Preview - Spanish Grand Prix 2006.

Anyone who thought victory at Imola for Michael Schumacher was a one-off was put firmly in their place at the Nurburgring - and the Ferrari driver will look to make it three-in-a-row in Spain this weekend.

The races in San Marino and Europe could well have seen the start of a titanic battle between the young champion and the experienced racer looking to reclaim his crown - but with numerous other drivers keen to try and fight for victory, the Spanish race looks set to be one of the most competitive of the season - especially considering the extensive knowledge most of the field have from testing at the Catalan circuit.

FIA F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS:

With only a week between the European and Spanish races, not much has happened in the F1 world - with the biggest news surrounding Super Aguri and driver Yuji Ide. Having failed to set the world alight in his time in the car, the Japanese driver was removed from competition prior to the Nurburgring after Super Aguri was consulted by the FIA but the rookie has now had his racing licence revoked and will not race again this season. As a result, Franck Montagny continues alongside Takuma Sato for the next two races, including this weekend a Catalunya.

Toyota meanwhile announced that Pascal Vasselon and Luca Marmorini will share the responsibilities previously held by technical director, Mike Gascoyne, who left the Cologne based squad last month following an 'amicable split'. Rivals Honda also juggles its staff with Mariano Alperin-Bruvera been promoted to the position of chief aerodynamicist.

On a driver front, Briton Lewis Hamilton emerges as a possible contender for a race seat with McLaren for the 2007 season after another impressive performance in GP2 at the 'Ring - securing a double victory to close in on the championship lead.

NEWS FROM THE TEAMS:
Renault - Fernando Alonso (#1), Giancarlo Fisichella (#2):

Despite finishing second in Germany last weekend, Alonso remains the man everyone is trying to catch as he heads into his home race with a comfortable championship lead. Catalunya is a venue that has been kind to Renault in the past although Alonso admits that Ferrari are likely to be strong again after an impressive display from both Schumacher and Massa at the 'Ring.

However, despite the fact he will have a partisan Spanish crowd cheering him on, Alonso insists that he will approach the weekend in the same way he always does.

"I think that pressure comes when you don't do your maximum, then you have pressure in your head," he said. "In my case though, I always do the maximum, in a test or a race, at Barcelona or any other track. If I am doing the maximum, then I don't have pressure. As soon as the visor goes down and the race starts, it really doesn't matter at all.

"Last year I think it was not quite so important for me [in Spain], because I was so focused on the championship and just wanted to win races, it didn't matter which ones. This season it is a bit different. Of course, I am fighting really hard for the title. But now, it is true that if I have to pick two or three races in the year I want to win, then Barcelona is definitely one of them!"

Team-mate Fisichella also expects the R26 to be on the pace this weekend, adding that he felt confident that the teams Michelin tyres will be up to the job.

"Barcelona is a circuit we all know very well because we do so much testing there, especially in the winter," he said. "I enjoy the circuit a lot and I know the Renault will be quick there. I am very optimistic for the race weekend, and I hope it will be a bit easier than the last one!

"Catalunya is a very tough circuit for the tyres, as we all know. The asphalt is quite abrasive and there are some high speed corners that are hard for the tyres, like the last two corners. But I know Michelin will bring good tyres for this race. They know the circuit well and they are working very hard. I am feeling very confident for Spain, we know the Michelins will be quick!"

McLaren - Kimi Raikkonen (#3), Juan Pablo Montoya (#4):

Germany saw another race pass without a win for McLaren and both Raikkonen and Montoya will look to put that right this weekend in Spain. Raikkonen claimed a fourth place finish last weekend at the 'Ring in a race where he felt the car had improved over previous races and with that in mind he will be looking to at least return to the podium.

"I am looking forward to getting straight back on track in Spain, to try and continue to find more pace," he said. "The Circuit de Catalunya is a very quick track, not in the same way as say Monza that is all about power, it is because there are a lot of fast corners that keep you flowing the whole way round. This does mean though that you can lose a bit of downforce when you are close behind another car through the quick corners and this can make it quite difficult to pass. The aerodynamics of cars is tested the most here, so set-up is crucial. This can be quite tricky as it can be quite windy on track and something that worked really well in the morning doesn't always work as well in the afternoon."

Having retired at the weekend for the second time in three races, Montoya is looking to secure a return to form although the Colombian - like a number of his rivals - feels that tyres could play a pivotal role in who is successful in Spain.

"With all the super fast corners there are big loadings on the tyres, so tyre wear is still a consideration, particularly the front left," he said. "We have worked hard with Michelin in preparation for the race, and final selection between the prime and option will be our main focus in the early part of the weekend.

"I have tested at the Circuit de Catalunya for seven days since the start of the year, providing useful data. The Michelin tyre selection process for the race started in early April when we were testing at the track and we completed it at Silverstone a couple of weeks ago. Overtaking here is not easy and to do it having good traction out of the corners is a must, there is one chance, as you can slipstream along the main straight and then try to overtake at the first corner."

Ferrari - Michael Schumacher (#5), Felipe Massa (#6):

It hasn't happened for a while, but Schumacher arrives in Spain on the back of two straight victories and, with the Scuderia having seemingly put the disappointment of 2005 behind them, the German will be looking to make it three in a row in the Spanish race.

However, despite his victories at Imola and the Nurburgring, he isn't taking anything for granted.

"We will have to be on our toes as the competition is tough," he confirmed. "We would like to repeat the experience of the past two races and I think that we can do it. We should have a good chance of challenging for victory at Barcelona.

"Sometimes these back-to-back races can be a very good thing and allow us to carry the wave of optimism into the next race. We are cautious by nature in making predictions though seeing as each race is a new chapter. As at the Nurburgring and Imola, we will be doing all we can to have a happy ending."

Team-mate Massa comes into the race on a high after securing his maiden F1 podium last weekend, when the Brazilian produced a fine drive to finish third behind Schumacher and Alonso. Should he secure a repeat this weekend, it would only improve his growing reputation with team principal Jean Todt having already given Massa his full backing during recent days.

"We have three drivers in this championship who have something a bit more than all the others," he said. "I think Felipe is among the best behind those three drivers."

Toyota - Ralf Schumacher (#7), Jarno Trulli (#8):

Schumacher suffered a disappointing end to his home race last weekend when engine failure put him out in the closing stages, but he still heads to Barcelona in confident mood.

After a near disastrous start to the year, things have been improving for the Toyota team in recent races and the German arrives in Catalunya in a positive frame of mind - with his engine woes firmly in the past.

"We have been doing quite well during testing in Barcelona," he said. "We are in the upper middle field, better in the race than in qualifying - at least in my case - and so I'm quite happy about that

"We showed that we could have a strong race performance at the Nurburgring, it was just unfortunate for the whole team that we had an engine failure. I am confident however that after analysing the data we will find the right solution for the coming races. We are certainly on the right track, although a little patience is needed and when the time comes, we will pick up some points and defend last year's championship position."

Team-mate Jarno Trulli still has a zero next to his name in the championship standings but at least recorded a finish in the European GP having failed to make it the end in the two previous races. The Italian is one of a number of drivers on the grid to hold an impressive record in the Spanish race and while he has failed to sparkle so far in 2006, he is looking to repeat past performances and open his points account.

"I have had some good races here including the two podiums I have achieved the last two years," he said. "I am definitely looking to repeat this again this year,"

Williams F1 - Mark Webber (#9), Nico Rosberg (#10):

The FW28 has covered over 6,000 testing kilometres at Catalunya this year and with that in mind, the Williams team is looking to a successful weekend to improve its current position in the championship. As has been the case for the majority of races this season, the team will introduce several updated mechanical components in Spain which are expected to improve the team's pace in qualifying, while both Webber and Rosberg will run with new hydraulic parts to ensure that the fault experienced on Webber's car at the Nurburgring doesn't return.

Both drivers approach the weekend in optimistic mood and for Rosberg there is the added bonus of prior knowledge of the circuit ahead of his first Spanish Grand Prix - having raced at the venue in GP2 and having also completed numerous tests over the winter.

"Even though I have raced in Barcelona only once before in GP2, I know the track very well because we have done a lot of testing there, like most of the F1 teams," he said. "Since Imola, we have improved our performance and we were quite competitive at the Nurburgring, so I believe we can collect some points at Montmel?. It's an interesting and a quick track, and I like it. I scored some points there in GP2 and also set the fastest lap, but the best memory I have of Barcelona is my first test in an F1 car - a Williams, of course, back in 2002."

Technical director Sam Michael added meanwhile, that the new qualifying format for this season could see teams elect to run with a different strategy to those employed in the past when the race kicks-off.

"Strategy has traditionally been a two or three stopper," he said, "but the revised qualifying format may affect that. That will become evident after the practice sessions."

Honda Racing F1 - Rubens Barrichello (#11), Jenson Button (#12):

There was further disappointment for Button at the Nurburgring when engine failure forced him to retire after what had been a promising start to the race. However, having been quick at Catalunya over the winter during pre-season testing, the Briton heads into the Spanish race in confident mood and is keen to overcome the issues of the past weekend and fight at the front.

"It was a tough weekend at the Nurburgring so I'm looking ahead and focusing on Spain now," he said. "It's a circuit where you need to be strong aerodynamically and I think our car is good in that respect. It's quite a demanding track for the drivers and the fast corners put a lot of strain on the neck. However we do get a lot of practice at Barcelona as we test there so often, so we know the track inside out. The weather is likely to be nice and hot which always suits us better and if we can resolve the engine problem from last weekend, I think we should be able to get a good result. I'm looking forward to the weekend."

Team-mate Barrichello claimed a fifth place finish last weekend - his best result of the season so far - despite admitting that his car didn't have the pace his was hoping for. However with a decent finish behind him, the Brazilian will head into this weekend looking to build on that display at a circuit team sporting director Gil de Ferran describes as a 'home from home'.

"It's the perfect description of the Spanish Grand Prix," he said. "Like many other teams, we use the track extensively for testing throughout the year. The RA106 has been competitive in the various tests there since it was launched back in January, In addition, we have the latest specification engine for both drivers. All of which makes us positive going into this weekend, despite our relative lack of pace in the last race. Barcelona itself is one of the favourite venues on the F1 calendar amongst many of our team members."

Red Bull Racing - David Coulthard (#14), Christian Klien (#15):

Red Bull had a tough weekend at the Nurburgring with Coulthard forced out following contact with Liuzzi at the start and Klien not managing much better - forced out with gearbox trouble on lap 28. With that in mind both drivers will look for an upturn in fortunes once again this weekend as a tough second season in F1 continues for the former Jaguar team with the two drivers having only managed to score two points between them so far in 2006.

Coulthard secured a single point in the Spanish race last season and a repeat of that this weekend would probably be seen as a strong result by the team given the tough nature of competition so far while Klien will also be determined to try and bring the sister car home in the top eight.

BMW Sauber - Nick Heidfeld (#16), Jacques Villeneuve (#17):

Villeneuve comes into the weekend on the back of his third points scoring finish of the season in Germany and will be keen to try and add to his current tally of six on a circuit where has competed with success in the past.

With motorsport director Mario Theissen having already stated that the plan is 'to get both cars into the third qualifying session and to pick up a few points in the race', hopes will be high of Villeneuve repeating those past performances and while a fourth Spanish win may be out of reach - a decent points haul is a reasonable expectation for the Swiss based team.

"The Circuit de Catalunya is a good circuit and one where I've been pretty successful, having won three GPs there," Villeneuve said. "And of course we all know the track like the back of our hands because we do a lot of testing there. It has a couple of exciting high-speed corners, but not too many overtaking opportunities and there's quite a lot of understeer to contend with."

Team-mate Heidfeld has failed to score in the last two races after his fine fourth place in Australia but he anticipates an interesting race weekend ahead - especially with 'Alonso-mania' at an all-time high.

"Every driver is very familiar with the circuit at Barcelona because so much testing takes place there," the German explained. "That's mainly because the Circuit de Catalunya is a very challenging track in terms of aerodynamics. That more or less sums up the circuit: it is fast, and in its great high-speed corners you have to make sure your aerodynamics do the job. In the meantime, the race has also taken on a special status from a spectator point of view - due to Fernando Alonso's success, of course. During the last test session I noticed they've even built new stands and heard that it's a sell-out event. It looks like the Spanish GP is going to be a very good race."

MF1 Racing - Tiago Monteiro (#18), Christijan Albers (#19):

Despite problems in qualifying last weekend following the well documented timing error, the Nurburgring saw an encouraging display for Midland as Monteiro and Albers came home twelfth and 13th - building on the pace displayed during practice by third driver Adrian Sutil.

However, despite the improved display last time out, Monteiro admits it won't be an easy weekend for the MF1 outfit in Spain.

"We had a good weekend in terms of pace at the Nurburgring and I would love it if we could be same or better in Barcelona, but I think it will be tricky," he said. "All the teams do a lot of testing there and are very familiar with the track and the set-ups it requires. You won't see too many of the top teams' cars going out for Friday practice, as they already have an extensive amount of data. But we will have to make the most of every opportunity we get, so expect to see us out there quite a bit."

Team-mate Albers is also keen to build on last weekend, stating that another good display at Catalunya would go some way towards helping Midland hit the goals it set at the start of the season.

"The team is coming off a strong weekend at the Nurburgring and I'm hoping we can match the pace we had there in practice and qualifying," he said. "I had a bit of bad luck in that race, in that I got held up by slower traffic at various points, but overall, I still think it was a step forward for us. If we can continue to make progress the way we have been lately, we should be in good shape to reach our goals before the end of the season."

Scuderia Toro Rosso - Vitantonio Liuzzi (#20), Scott Speed (#21):

Despite numerous people being worried about the V10 engine in the Toro Rosso car, Liuzzi and Speed have yet to score this season - and both drivers are expecting a tough weekend again in Spain.

Liuzzi admitted he is being forced into taking risks with the car to try and overcome the disadvantage of the restricted V10 during qualifying and with the majority of the field having tested at the Spanish circuit more than Toro Rosso, the Italian admits it will be hard to try and make the breakthrough into the top eight this time around.

"Barcelona will be tough, because everybody knows the circuit, they test a lot, and everybody will be ready," he said. "On race pace we are pretty competitive, but the qualifying pace is most of the game, we struggle, so we have to work hard trying to improve the car for the single lap."

Speed has come closest to securing a point for the team so far, having lost an eighth place finish in Australia, but he believes Spain - with its long start/finish straight and high speed bends - will be one of the hardest races yet for the team.

"Barcelona is a track where you need a good engine," he said. "I think we're going to struggle there, to be honest."

Super Aguri F1 - Takuma Sato (#22), Franck Montagny (#23):
The Nurburgring was another tough weekend for F1's newest team and Spain is likely to be much of the same as Takuma Sato counts down the races until the introduction of the new car later in the year. Taku knows it will be hard work at Catalunya, but with further improvements to the SA05, he hopes to find a good set-up to attack the weekend with.

"Barcelona is a very high-downforce circuit featuring challenging high-speed corners that are a lot of fun to drive," he said. "On a lap of the track you need to keep a good rhythm through the first few turns then on up the hill to the unique, long corners. You need good car balance on braking and turning into turn four, then it is down and up to a fast blind apex followed immediately by the straight to the hairpin. The final two turns make up the famous high-speed last corner which is physically demanding on both the driver and the car.

"The Spanish Grand Prix will be another tough race for us, but the latest aero update has improved the balance of the car, so hopefully we will be able to find a good car set-up for this weekend."

With Yuji Ide out of F1 for at least the rest of the season, Montagny will continue in the second car this weekend and will look to make it to the finish after being forced to retire from his first F1 race in Germany.

"I am happy to be going to Barcelona, it is a great circuit," he said. "I believe that it will be a very different experience to last weekend as the track is much harder than the Nurburgring. It is good to be back with the Super Aguri F1 team as the first time you are with a team you try to do well and get to know everyone, but the second time, for sure, it is a bit easier to do something good. I am impatient to go there and to do well, so I am looking forward to this weekend."

TYRES:

Bridgestone chase a third win in a row this weekend on a circuit where both tyre manufacturers have extensive knowledge from the numerous testing sessions that take place at Catalunya during the year.

Despite being resurfaced last year, Bridgestone motorsport technical manager Hisao Suganuma sees it as one of the hardest around from a tyre point of view - although he remains confident.

"It has several long, high-speed corners which means that our tyres must be strong from both a compound and construction point of view," he said. "Looking at our compound selection, the Barcelona circuit has a relatively smooth track surface which would normally mean choosing compounds from the softer side of the range. However, the nature of the track is not kind to tyre compounds so our choice of a medium compound range is a compromise between getting high grip and the necessary toughness. These tyres are from the same series of constructions and compounds that have performed so well in recent races. Having tested a lot with our teams at this circuit we are confident that they can be competitive this weekend, although Barcelona is a regular test track for most of the teams so no doubt the competition will be tough this weekend."

Michelin meanwhile despite having missed out in the last two events remain upbeat too - and will have some new compounds for the event.

"The San Marino grand prix had already been fiercely competitive, but we have learned a lot from it and have already developed some new products that will make their debut in Spain this weekend." confirmed Michelin's F1 director, Nick Shorrock. "We expect another close race in Barcelona - but I am confident we are poised to take another step forward."

THE TRACK:

Race Distance: 66 laps - Circuit Length: 2.875 miles (4.627 kms)

Built as part of Barcelona's Olympic development programme, the Circuit de Catalunya is located 20kms north of the Calatan capital on land purchased by the Real Autom?vil Club de Catalunya. It was the RACC's wish to bring F1 back to Spain's spiritual home of motorsport on a permanent basis and the Circuit de Catalunya has hosted every Spanish GP since it was completed in 1991.

Former Minardi driver Luis Perez Sala advised on the layout of the track and it follows the principles of many modern circuits with a long straight and a number of high-speed corners, making the aerodynamic efficiency of cars particularly important. The nature of the track is such that it 'loads' the left front corner of a car particularly heavily, causing understeer problems.

The Circuit de Catalunya hosts many pre-season tests so it is one of the most familiar venues on the F1 calendar. However, its high-speed nature makes it a physically tough challenge for drivers, although by this stage of the season, they will have reached a good level of race fitness. For the huge amount of spectators who flock to the circuit on race day, it is a well laid-out circuit, with easy access and good viewing positions that give a stadium-style ambience.
THE WINNER?

One of three to take the win in Spain, with Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher and Alonso to ones to put your money on.

LAST SEASON:

Kimi Raikkonen shows what he was been denied at Imola a fortnight earlier by blitzing the Spanish Grand Prix field from start to finish at Catalunya to take his first win of the season. Alonso secures second in front of his home crowd while Jarno Trulli guides his Toyota to the final place on the podium.

1. Kimi Raikkonen Finland McLaren-Mercedes 01hr 27mins 16.830secs 66 laps
2. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault +27.6secs
3. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota +45.9secs
4. Ralf Schumacher Germany Toyota-Toyota +46.7secs
5. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Renault-Renault +57.9secs
6. Mark Webber Australia Williams-BMW +68.5secs
7. Juan Pablo Montoya Colombia McLaren-Mercedes +1 lap
8. David Coulthard Britain Red Bull-Cosworth +1 lap