Racing Engineering home race at Barcelona

The GP2 teams are assembling this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain for round two of the 2014 GP2 Series.

The first round took place five weeks ago at the Sakhir International Circuit in Bahrain were, although the results for the Racing Engineering drivers were ultimately disappointing, the Spanish team learnt a lot and both Stefano Coletti and Raffaele Marciello showed a great deal of speed as they qualified in the top ten and Stefano finished 4th in the Saturday Feature Race.

This will be Raffaele’s first GP2 outing at the Spanish Circuit although he has raced here before whilst Stefano has won in the past in a GP2 car and both men will be amongst the favourites to win the weekend’s two races.

Practice: Fri 09 May, 12:00 (GMT+2)
Qualifying Session: Fri 09 May, 15:55 (GMT+2)
Race 1: Sat 10 May, 15:40 (GMT+2)
Race 2: Sun 11 May, 10:35 (GMT+2)

GP2 Versus Formula One

1. F1 top speed (including DRS) is 318 km/h – GP2 (without DRS) is 300 km/h.

2. F1 drivers will change ! gears 45 times per lap while GP2 drivers have to do so 31 times.

3. Race distance is different: F1 go around the circuit for 66 laps and GP2 does a total of 60 laps during two days- 37 laps in the Feature Race and 23 in the Sprint Race. ! 4. Downforce levels are also different: High downforce levels in F1 against medium levels in GP2.

5. F1 pole position was set at 1:20.718 in 2013 – GP2 pole position was set at 1:28.706 in 2013.

GP2 Facts

1. Round two of the 2014 GP2 Series is our home race.

2. The ‘Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya’ is not part of the City of Barcelona. It is located approximately 25km North of Barcelona in Montmeló.

3. There is a tradition of motor racing in Catalonia which started back in 1908 with the first Copa Catalunya held on a 17-mile track made up of public roads which was called ! the Baix Penedes circuit.

4. Wind direction can often change at Barcelona due to its proximity to the sea and mountains. This can make the selection of gear ratio a challenge ! for the long start/finish straight, particularly as there are a couple of bumps down the straight, which can cause the engine to hit the limiter.

5. With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Catalunya is regarded as an all-round circuit.

6. The track follows the contours of the hills. The up-and-down nature of the track and the length of the corners mean the cars are subject to high lateral forces.

7. The second sector is more flowing than the first sector, but it is nevertheless hard on the tyres due to the long corners and the fact that the drivers run onto the kerbs through this section.

8. As a venue it hasn’t however proved to be particularly conducive to overtaking: the corner combinations tend to make following and attacking very difficult.

9. One of the characteristics of this circuit is the abrasive nature of the asphalt.

10. There is a critical point at the Campsa Turn, a fast right-hand corner which leads across a hill-top so that the view of the exit is obscured.

Racing Engineering