Webber dubious about Spanish circuit change

Jaguar's Mark Webber is dubious about the change to Spain's Circuit de Catalunya for next season, where a new hairpin is being added at Caixa and the run-off area will be switched from gravel to tarmac. It is hoped the alteration will encourage more overtaking but Webber is skeptical as the fast corner before Caixa makes it difficult.

Mark Webber.

Photo by Brousseau Photo.

"I haven't seen a great deal of it but I think that it looks a little strange to be honest," Webber told his team website after testing in Barcelona recently. "It looks a little bit of a butcher job really and I don't think it will create any more overtaking because there's a fast corner before it."

"If there's two slow corners in a row there's potential to do something. But to try and drag up on someone coming out of that quick corner will be difficult and the straight's going to be even shorter now as we're braking earlier. I hope I'm wrong and they said they're making it as wide as they can to create overtaking but at the end of the day there's only one line around the corner so there you go."

The circuit is one of the most frequently used for testing and as a consequence the drivers are very familiar with it and do not usually rate is as one of their favourites. However, Webber thinks it's still a good track, despite being so used to it.

"It is a great track when there's no wind and it's very still," he explained. "It's a nice place to drive a Formula One car and a demanding circuit. It's very quick in places which is great and a real test for the car in terms of engine and aerodynamics, traction and braking but we do a lot of laps there so it can get monotonous. It would be good fun if we went in the opposite direction for a few tests!"

Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management recently awarded the Best Grand Prix of 2003 prize to Spain for its organization of the race.