eliminated.

The renovations will require some trees to be removed. These will be replaced by new trees which will be planted within the circuit and surrounding area. RaceFans