2022 AM Wings_Mono Negative
Spanish Grand Prix

Passion. Noise. Emotion. This is Spain.

2023 season
Aston Martin F1
LanceStroll
6th
RACE POSITION
8th
DRIVER STANDING
Lance's profile
FernandoAlonso
7th
RACE POSITION
3rd
DRIVER STANDING
Fernando's profile

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team delivered a double-points finish in the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix as Lance secured P6 and Fernando took P7 in his home race.

2023 season
Spanish Grand Prix circuit figures
2
Number of pitstops
16
Longest stint (laps)
155.5
Total laps in Spain
724
Total KM in Spain
LanceStroll
6th
Final position
5th
Starting position
-1
Positions
+8
Points
FernandoAlonso
7th
Final position
8th
Starting position
+1
Positions
+6
Points
Spanish GP
Fastest lapM:S.MS
1:18.722
Lance
1:18.038
Fernando
Max speedKM/H
322
Lance
326.9
Fernando
Practice laps
70
Lance
68
Fernando
Qualifying laps
23
Lance
18
Fernando
Race laps
66
Lance
66
Fernando
Total laps
159
Lance
152
Fernando
Spanish Grand Prix

The Debrief by Aramco

Both cars finish in the points as Lance and Fernando give their all at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Hear from Fernando, Lance and Team Principal Mike Krack after the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix.

Read the reaction

Need to know: Spain

2023 Spanish Grand Prix Track Map
  • Sectors
  • Turns
  • DRS
Enjoying every moment

Fernando Alonso

"The emotions are still high after an amazing result in Monaco. But now we shift our focus to my home race here in Spain.

"I'm looking forward to seeing all of the Spanish and Aston Martin fans out in full force supporting our team. I hope to see lots of green in the grandstands over the weekend. So far, we have scored lots of third places, a second place in Monaco and the next one we need is the top step.

"To do this we have to maximise every part of our weekend and capitalise on any opportunities that may come our way. But I am not obsessed with this and we will enjoy every moment.

"We have a lot of experience of this circuit but it's always a good challenge. It'll be interesting to race again without a chicane at the end of the lap, and hopefully this creates more overtaking opportunities."

Fernando Spain
A valuable benchmark

Lance Stroll

"It's great to be able to get back on track straight away at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after a challenging weekend in Monaco. It's a track that we're all very familiar with, having spent plenty of time here testing over the years, and one that I enjoy driving.

"After a run of five street circuits, it will be interesting to go to a more traditional racing venue and this will be valuable as we continue to benchmark and develop the AMR23.

"With it being Fernando's home race, I'm sure there will be plenty of green in the grandstands which is always great to see."

gplance
Cognizant

Insight and Speed

Discover Cognizant
01

Race interruptions

Race interruptions are rare in Barcelona. In the hybrid era (since 2014) there have been just four Safety Car deployments, and just two Virtual Safety Car deployments since the system was introduced. As for retirements, there is an average of just three per race, which means plenty of caution-free running.

02

Overtaking

Not easy, but there are opportunities given high tyre degradation, which means there should be pace differences between cars on different strategies. The long DRS zone on the main straight and the opening turns are where drivers will attempt to make their moves, or down the DRS straight on the run to Turn 10.

03

Strategy

Expect a mix of strategies given high tyre degradation. Adding to the unknowns, teams aren't as familiar with the circuit given it's got a new layout in Sector Three, and the circuit didn't hold pre-season testing in 2023. There is also a new specification Pirelli slick tyre, planned for introduction at Silverstone, to test in Friday practice.

SentinelOne

Unlocking the Lap

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The lap begins with a short run to the opening two corners, a right-left hop uphill that can be difficult to take when 20 cars are jostling for position at the start of the race. It's a case of hanging on into Turn Three, where the bravest will try to pass around the outside of this high-speed uphill run. Turn Four sets drivers up for the challenging downhill Turn Five.

Soon, it's flat out through Turn Nine and down the DRS straight towards Turn 10. This is the most demanding corner on the brakes and an area where a late dive down the inside of a rival can prove tempting in an attempt to gain a position.

A short squeeze of the throttle and Turn 11 is up next, immediately leading to the medium-speed right-hander of Turn 12. Turns 13 and 14 now conclude a lap at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as the final right-hander and chicane have been replaced with this pair of flat-out corners that lead onto the long main straight.

Spain unlocking lap
Aramco

Powered by How

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How does Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya provide key performance answers?

The combination of track changes, additional Pirelli tyre testing and no pre-season test at Barcelona this year means its use as a 'reference' track is slightly diminished, but Barcelona will still be a useful benchmark.

For one thing, it's the first permanent track we've raced at in 2023 since Bahrain, so is a better indicator for the upcoming European races than the temporary street tracks we've grown accustomed to in recent rounds.

Its position as the first European race of the year, as well as a popular test track, was a historic reason that many teams brought their first major updates to Spain. Teams and drivers have all run thousands of laps over years of visiting the track, so it's as close to a known environment as you can get in the world of F1 racetracks.

A relatively warm and predictable climate means plenty of uninterrupted running, while there are numerous high- and medium- corners to test every aspect of the car's performance – although the final trio of low-speed turns has been replaced by a high-speed pair of corners leading onto the main straight.

GP2206 131242 J6I9163 (1)
NetApp

Cloud Report

Discover NetApp

The Spanish Grand Prix hasn't been hit by rain since 1996 but there's always the chance. Our Global Partner NetApp is a global hybrid cloud storage partner, with solutions that perform across a diverse environment allowing us to gain insights on weather-related data as well as telemetry data. Here's how weather can change the conditions this weekend.

Barcelona has mostly occupied a late-May or early-June slot in the calendar since 1991 and this year it's no different. The Mediterranean-influenced climate means that weather is generally dry and this weekend the air temperature should hover around 23 degrees Celsius during the sessions.

There's a small chance of thunderstorms on Friday afternoon and a very slight risk of showers on Saturday – and an even slimmer chance of rain on Sunday afternoon. Those clouds might loom ominously over the track, but precipitation is unlikely.

Wind can catch drivers out and unsettle their cars through high-speed corners, however, and gusts could reach 20km/h during FP2 and the race.

spaincloud
XP

XPerience Points

Discover XP

In Formula One, you’re constantly learning. Every lap, every mile, every second, is an opportunity to further your understanding and, ultimately, discover ways to unlock performance. In partnership with XP Inc., here are some of the key points for the Spanish Grand Prix.

1
Only two drivers have won a Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after starting fourth or worse.
8
There have been 16 different Grand Prix winners at this track over 32 Grands Prix.
10
This season Fernando Alonso will become the first driver to take part in 20 Spanish Grands Prix.
40
Almost 80 per cent of passes take place at Turn One, while 77 per cent of all passes at Barcelona use DRS.
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