Will the well-known bullying be eliminated? F1 considers possible moves for upcoming Spanish GP

In recent months, officials at the circuit near Barcelona have expressed interest in exploring the possibility of reintroducing a “classic” third sector without the chicane that slows Formula 1 cars without offering significant overtaking opportunities.

The sequence of Turns 14 and 15 was first introduced at the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix. Since then, however, the chicane has been criticised by drivers, fans and experts alike. It makes it impossible for cars to stay close together before they reach the finishing straight and the first corner, where most of the overtaking manoeuvres take place.

The chicane thus robs fans of more action on the one-mile straight, where by simplifying the last sector, cars would reach higher speeds. This would make the slipstream effect more effective and powerful, and the braking distance to the first corner would be significantly longer.

In February, the circuit director explained that he wanted to use the pre-season tests to see the cornering speed of the new monoposts. After that, he would make the appropriate calculations to allow the track configuration to be adjusted for F1 races.

Three months later, the results of the investigations were in. It was found that it would be sufficient to incorporate a protective TecPro barrier in front of the existing tyre barriers. This would have ensured greater safety for the drivers in the event of an accident.

Director José Luis Santamaría announced during the presentation of the Spanish VC that they were all set to homologate the third sector without chicane. The circuit could therefore have two different versions suitable for hosting Formula 1 races.

In 2022, the circuit will retain the configuration of recent years. But from 2023 onwards, it will be up to F1 to determine which option it opts for.

If the queen of motorsport decides to try the original configuration without chicanes for next year, circuit officials first anticipated that the paddocks would need to be expanded. But winter tests have shown that won’t be necessary.

“We have been working on homologating a chicane-free circuit for F1 racing,” Santamaría explained to the Soymotor website this Wednesday.

“We already have a solution for this version of the track, which is to increase driver safety with TecPro barriers. We are going to homologate this track using Formula 1 and it will be up to the race organisers to decide whether they want to use one version or the other,” he added.

After 16 years, the fans would see the cancellation of one of the most circuitous passages not only on the Barcelona circuit, but also in the entire calendar of the queen of motorsport.

Source