At the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix there was a total of 48 on-track overtakes for position. While it's not among some of the worst tracks for overtaking throughout the season, it is a tricky circuit to pull off a complete overtake for drivers. This has largely been due to the chicane in the final sector, which slows the cars down before they make their way onto the start/finish straight - making it harder to follow and make a move into the braking zone at the first corner. The chicane was added in 2007 on safety grounds, prior to which cars would run through two high speed right-handers which would slingshot them onto the main straight. For 2023 the circuit will return to the original 4.657km layout without the chicane, which is 18 metres shorter than previously. This also follows its tweaks in 2021 at Turn 10 which also saw it revert back to an older-spec version of the corner. Lap times are expected to drop by around eight or nine seconds and it should provide better opportunities for overtaking.
Drivers wanted changes
Many drivers wanted to see the return of the old layout, including George Russell who felt that the track was one of the worst for overtaking following the race in 2021 . Carlos Sainz also thinks that it was a "good idea" to revert back to the older version of the corner, as he looks to put in a good performance in front of his home crowd. "I think it’s a good idea and it will be fun to race with this new layout in sector 3," said the Spaniard. "There was nothing really wrong with the chicane, but it’s good to try a different approach and see how it affects lap times and the race. I’m looking forward to it."
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