F1 | GP Spain, Ferrari ready for the weekend at Montmelò

Carlos Sainz sent a message to his fans in the press conference on Thursday of his home race, at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya: “Having a Spanish Grand Prix for the second year with very little spectators in the stands is not the best, unfortunately. I dreamed of a turn five full of red flags for me and the team, because that's where my supporters' stands are usually located. This year, had it not been for the pandemic, with the return to the paddock of Fernando Alonso - with whom the driver from Madrid shared the meeting with the media - and my move to Ferrari, we would certainly have had full stands – said Carlos –. This awareness gives me extra motivation to try to get a good result this weekend. I'll give it my all, also to put the race a week ago in Portugal behind me, which was still useful for continuing to learn."

Changes. This year, Turn 10 has been brought back to a configuration very similar to the original one in 1991, while it was decided to continue to have the chicane in the last sector instead of the double fast right-hander that was in use until 2006. Carlos do not expect major differences with the path of recent years: “I believe that the change to Turn 10 does not change much, although it should be possible to approach it with two potential trajectories. As for the last two corners, I would like to once have a race without the chicane. Formula 1 has changed a lot recently and perhaps, also thinking about the DRS, having the last stretch with the two fast bends on the right would offer more opportunities for spectacle."

Potential to be exploited. Charles Leclerc also wants to get on track at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya: “As you know, the riders know this track very well, because it is often the site of pre-season testing. This year, however, is a little different, because the winter tests took place in Bahrain and changes were also made to turn 10 – said the Monegasque –. We will need to study the new design carefully to evaluate how best to deal with it, now that it is less dry." Barcelona has always been a reference track, which highlights the technical qualities of the car: "Compared to last year, our car has improved in every area, and this is also why I'm curious to see the SF21 on the different types of curves that characterize the track".

Program. The single-seaters will take to the track for the first time on Friday, for the usual two hours of free practice scheduled for 11.30am CET and 15pm. Qualifying will be on Saturday at 15pm, preceded at 12pm by the last free practice session. The Spanish Grand Prix will start at 15pm on Sunday. There are 66 laps of the 4.675 meter circuit to go, equal to 308,424 kilometres.