Barcelona GP – All you Need to know

Watching Formula One racing is an exciting prospect in itself, but throw in a trip abroad to a sunny climate such as Spain and the excitement is accelerated to a whole new level.

"Ferrari Alonso Barcelona 2012" by Ferrari_Alonso_and_McLaren_Hamilton_Barcelona_2012.jpg: Rich Jones from United Kingdomderivative work: Chubbennaitor - This file was derived from: Ferrari Alonso and McLaren Hamilton Barcelona 2012.jpg:. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ferrari_Alonso_Barcelona_2012.jpg#/media/File:Ferrari_Alonso_Barcelona_2012.jpg
The Spanish Grand Prix is one of the moist highly anticipated races of the season, and is one of the most popular races for visiting tourists, especially compared to races such as the British GP, whose crowd often consists of mainly local fans. It is for this reason when booking your flights, or apartments in Barcelona to get it done as soon as possible, as even though the race is 2 months away accommodation will be filling up fast.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya track is located on the outskirts of Barcelona, and has been hosting the Spanish GP since it was built back in 1991. The track is 2.892 miles long and each race typically consists of 66 laps, with the pole position located on the left hand side of the track.

The title for the fastest lap in a Spanish Grand Prix goes to Kimi Raikkonen in 2008, when he recorded a high speed of 205.192 kph and completed a lap in just one minute and 21 seconds. The race runs for 190.826 miles and the down force level is rated as high, which means drivers have to drive the race hard throughout. Formula One in Spain became a lot more popular after the introduction of Fernando Alonso to the racing circuit and crowds have grown in numbers as the Spanish star continues to cement himself as one of the recent greats in the sport.

Spain has had a long established relationship with motor racing that goes back to 1908, when the first races were held on the roads just outside of Barcelona in an area called Stiges. This is where the country’s first circuit was constructed and other tracks were soon erected in places such as Jarama, Monjuic and Jerez. It was in the latter region where Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna fought tooth and nail to take the chequered flag in 1986, when eventually stewards awarded the win to Senna who was deemed to have crossed the line just 0.0014 seconds quicker than his rival.

From 1992-1994, the Williams team were victorious in every race held at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya and Michael Schumacher nailed his first victory for Ferrari in 1996 during the Spanish Grand Prix, which was raced in heavy rain. Since 2003, Fernando Alonso has been the primary reason for many F1 fans to attend the Spanish GP and he finished second in 2003 and again in 2005 before finally recording a victory in 2006 from pole position. Alonso also won in 2013 and other Spanish drivers to win the Spanish Grand Prix include Carlos de Salamaca in 1923, Juan Manuel Fangio in 1951 and Maldonado at the current track in 2012.

Anyone wanting to attend this year’s Spanish race may want to purchase a three-day pass for the following events:
  • Practice: Friday May 8th 2015
  • Qualifying: Saturday May 9th 2015
  • Race: Sunday May 10th 2015
There are two main ways to travel to the circuit namely by train or by bus from Barcelona city centre. If you choose to get a train, you will need to get off at Montmelo Station and a ticket will cost €2.50 for the 30-minute journey from Barcelona Sants Station. However, you can also get a train from Clot or Passeig de Gracia stations and when you arrive at Montmelo, you can choose between a 30-minute walk or a taxi journey to the track. There will also be a specialist bus service running from Barcelona Nord Bus Station organised by the Sagalés bus company. The journey will take around 45 minutes and tickets can be purchased over the phone (+34 90 213 0014), online or from the station on the day of travel.

The Spanish Grand Prix is the perfect excuse to get away for a few sunny days to enjoy an exciting race at a track that is known for its close finishes and strong competition.  And on top of that a trip to the Barcelona area is great for all ages!

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19 comments:

  1. It's really difficult to pick favorites in a category, and like you, I prefer cities for visits, not necessarily for long term living. Interesting how different places resonate for different reasons, and others...well, they just don't. ;-)

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  2. I like it when I feel like a citizen of the world, rather than of one city. I'm actually heading to Hong Kong soon in the next month, will keep you guys updated with stories from there!

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  3. Mostly a great list, though I haven't been to Kuala Lumpur or Portland yet. Maybe I need to head that way soon. It's so hard to pick favorites when everywhere has something different to offer. I would have to add New Orleans if I were making a list of my favorites, I just love it there.

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  4. It's interesting to see Portland in that list as you wouldn't usually expect it to be in there. Maybe I should visit it after all.

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  5. (Not sure iuf my previous comment was published) I love London, it is one of my all-time favorites. I would like to visit Portland too, maybe this post will nudge me in the right direction.

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  6. Buddy The Traveling MonkeyMarch 22, 2015 at 12:12 PM

    I went to NYC for the first time in January and I loved it! Like you said, there is such a vibrancy to it! And there is so much to do! I can't wait to go back :)

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  7. I've only been to London from this list!!! And I didn't even get to see much of while there as I was too busy tracking down my lost luggage. I would love to go back there and also to NYC and Sydney, of course!

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  8. You're description of Sydney made me want to go there even more! It sounds lovely. I like this post, I'll have to do a round up of my favorite cities! NYC is so awesome... I still haven't been in December though! Maybe when I have a family of my own one day I'll make the holiday trip ^_^

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  9. Agreed, especially when it's a place everyone seems to rave about and you get there and feel sort of blah about it. Sometimes I think part of it is the built up expectations if you keep hearing all these great things about a spot! Almost impossible to live up to the hype sometimes.

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  10. Great, I haven't been there yet. If I ever get back to Asia i'd like to do a quick visit so i'll be curious as to your take on it.

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  11. Well see I haven't been there yet so thats why it didn't make the list. Crazy since we've done so much USA travel, gotta get there in 2016!

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  12. Definitely do if you get a chance! It is a great city, beautiful, hip town, lovely zoo, tons of great restaurants and so close to so many great outdoor experiences.

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  13. Do it!! lol Interesting Portland hasn't been on anyones radar. Excited to spark the curiosity.

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  14. Me too! My kids haven't been so I think it is about time!

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  15. They really are all great cities to check out. Loved them all!

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  16. Oh the holiday trip is worth it no matter what. It is seriously magical! And yes get to Sydney as soon as you can, all my kids still want to live there. Maybe if they all had jobs we could swing it, pricey place!

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  17. I agree with you regarding both London and New York. They are such vibrant cities and there is so much going on all the time that it's hard to ever finish exploring them. I've never been to Australia, but it's high on my bucket list; I hope I get to see it one day.

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  18. Yes, really you'd need to live in these cities for years to even come close to seeing and doing it all!

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  19. I haven't been to half of them but I am dying to go!

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