Circuit de Catalunya to be resurfaced for 2018 season

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The Circuit de Catalunya, home of the Spanish Grand Prix, will be fully resurfaced in time for the 2018 F1 season, the track owners have confirmed.

The track is also extending the run-off at one part of the circuit to comply with the safety requirements for its annual Moto GP race.

Resurfacing of the 4.6 kilometre track will take place during January before Formula One pre-season testing begins in late February. The two pre-season tests run from February 26th to March 1st and March 6th to 9th.

Changes are also being made at the outside of turn 13 where grandstands are being re-positioned to allow increased run-off area. This is also for the benefit of the Moto GP race, which will revert to using the original configuration of the final two corners, omitting the chicane which F1 has used since 2007. Moto GP has used the chicane configuration of the track for the last two seasons following Luis Salom’s death in a crash at the track last year.

Some Moto GP riders have complained F1 cars have created bumpy track surfaces at some of the venues shared by the two series. The Catalunyan venue is one of four tracks on the 2018 F1 calendar which Moto GP will also visit, along with the Red Bull Ring, Silverstone and Circuit of the Americas.

The Circuit de Catalunya will hold the Spanish Grand Prix for the 28th year running in 2018. It has been on Moto GP’s schedule since 1996.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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24 comments on “Circuit de Catalunya to be resurfaced for 2018 season”

  1. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
    21st November 2017, 16:07

    That obsession for increasing the run-off. I know that it’s mainly because of the MotoGP races, but there should be a solution that allows a track to host both F1 and MotoGP without compromising the layout.

    1. Gravel. A longer run-off wouldn’t have changed anything in Salom’s death, the problem is that the asphalt run-off is too long and won’t slow down an uncontrolled/crashed bike (nor the driver for that matter) as much as a gravel trap.

    2. If they can have drop in pitches for cricket and drop in an entire field for American football I’m pretty sure it’s not impossible to create drop in gravel traps for racing circuits.

  2. Excellent, so Pirelli’s testing data won’t be accurate. Excuse sorted for 2018 then!

  3. It would be nice if the changes included more natural track limit enforcements, such as grass being put on the inside of turn 2. Unfortunately I imagine that instead it will make it even more forgiving.

    It would be nice if Formula One could also revert to the old final corners too. The chicane is a failure for producing closer racing

    1. @strontium Yes, I’d like to see how the cars with the today’s downforce and grip levels would fare through the old final two corners, but close racing-wise it wasn’t any better to the current 2007-present chicane.

    2. …and as soon as that happens everyone will be here complaining about how drivers make a simple mistake and get knocked out of and event and the fans don’t get to see them running.

  4. With the track resurfacing going on will F1 still use the chicane before the main straight or based on quality hoped for the new surface will they use the track as the MOTOGP riders will use. I really liked the final two corners as it challenged the best to be better yet.

    1. MotoGP actually uses the chicane too since the death of a rider couple of years back.

      1. I hadn’t heard this. Too often tracks feel the need to have to change when loss if life occurs. As technolgy alters the performance of racing vehicles they seem to get faster and faster. If your series is too fast for a single corner then adapt, instead of ruining another corner.

        1. I hadn’t heard this

          Sometimes reading the article before commenting doesn’t go amiss

          1. You got me !

          2. One of the characteristics of modern internetting is to just read headlines

  5. How much does it cost to resurface?

    1. I think it was something like $1,000,000.00 per mile. Seems a bit steep.

      1. That amount of zeros is the probable cause of those bumps.

        1. Michael Brown (@)
          23rd November 2017, 21:05

          They can put the money under the track to reinforce the tarmac

  6. With so many good tracks being dumped, I wonder why this Barcelona track still in the calendar – the spanish “federation” seems to be very strong within FIA. For a long time it wasn’t able to produce good racing. Apart from some races decided by blown tires and the Mansell-Senna overtake, it failed to deliver memorable moments.

    1. It’s still on the calendar because its a good track that is popular with drivers & teams because of the challenge it provides.

      A circuit should not be judged based on what sort of racing it produces & deciding what circuits should/should not be on the calendar based on how possible overtaking is is a silly thing to do.

      This obsession with overtaking has already ruined some once great corners, Circuits & seen many good circuits ridiculed for been ‘boring’. Magny course for instance didn’t produce the best racing & overtaking was difficult, Yet it was one of the best circuits on the calendar & one which the drivers loved driving on. Same with Imola.

      Overtaking is traditionally very difficult at Melbourne & Suzuka so should these circuits also be dropped? Of course not because there fantastic circuits which again the drivers love driving on.

      Honestly I worry about F1 given the priorities of some ‘fans’.

      1. Indeed… thats what gave us DRS in the first place

        “Ooooh, races are too boring with not enough overtakes”!

        Its just another example of the ‘bubble-gum-ification’ of society. No attention span and the need for instant gratification

    2. Because it is a fantastic circuit which is a joy to drive in video games so I hope they don’t drop it lol.

  7. A good example of lost tracks would be Hockenheim . The old track was awesome with the high speeds through the forest. The new track has nowhere near the character. IMHO

  8. Michael Brown (@)
    23rd November 2017, 21:07

    Extend the back straight and remove the final chicane, please. Won’t happen, but I can dream.

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