
Home Formula 1 heroes Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso sparked an intriguing debate at Barcelona last weekend around the context of Red Bull's near-defeat to McLaren: Does the venue still provide the ultimate test of car performance?
Thanks to its old position as a regular pre-season test venue, its place on the calendar consistently for the last 33 years, and regular hosting of non-F1 race events plus other categories, the teams and drivers know this place extremely well.