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• TBA 2011 | Valencia Street Circuit

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The European Grand Prix - Valencia Street Circuit

Location

The European Grand Prix is run around the streets of Valencia, a city located in the middle of Spain's eastern coast. It is the third largest city in Spain and the fifteenth largest in Europe. There are numerous beaches not far from the business district that make it a very popular destination for sun seeking holiday makers. The biggest event in Valencia's urban history occurred in 1957 when the Turia River broke its banks wreaking havoc with its floodwaters. The local Government decided to re-route the river away from the city centre and turn the expansive riverbed into parkland. Valencia has always been a key part of Spanish history and there are many cultural festivals as a result. The area is largely industrial thanks to its port and is crucial to European trade. The Grand Prix circuit runs through one such industrial area, just between the seafront and the metropolitan district.

Circuit Origins

In 2003 Valencia was confirmed as the host of the 32nd America's Cup yacht race. The city poured half a billion dollars into infrastructure for the event and refurbished the unused industrial areas of its sizeable port. Keen to make sure they sought return on their investment the Government also started looking at using the overhauled port area as the site of a Grand Prix. In 2007 a deal was done to host the first race a year later and construction started immediately. The deal was aided by Fernando Alonso's immense popularity in Spain.

Description

Spain has a reputation for producing dull F1 tracks and Valencia appears to have come from the same mould. Murray Walker described the race as "an uninspiring blast around a container port" and there are many that would agree with him. However, whilst the circuit is yet to produce an exciting Grand Prix it must be a fantastic venue for trackside spectators. The racing is flanked by glorious beaches and a beautiful city, whilst there are a number of places on the circuit where fans can get up close to the action. The track can be divided into two main sections. The first half of the lap is fairly quick and includes three long straights, one of which allows the cars to reach a top speed of 320 kph. The drivers blast their way over a bridge and around the water before moving into the slower part of the circuit. The track then moves through an industrial area adjacent to the port area where the long straights are replaced by mid speed corners. The lap ends with a series of fast sweeping turns between the buildings that look great on television. The track is one of the longest on the calendar and is also the fastest of the new street circuits.

Racing History

There have been two races at Valencia and both were defined by a distinct lack of overtaking. This is likely because the track surface is very dirty offline and a number of corners force the drivers to race in single file. There is ample concrete run off at every braking point making Valencia one of the safest street circuits in the world, so the Safety Car has never made an appearance. The circuit does not suit cars with good aerodynamic grip since there are not many fast corners, and that is why Red Bull struggled badly in 2009. The race is particularly hard on engines and there have been a number of high profile failures in the past two years. Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari went up in a cloud of smoke in 2008 and Sebastian Vettel had a Renault powerplant fall to pieces in 2009. The start of the race is usually chaotic because the drivers are funneled through a tight chicane and it is very easy to make contact. There have been minor first lap accidents in both races, although a lot of drivers will take to the escape road between turns 4 and 5 to avoid early trouble.

Driving Challenges

The track surface is very dirty at the start of the weekend but will change dramatically by Sunday, meaning the drivers will have to adjust to the conditions accordingly. The circuit places a lot of strain on the brakes and they will require special attention towards the end of the race. Most of the straights include a bend or kink that would make them especially difficult in the wet, but that is unlikely given the Mediterranean climate.

What happened last year?

Rubens Barrichello took his first win in five years with a timely victory for Brawn that kept him in the title hunt. He jumped a McLaren at each of his two pitstops whilst his title rivals fell into trouble. Jenson Button could only manage 7th place after a poor qualifying session and a messy first lap, and Sebastian Vettel's engine failed mid race.

Why Watch?

Valencia is a long and fast circuit which means the fuel burn rate is very high. As such, fuel strategies have been especially crucial and have decided the last two races. However, refueling is banned in 2010 and the idea is to place more emphasis on tyre preservation, something which won't be easy around the street circuit. The European Grand Prix will be a real test to see if the new rules make the races more exciting.

Memorable Moments

2008 : Kimi Raikkonen's poor season went from bad to worse at Valencia. He ran over his mechanics in a bizarre pitstop that saw Kimi leave the garage despite being given no indication by his team (or Ferrari's automatic traffic light system) to do so. After that debacle Raikkonen's engine went bang and effectively ended his championship hopes.

2008 : Felipe Massa's victory was in doubt after Ferrari released him from his final pitstop into the path of Adrian Sutil, a misdemeanor which should have incurred a stop-go penalty. Ferrari was given a fine instead which did little to quell suspicions of bias towards the Italian team.

2009 : Luca Badoer made headlines for all the wrong reasons after one of the most difficult debut races in history. He broke the pitlane speed limit four times during practice, and apparently there was also a fifth infringement that went unpunished by the stewards. He then qualified last, spun on the first lap and again on lap 34, he crossed the white line exiting the pitlane, earned a stop go penalty, and eventually finished dead last. At the end of the race he proceeded to crash into Adrian Sutil's Force India in Parc Ferme.

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