These testing times

February 19-21 + 26-28, Formula 1 testing

Formula 1 testing returns to Barcelona and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2020, and teams will have just six days of running to prepare for the record 22-race season ahead.

This will be the first chance for teams to assess how they stack up after the winter break and whether or not they have hit their targets ahead of the opening round in Melbourne just two weeks later.

While no major regulation changes have happened in the short break since last season, it is the first chance for drivers to get to grips with their 2020 machines, and teams will be keeping a watchful eye on rivals.

Tickets are available to the public direct from the circuit www.circuitcat.com/en/events and offer access to the Main Grandstand, Grandstands E, F, J and K (East Area – Main Straight) and Grandstands G, C and H (North Area – Stadium Area). Tickets are currently on sale.

Prices start at €23 but you will pay more for tickets that allow access above the pitlane. One bit of good news is teams are now banned from using screens to hide their cars, in order to improve the spectacle for fans who have made the journey.

Okay, so testing may not be completely action packed, but with young chargers like Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc angling to lead the fight against Lewis Hamilton, it’s always a good way to blow away the cobwebs after the not-so-long winter break.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

HOW TO GET THERE
There are regular flights to Barcelona International Airport through most airlines from the UK. Return tickets should cost around £100-£200. From there, the circuit is located 40km north east and trains are available to nearby Montmeló while driving to the circuit should take no longer than 45 minutes.
ALSO GOING ON
The proximity of the circuit to the city centre means you can combine F1 with the quieter pleasures of Antoni Gaudí’s architecture and the Picasso museum or the equally noisy La Rambla, Barcelona’s most famous street.
DON’T MISS
The chance to get trackside. Grandstands are left basically open, so be sure to walk around the track to different viewing spots to grab sight of the cars under load.

WRC: Round 2
February 13-16, Sweden After the curtain-raising Monte Carlo Rally, the World Rally Championship heads to Sweden for one of the fastest rounds on the calendar. Who will deal with the ice and snow the best?

Formula E: round 4
February 15, Mexico Formula E returns to Mexico for round four of the 2019/20 championship. Lucas di Grassi is the only driver to have won twice at the venue, so he’ll be looking to make it three and close on points leader Stoffel Vandoorne.

NASCAR: DAYTONA 500
February 09, February 16, USA The 2020 NASCAR season begins with ‘The Great American Race’. The warm-up ‘Clash’ will take place a week before on the ninth, but the main event is a must watch. Who will survive ‘the Big One’ and punch their ticket into the playoffs at the first time of asking?

WEC: 6 Hours of COTA
February 22-23, USA The World Endurance Championship heads to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin for the 6 Hours of COTA. Toyota has won three rounds so far, but Rebellion is proving a strong rival.

WSBK: Phillip Island
February 28-March 1, Australia The World Superbike Championship gets underway at Phillip Island. This season promises to be a thrilling one, with Honda’s Álvaro Bautista and Kawasaki man Alex Lowes chasing five-time champion Jonathan Rea.

More February Events
Feb 2 Alan Healy Memorial Stages, Cadwell Park
Feb 10 ARCA, New Smyrna, Florida
Feb 14-15 Asian Le Mans Series, 4 Hours of Sepang
Feb 15 Snetterton Stages Rally