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2013 Official Formula One Test in Barcelona

The Formula 1 teams head off to Barcelona this week for the second four-day test of the year. The venue is the Circuit de Catalunya: a popular location for testing due to temperatures that are usually mild all year round and a technical layout that challenges every aspect of car and tyre performance.

The theory goes that if a car can be quick in Barcelona, it can be quick in most places. This is what all the teams will be trying hard to establish over the next four days.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director said: “All the teams will have their new cars in Barcelona and the entire range of 2013 P Zero tyres will be at their disposal. Barcelona is a circuit that the teams have plenty of data on already, which is useful for comparison purposes.”

He continued: “So it should be possible for them to carry out plenty of productive work to help understand how their new cars interact with our latest generation of tyres, which are generally softer and faster than last year with deliberately increased degradation. The limiting factor at the opening test in Jerez earlier this month was the abrasiveness of the track, so hopefully conditions will be more representative this time. There is always the potential for low ambient temperatures though: last year, we actually saw some ice on the track in the morning…”