INTERNATIONAL NEWS - A quick hop to the Catalonia coast. A short drive north to the Valles region above Barcelona.
The Pyrenees on the horizon. Going to the Spanish Grand Prix feels a little like coming home for the Formula 1 fraternity.
The place is familiar from thousands of miles of pre-season testing. And 25 years of races, dating back to its famous debut in 1991, when Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell duelled wheel-to-wheel, centimetres apart, sparks flying, down the long pit straight.
That first race on the Circuit de Catalunya was in some ways a misleading debut. Held in early autumn, rather than the since-traditional spring date, it rained, and there was action aplenty.
In its new date, the race is nearly always dry - remarkably, the last wet one was Michael Schumacher's brilliant first Ferrari victory in 1996 - and the racing is rarely scintillating.
The track is a marvellous test for a grand prix car - all long, challenging corners, which put a premium on aerodynamic excellence, and give the tyres a tough time - but that makes overtaking difficult.
