Verstappen "surprised" by ability to follow through Barcelona F1's final turn - Autosport

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Verstappen, who led both Friday practice sessions, was one of many F1 drivers to give Barcelona's tweaked layout the thumbs up.

Ahead of the 2007 edition the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was slowed down with a tight final chicane, which drastically reduced speeds through the right-hander leading onto the start-finish straight.

In addition to safety concerns, the original change was made in the hope that slower corner speeds would improve overtaking, but that hasn't been the case in recent years.

After 15 years the original double right-hander has now been restored, making the track up to six seconds per lap quicker.

While the jury is still out on whether the latest change will have its desired effect on the on-track spectacle, Red Bull world champion Verstappen said he found it easier to follow others through the ultra-fast right-hand sweep.

"It's been a lot more fun to drive, F1 cars in general feel better in high speed so for me the last two corners are much better to drive," he said.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

"I tried to follow a few cars as well, it actually seems quite okay through there as well. I'm positively surprised for the overtaking and overall, I think we had a very good day; the car was in a very good window."