Just one day before the start of the Formula 1 preseason 2018, the weather forecasts fear the worst for the development of teams and drivers at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The worst possible conditions to obtain information are those that the local meteorologists suggest that the first four days of the test may happen.
The first obstacle to which Formula 1 will be measured will be the strong cold that enters from Monday in Catalonia. According to the regional forecasts, the temperature should not exceed 6ºC on Monday, only 3ºC on Tuesday and rising for Wednesday at 7ºC as maximum. By Thursday the situation is expected to improve and temperatures should rise considerably to a more acceptable 12ºC.
But the main threat of these four days is in the form of rain. A front of precipitations is expected to start arriving from Monday afternoon, and should be maintained with rains until Thursday. The first two days are not expected heavy rains, but if that could increase the intensity in Wednesday and Thursday.
But in all this chaotic meteorological situation there is a very determining factor and even more worrying that regional meteorologists are considering the possibility of it happening. Some maps indicate that from Monday night to Wednesday at noon there is the possibility of general snowfall at low elevations, which could go down to the sea line in Barcelona.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with an elevation above sea level near 100m in height, could be affected by this hypothetical snowfall. If so, the track activity would be completely paralyzed and it is likely that the cars lost one or two days of testing on the Catalan track. This situation was already experienced in 2010 in a test of GT Open, which could not jump on track in that day and were forced to cancel the training.
This information is very complex and difficult to foresee even as pointed by different regional media such as the regional daily Ara.cat, and the evolution of the next few hours will be essential to determine the seriousness of the matter. The best predictions suggest that the cold will be visible but not in the form of snow, leaving only rain in the area. On the other hand, other models point to a situation similar to that of March 8, 2010 in which snow fell abundantly in much of Catalonia, as can be seen in the following picture of the Circuit on those dates.
However, nothing is clarified and we need to see where the shots can go in this regard. Anyway, what nobody seems to be able to avoid these first four days of testing will be the presence of rain on the track and a noticeable cold that will make these workouts, a headache for teams and drivers at the time of compiling vital information in his new 2018 cars.
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