Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images
So is this the week someone finally catches Red Bull?
F1’s European stretch rolls on, as the grid heads to Barcelona for the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix.
While the circuit in Barcelona is a familiar one for teams, it will look a little different this year, more on that in a moment. This is also the home race for both Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jr., and is the site of Alonso’s last F1 victory, the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix.
Can he break through with a victory this weekend?
Here’s how to watch, and what to watch for, this weekend.
How To Watch (all times Eastern):
Practice 1 – Friday June 2 – 7:25 a.m. – ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN
Practice 2 – Friday June 2 – 10:55 a.m. – ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN
Practice 3 – Saturday June 3 – 6:25 a.m. – ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN
Qualifying – Saturday June 3 – 9:55 a.m. – ESPN/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN
Grand Prix Sunday (Pre-race Show) – Sunday June 4 – 7:30 a.m. – ESPN/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN
Grand Prix Race – Sunday June 4 – 8:55 a.m. – ESPN/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN
What to Watch:
There is the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The main difference this season comes in the third sector. Gone is the tricky right-left-right that used to be present, replaced with the rounded Turn 13. This is the original configuration of the track, before that tricky chicane was added for the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix for safety reasons.
Here is a an aerial view of the circuit, with the old chicane marked in red, and the new corner in green:
Drivers will now come out of the new Turn 13 and speed into Turn 14, racing back to the start/finish line in one of the two DRS zones on the track.
The new configuration is one of the major storylines of the week, but here are some others.
Five big storylines facing F1 this week, including home races for Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jr., whether Mercedes is truly turning the corner, and more.
Yuki Tsunoda pokes some fun at Alonso’s, um, experience.
Max Verstappen’s dominance, is it a good thing? Opinions are mixed!
McLaren has lured Rob Marshall away from Red Bull’s engineering department.
All the F1 terms you need to know before Sunday’s Grand Prix
