Although most teams tested in Barcelona during the season build-up, after four flyaway races nobody quite knows where their cars will now stand compared to their rivals as they head back to Europe and the Circuit de Catalunya. But with just days to go before the Spanish Grand Prix, the teams and drivers clearly can’t wait to find out…
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即使多數的車隊在賽季中都在巴塞隆納測試，但是在四場比賽後沒人可以確定他們自己的賽車在回到歐洲後跟對手相比實力是多少。但是在距離西班牙站的前幾天，車隊和車手相信是等不及要找出結果來了。
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
2008 Qualifying - 1st, 2008 Race - 1st
“It’s a bit more than a year ago that I won my last Formula One race. At Barcelona in 2008 I had my best weekend with Ferrari: pole position, victory and fastest race lap. Since then I came very close several times - I’m thinking of Magny-Cours, Montreal and Spa - but for one reason or the other I could never make it. Having said that, a driver never loses the lust for winning and I want to have that feeling again as soon as possible.
"離我上次贏得分站冠軍有一年多了。在去年巴塞隆納我度過了在法拉利最好的一個週末 : 竿位、分站冠軍、最快單圈。之後我在幾場比賽有機會有相同表現，Magny-Cours, Montreal 和 Spa 都有機會，但是其他場就沒有。這麼說吧，一個車手永遠不會失去對勝利的渴望，而我希望那種感覺可以盡快回來"。
“After four races outside Europe it’s always very nice to come back to the Old World. Furthermore I really like the Circuit de Catalunya a lot, also because I could win here already twice in my career. I really liked hearing from the Team that the new aerodynamic package’s first signs are positive. It will be really interesting taking the car out during Friday’s free practice sessions. We drove on this track back in March this year, but it’s always really difficult to understand from the tests who’s really strong in the field. Furthermore many cars have changed quite a lot since then. With the new aerodynamic package we’ll have more downforce compared to the first four races, but also almost all of the others will show up with some updates. We’ll see who has done better work.
"在歐洲外比了四場比賽，再次回到這老地方總是很好。而且我很喜歡加泰隆尼亞賽道，也是因為我的生涯已經在這裡拿過兩次冠軍。我希望聽到車隊說新的空力套件的首次上場結果是正面的，那麼在週五的練習時間將車開上賽道會更有意思。我們今年三月有在此測試，但是經由測試很難看出誰真正很快，而且從那之後許多車已經改變了很多。有了新的空力套件，我們會有比前四場比賽更多的下壓力，但是幾乎所有車隊都會拿出升級套件，我們將會知道誰做的更好"。
“Aerodynamic efficiency is crucial at the Circuit de Catalunya for a good lap time. It’s a very demanding track from a technical point of view and you need a good car to be competitive. A good qualifying will be important to avoid getting stuck in the field with all the risks coming with a situation like this at the start; we paid our price for that at Bahrain. Overtaking is never easy at Barcelona, but now we’ll see if the KERS can help to make it easier. On such a track it might make the difference, especially at the start.”
"空力效益是在加泰隆尼雅要做出好時間所必須的。從技術觀點來看，這條賽道的要求很高，你需要一輛好車來競爭。好的排位成績很重要，可以避免起跑時地擁擠所帶來的風險，就像我們在巴林所付出的代價。在巴塞隆納要超車一直都很不容易，但是現在我們希望KERS讓超車變容易些，在這條賽道上或許可以看出有無KERS的差異，特別是起跑"。
Adrian Sutil, Force India
2008 Qualifying - 20th, 2008 Race - DNF
“Barcelona is a track we all know really well from the laps we do over the winter. This year I did nearly 1,000km there! This means you can go to the circuit with a set-up that's pretty much ready to go. I like the circuit, it flows quite well, apart from the chicane at the end though, of course. The crowd is always huge as well - it gives you a buzz when you drive round.
"在我們整個的冬季測試過程，對巴塞隆納賽道我們已經很了解了。今年我在這裡測試了將近1000公里! 這表示已經有個可以上場的設定可以使用了。我喜歡這條賽道，它很流暢，還有因為最後的彎。當然還有這裡人山人海的觀眾，他們在你通過時會響起很大的鳴聲"。
“The modifications in Bahrain worked better than we thought and gave us about four tenths a lap, but we have to keep introducing more new parts to just stay with the others. Last time we were racing, but everyone else is moving forward as well so we need to stay focussed and get the most out of what we have.”
"在巴林做的修改比我們預期的要好，大約一圈快了零點四秒，但是我們必須一直引進新部件來維持和對手的差距。上次比賽其他車隊有不錯的進步，所以我們要繼續集中精神並且以手邊現有資源取得最好的表現"。
Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India
2008 Qualifying - 19th, 2008 Race - 10th
“I enjoy going to Barcelona as it's good to get back to Europe, with the tracks we know very well. I also posted two fastest race laps there in 1997 and 2005, so I feel comfortable on the circuit. Barcelona is itself a nice track. We know it very well as we do a lot of days there in winter testing. There are a couple of interesting corners such as one and two and a few quick corners like turns three and nine. There's a hairpin in first or second gear at turn 10 and at the exit there is quite a lot of wheelspin, which makes it very difficult for the tyres. Unfortunately the new chicane at 14 and 15 disturbs the rhythm of the lap, so it's not as exciting as it was a couple of years ago when the last two corners were very difficult. It's always good to get back to Europe though - a good result there sets you up for the start of the European season.
"我很享受來到巴塞隆納，因為回到歐洲比賽感覺很好，賽道也很熟悉。在1997和2005年我在這裡跑出比賽最快單圈，所以在這個賽道我感覺很不錯。巴塞隆納是條很好的賽道，經過冬季測試後我們很熟悉這條賽道，有幾個組合彎很有趣，像是第一和第二彎，還有一些高速彎像是第三彎和第九彎。第十彎是個掛一或二檔髮夾彎，出彎時輪胎會出現打滑，對輪胎來說是很難對付的彎。可惜新的第14和15彎的減速灣打亂了賽道的節奏，所以不如幾年前最後兩個彎的高難度那麼刺激。回到歐洲總是很好，特別是有個好的成績讓你有動力迎接歐洲賽季的開始"。
“In Bahrain we showed we had a much better car than in previous races but we still need another couple of steps and then we will be able to challenge for points. Last year we had a good race and finished 10th but as we've seen reliability with everyone has been very good so we shouldn't make too many predictions. It's not going to be easy as the others are improving as well, but I think a good result would be top 12.”
"在巴林我們展現了我們有比前幾站更好的賽車，但是我們仍需要再更進步， 之後才能挑戰取得積分。去年我們跑的不錯，以第十名完賽，但是今年每台賽車的可靠度都不錯，所以我們不能做太多定論，其他車隊都在進步，我想最好的結果應該是前十二名"。
Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“I was very pleased to see the clear improvement we demonstrated in Bahrain as a result of the new diffuser and aero upgrades. To get both cars fitted with the modified floor in such a short time was a major undertaking, particularly from a team with such a limited workforce and budget as Force India. This of course was only the first stage in development and for Barcelona we'll have yet more upgrades coming through based on the information we gained in Bahrain. We'll be running a driver-adjustable front wing flap and a further modification for the front wing. This is just part of our ongoing development cycle and there will be further upgrades at most of the forthcoming races.”
"我很高興在巴林可以看到賽車明顯的進步，我們換上新的擴散器和升級空力。在短時間內設定好兩輛賽車的新底板是主要的挑戰，特別是對Force India 車隊這種人力和資金有限的車隊來說。這當然只是第一階段的升級，在巴塞隆納會有更多從巴林收集來的資料所做的進一步升級。我們會有車手可調整的前翼片還有升級過的前翼，這只是我們升級研發的一部份，在之後的比賽會有更多的升級動作"。
Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
"Barcelona has a track surface that is the middle range in terms of abrasion and roughness but durability and driver requirements mean our harder allocation combination is used. The front left tyre has a lot of work to do at this circuit and equally, teams and drivers will have a big challenge trying to gain an advantage here as they know this track so well.
"巴塞隆納賽道表面屬於中度抓地力和磨損度的賽道，但是耐久性和車手們的要求顯示我們的硬胎組合不適用，左前輪在這賽道負荷較高，同樣的所有車隊和車手對這賽道都很熟悉，都試著要在這裡增加自己的優勢"。
"Of course, the experience of the teams at this track with their current cars will assist them with set-up. However, the ambient and track temperatures are likely to be warmer than testing so this will have an effect. Generally, we see quite close lap times here and close races too. The circuit layout is well balanced so it is a good indicator of overall car balance. A car that performs in Barcelona has the potential to perform well at many places."
""當然，車隊之前在這裡的經驗放上手邊的賽車會有助於賽車的設定。無論如何。賽道環境和溫度比之前測試時更高，這會有些影響。大致上，我們看到很接近的圈速時間和很接近的比賽。賽道的佈局很平衡，所以對車子的平衡性是個很好的指標，在巴塞隆納表現良好的賽車，在其他賽道就很有潛力"。
Fernando Alonso, Renault
2008 Qualifying - 2nd, 2008 Race - DNF
“It's always very special to race in Spain and I'm lucky to have two races at home this year in Barcelona and Valencia. Seeing the support of the fans always gives me a boost and I just hope that I can make them happy and have a strong weekend. It will be difficult to fight for the podium, but hopefully we can qualify well and score some big points in the race.
"在西班牙比賽很特別，我很幸運今年可以在自己家比賽兩場，分別是巴塞隆納和瓦倫西亞。看到車迷的支持給我很大的鼓勵，我只希望我可以讓他們滿意並且週末有強勢的表現。要站上頒獎台很艱難，但是希望排位賽有好的表現，然後在比賽中可以得到不少積分"。
“All the teams know the track well as we do so much testing there in the winter. We tested there in February, but obviously we have developed the car a lot since then so we will need to work on the set-up during free practice. We are still missing some performance at the moment but the team has really improved the car already this season so we are certainly moving in the right direction. Hopefully we can take another step forward this weekend.”
"所有車隊都熟悉這條賽道，我們冬季在這裡做很多測試，我們二月在這裡測試，但是很明顯的自那之後車子做了不少改良，所以在自由練習時間我們要專注於設定上。現在我們還是沒有足夠競爭力，但是賽車在賽季中已經改進了不少，我們正朝向正確的方向前進。希望我們在這個周末可以再往前跨出一步"。
Nelson Piquet, Renault
2008 Qualifying - 10th, 2008 Race - DNF
“(The Circuit de Catalunya) is the circuit that I know the best, but it's not one of my favourites because it's not especially challenging for the drivers. It's all about having a good aero package and a well balanced car to cope with the high-speed corners. It's therefore difficult to overtake, so you need to qualify well to be able to choose a sensible strategy for the race. Barcelona is also really demanding for the tyres and so we need to see how the different compounds perform during long runs on Friday.
"加泰隆尼亞賽道是我最熟悉的賽道，但不是我最愛的賽道之一，因為它對車手不是那麼有挑戰性，要求的是一輛優秀空力套件和平衡性的車子來挑戰那些高速彎角，因此很難超車，所以你需要好的排位成績，才能在比賽有靈活的策略應用空間。巴塞隆納對輪胎要求也很高，所以我們要在週五看看不同配方的輪胎在長距離下的表現如何"。
“We've definitely improved the car by fitting the new diffuser and the team did a great job to react quickly and adapt the car. We also had an update to the front wing in Bahrain and the car is now much easier to drive than it was at the beginning of the year. I know the whole team is working really hard to find more performance and now that we are back in Europe it will be easier to bring new developments to the races.”
"在適應了新擴散器後，我們明顯的改進了賽車，車隊對於擴散器判決迅速的做出反應並且修改了賽車。在巴林我們也升級了前翼，現在賽車比起剛開季更為好駕駛。我知道整個車隊正努力工作來提高競爭力，現在我們回到了歐洲，這樣要將研發成果送上比賽將更為容易"。
Pat Symonds, Renault Executive Director of Engineering
“The whole team is still pushing hard with development and the diffuser and floor that we brought to China was very much a first attempt and over the course of the year we will see several more versions, the first of which we hope to have in Barcelona. In addition, we've got new wheel fairings this weekend with quite a major design change to give us an increase in downforce and a new rear wing. On top of that we've got a few small aerodynamic tweaks that we will introduce on a race-by-race basis. Overall we can expect a reasonable step in performance for Barcelona.
"整個車隊在研發方面仍然繼續努力，我們帶去中國站的擴散器和底板是初次嘗試，在今年之後幾場比賽還會看到更多新版本的推出，我們希望在巴塞隆納可以拿出改良後的第一版本。另外，我們有新的輪框整流片和新尾翼，這是主要設計上的完全改變，讓我們有更多的下壓力。在這樣的基礎下，我們已經有一些空力方面的煩惱，我們會在每一站比賽中慢慢介紹。總之我們可以在巴塞隆納期待有進一步的進步"。
“We weren't particularly satisfied with our performance in Barcelona during winter testing and I think that was probably because our aero performance was significantly below that of the cars with twin diffusers. Now that we have hopefully improved our performance with our own new-style diffuser, we certainly hope that Barcelona will be a bit more favourable for us.”
"我們之前在冬季測試沒有很滿意我們在巴塞隆納的速度，我想這是因為我們的空力效果不如那些有雙層擴散器的車。現在我們希望用我們新型的擴散器來增進速度，我們很希望在巴塞隆納可以更順利些"。
Jenson Button, Brawn GP
2008 Qualifying - 13th, 2008 Race - 6th
"Although the team only completed four days of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in March this year, I know the track inside out and it feels very familiar to be heading back there for the start of the European season this weekend. You need to have a car with good downforce for a really quick lap there and we are fortunate that our car behaves so predictably which enables you to feel completely confident when committing to high speed corners. This can be a very difficult circuit for overtaking so you have to make the most of the run down to the first corner to capitalise on any opportunities at the start of the race. I visited the factory last week to join the team for a small celebration of our successes to date and catch up on the progress with our latest developments. We know that we have a real fight on our hands from here to maintain our lead in the championships but I am confident that we are well prepared for the challenges ahead."
"即使車隊在今年三月在加泰隆尼亞只完成了四天的測試，但是我很了解賽道，並且作為歐洲賽事的開始，回到這裡的感覺讓人覺得熟悉。要有好的圈速時間，你需要一輛良好下壓力的賽車，我們很幸運我們賽車的特性很適應賽道，讓我們挑戰高速彎的時候有十足的信心。這裡是很難超車的賽道，所以在第一彎後幾乎排名就大致固定，所以你要利用起跑時任何的機會去超車。我上週去參觀工廠和參加車隊的小慶功宴會，並且跟上最新的研發進度。為了在比賽中保持領先，我們知道這是場硬仗，但是我有信心對於之後的挑戰我們已經準備好了"。
Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP
2008 Qualifying - 11th, 2008 Race - DNF
"The Circuit de Catalunya feels like a home circuit for the drivers with so much of our pre-season testing taking place here over the winter. Although the track has lost some of the high speed challenge that it once had, it is still an interesting and physical lap to drive. You need to find a good rhythm to make the most of the combination of the high-speed corners, particularly at turn three which is very fast and demanding, and the slow corners in the final sector of the lap. The long pit straight requires good aerodynamic efficiency and we will be thankful for the power of our Mercedes-Benz engine there. The Spanish Grand Prix is always one of my favourite races on the calendar as it feels like this is where the season really begins."
"經過這麼多的冬季測試，加泰隆尼亞賽道對每個車手來說就像自己的主場一樣。即使賽道已經失去了一些之前的高速挑戰性，它還是一條有趣和激烈的賽道。你要找到好的節奏來最大程度的將高速彎組合，特別是第三彎，速度很快要求也很高，還有最後一個分段的低速彎角。PIT區前的長直道需要良好的空力效益，而且在這我們要感謝我們的引擎提供者Mercedes-Benz。西班牙GP總是行程表裡我最喜歡的賽道之一，這裡會讓你真的覺得賽季真的開始了"。
Ross Brawn, Brawn GP team principal
"The short break which we have enjoyed since returning from Bahrain has enabled the whole team to regroup at our factory in Brackley and spend a little time reflecting upon our first four races. Jenson, Rubens and the team delivered a first class job to win the Bahrain Grand Prix which is the level of performance that we must sustain if we are to seriously challenge for the championships this year. The field has compressed considerably since the season-opening race in Australia and the performance margins at the front are now very tight indeed. Whilst we have been away racing over the past few weeks, the factory has been working extremely hard on our upgrade package for the BGP 001 and we look forward to seeing the results of our development work on track in Barcelona this weekend."
"從巴林站後回歐洲的短暫休息時間讓我們車隊可以在Brackley 工廠重新編整，並且花一些時間檢討一下前四場比賽。 Jenson, Rubens 和車隊完成了第一階段的工作，如果我們要慎重的完成今年賽季，我們在巴林的勝利代表了我們要維持的競爭力等級。自開季的澳洲站以來，差距已經壓縮的很小了，領先車之間的速度進展也勢均力敵。當我們暫時遠離比賽的幾週間，工廠已經加緊趕工BGP001賽車的升級套件，並且我們盼望在這週末看到研發工作的成果"。
Jarno Trulli, Toyota
2008 Qualifying - 8th, 2008 Race - 8th
"It's good to be coming back to Europe again after the long-haul races as this makes things a little easier for everyone. The opening races of the season have shown the potential we have in our new car; to get pole position and the fastest race lap in Bahrain was a good achievement which gives us great encouragement. We'll see how it works out in Barcelona but we have to be optimistic after our strong performances so far. We tested in Barcelona before the season but I have to admit it's unusual to be preparing for the race having not driven at the track for a couple of months. In the past we have generally tested there just before the race so everything was quite predictable, but it could be different this time. I am enjoying this season because we are consistently fighting at the front so I am really looking forward to the Spanish Grand Prix."
"在這麼長的遠征後回到歐洲感覺很好，對大家來說這會讓事情變的更簡單一些。在開季我們已經表現了我們新賽車的潛力，在巴林拿到竿位和最快單圈的好成績給我們很大的鼓勵，我們會好好的在巴塞隆納加油，到目前為止賽車的表現讓我們很樂觀。在開季前有在巴塞隆納做過測試，但是我必須承認準備這次比賽是不同以往的情形，我們在這裡已經有幾個月沒有跑過了，在過去我們通常在比賽前會做測試，所以那時每件事都可以預料到，但是這是可能會有所不同。我很享受這個賽季，因為我們一直在領先地位上前進，所以我很期待西班牙站的到來"。
