McLaren F1 racer Lando Norris explains Spanish Grand Prix FEAR after big change announced

Lando Norris

Norris explains Spanish Grand Prix FEAR following big change

Lando Norris says changes to the layout of the Catalunya circuit could have a stark impact on the race

Dan McCarthy

Thursday 1 June 2023 19:58

Lando Norris admits he is apprehensive heading into this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix due to a change in the layout of the track.

The McLaren racer heads to Catalunya on the back of a ninth-place finish in Monaco which puts him 11th in the championship standings.

A short journey will be made west to Spain where the end of the lap will be different to previous years.

Norris had a Spanish GP debut to forget in 2019

In 2007, a chicane was installed at the end of the lap, slowing the cars down significantly compared to having two flat-out left-handers to end the lap with.

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Although Norris is looking forward to the challenge, he does admit it could have a potentially negative effect on tyre wear and strategy.

“Turn 12, which was the right-hander originally, was already a killer for the front-left next, and now we’ve got two high-speed corners," in quotes from RaceFans.net.

"It might become a bit more of a management race, even more than what it is, and it’s already a huge management race.

Spain track to be faster

The abolition of the chicane has been generally welcomed by the F1 paddock, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton expecting "fun" while Charles Leclerc is predicting a "big challenge".

Of the 20 drivers on the grid, only Fernando Alonso has experience of racing without the chicane, winning the last race with Renault in his 2006 tile-winning season.

Fernando Alonso won the Spanish Grand Prix in 2013, as well as 2006 on the upcoming layout

The strain on the tyres could be a factor in the race, with Catalunya already having plenty of fast and sweeping corners in its arsenal.

The new layout has not been used in any F1 testing meaning it will be a steep learning curve for drivers and Norris says he is generally unsure what to expect during the race.

He added: “Maybe it kind of pushes everyone to be more like one-stop [or] two-stop kind of thing. I’ve got no idea. Maybe the pit stops will be a bit higher, I’m not sure. We’ll wait and see. But I look forward to it.”