Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix venue Barcelona will drop its final chicane and use its original fast final two corners again from its 2023 race in June.
The chicane was inserted between the last two turns in 2007, partly to slow that section for safety reasons and also in the hope that it might allow more overtaking down the main straight into Turn 1 because cars’ aerodynamic turbulence would be less of a problem in the chicane than the fast right-handers so cars could follow more closely.
The change was never popular with drivers or fans, so the return to the old faster layout will be welcomed.
It’s likely to be felt that with F1’s current aero rules designed around reducing the ‘dirty air’ problem, having fast corners leading onto the straight will no longer hurt overtaking.
Changes off-track have also allowed more run-off to be created in this area in recent years, which had already meant MotoGP returned to the old layout after using the chicane for 2016-17 following the death of Moto2 rider Luis Salom in a practice crash at the penultimate corner.
The installation of new Tecpro barriers in the sequence of corners means the non-chicane layout is now homologated for F1 again, approved by F1 race director Niels Wittich and FIA head of circuit and rally safety Stuart Robertson.
But the chicane version likewise remains homologated, and outside of F1 “it will be up to each promoter or championship” to decide which version will be used.
Among the other announced modifications is a change to the Turn 1 run-off, with an enlarged gravel area, a ‘5% slope’ and a new protective fence that are supposed to “significantly improve the safety of the drivers and riders”.
Additionally, the recognisable pit exit scoreboard has undergone a “remodelling”.
