.:: 2008 European GP Thread ::.

Welcome to the 2008 European GP thread, where you can discuss anything to do with this weekend's race. cjek will update the thread with the latest times as they happen. KimisApprentice will give an explanation to the technical challenges facing the teams, whilst kipi19 will also provide a guide to the new circuit.

RANDOM FACT

Former Port Stalls of the Valencian Port area are used as the team's pit garages.

POINTS OF DISCUSSION

1. So here we are - the first new race to the 2008 calendar. What do you expect to see from the new circuit.
2. Bernie Ecclestone stated that he no longer wanted any country to host more than one race a season - so why has he decided on Spain to host the European GP when Barcelona already has a race?
3. With all the unpredictability of the Hungarian GP, the big winner in the title race was Raikkonen - with that luck in the bag, do you feel Kimi can return in the battle here in Valencia?
4. And, of course, Kovalainen became F1's 100th GP Winner - how can you see him performing for the rest of the season?

ITV-F1 PRESENTS LIVE STREAMING OF THE EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX WEEKEND: FRIDAY PRACTICES, QUALIFYING & THE RACE

VALENCIA: THE STORY ON THE F1PU

MAY 10TH, 2007: Valencia's Streets to host European GP

JUNE 1ST, 2007: Bernie closes deal for Valencia GP

JULY 28TH, 2008: Valencia gets rubber stamp for Grand Prix

AUGUST 14TH, 2008: Spanish chief "satisfied" with Valencia

AUGUST 18TH, 2008: Mark Hughes on the Valencia challenge

DRIVER/TEAM COMMENTS:

Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen & Lewis Hamilton

Nico Rosberg & Rod Nelson

Rubens Barrichello & Jenson Button

Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfeld & Dr. Mario Thiessen

Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes

Heikki Kovalainen

VIDEO FOOTAGE OF VALENCIA:

On-Board Footage of Circuit

Virtual Lap of Valencia

DESCRIPTION - COURTESY OF F1.com:

Valencia is fast becoming one of the most talked about Spanish destinations. Over recent years the old industrial port has been transformed into a real cultural must-see and in August 2008 the glamorous city hosts its first Grand Prix on a brand-new harbour-side street circuit.

Situated in Valencia's recently-revamped marina area, the track is 5.473 kilometres in length and boasts top speeds of over 300 km/h - and average speeds of 200 km/h. The layout of the innovative track is challenging too, with 25 turns (11 left and 14 right) to test the drivers to the maximum.

After deciding on a harbour-side location, the circuit's designers were keen to use the unique area to its full potential and for most of the lap the action rarely leaves the water's edge. Indeed, at one point the Formula One cars even cross over Valencia's canal, using a swing bridge which has been specially built between the north and the south marina.

Once on the southern side of the port, the cars pass very near to the edge of the quay. After leaving the historic fish market area, the field leaves the docks through the shipyard gates and heads towards the new suburb of Grao. After briefly following the course of the River Turia, the cars then slow for a tight hairpin and progress down the city's Avenida de Francia.

After negotiating a series of 'S' bends, the field then makes a sharp turn to the left and finally enters the home straight, which is situated back in the port area. The pits and team garages are also located in the former port stalls.

While enjoying all the benefits of a street circuit, the new track has also been designed to meet the same modern safety specifications that apply to permanent circuits. The track is at least 14 metres wide along its entire length and also features appropriate run-off areas throughout.

MORE MONZA THAN MONACO - WHY VALENCIA'S NO ORDINARY STREET CIRCUIT

Mention the term 'street circuit' and the words that normally spring to mind include 'tight', 'twisty', 'slow', and 'minimal overtaking'. However, the all-new Valencia Street Circuit, venue for next weekend's European Grand Prix, is set to provide a very different experience.

Winding around the Spanish port's Juan Carlos I Marina, home to the recent 32nd America's Cup yacht race, the Valencia track is fast, sweeping and wide, and offers several potential opportunities for passing. Predictions suggest it will be the eighth-fastest race on the calendar, making it more like Monza than Monaco.

"When you think about temporary street races in Formula One, you mainly think about Monaco," says Mercedes' Norbert Haug. "However, Valencia does not have very much in common with this c_lassic race; just that both cities are located on the Mediterranean coast and that both circuits lead along the harbour front."

Official simulations have estimated a top speed of 320 km/h at the end of Valencia's main straight and an estimated lap time around the 1m 37s bracket. With an expected average speed of 225 km/h, the circuit should be on a par with a venue such as Bahrain (average speed 205 km/h) and far quicker than Monte Carlo.

"This is not typical for a street race; it is more like a version of Silverstone or Monza but located in a city," adds Haug. "While the Monte Carlo race is the slowest of the year with an average speed of about 156 km/h for the fastest lap, and is also the shortest with a race distance of almost 254 kilometres, we face a race distance of 310 kilometres in Valencia and a track on which the cars will reach 300 km/h or more five times per lap."

The new venue is likely to prove as tough on brakes as Canada's Montreal street circuit, with three stops down to around 80 km/h. Engines will also get a demanding workout, with the longest full-throttle section along the harbour-side back straight lasting a full 13 seconds.

"It looks pretty fast, to be honest," says McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen. "You get used to street circuits being quite slow, with lots of slow- to medium-speed corners and very short straights, but this is almost the opposite. There are a lot of fast kinks and esses, a couple of decent straights and lots of high-speed stuff."

McLaren's simulations suggest they will employ downforce levels similar to those used at Hockenheim in Germany. However, there will be less margin for driver error thanks to the combination of relatively high speeds and relatively few run-off areas.

"Anybody who's studied any onboard footage of the circuit will be mindful of the proximity of the concrete barriers in certain areas," says McLaren's Formula One CEO, Martin Whitmarsh. "Clearly, we'll be packing plenty of spares, but hoping we won't need to use them!"

Opening practice for the European Grand Prix takes place on Friday, August 22.

SOURCE: OFFICIAL F1 WEBSITE

Great intro redders :)

Why thank you, I decided to give it my all for the new circuit :P I pity poor Kip though, 'coz I'm not around for the Singapore GP :lol:

I've decided on a new motto for this place as well: Set the standards, then raise 'em. This doesn't mean I'll be getting even bigger & bigger with these GP threads btw, only the new circuits are lucky enough :P It'll be back to normal service for Spa next time out :P

Please pity me lol, I don't have the time on my hands like our dear god redders does :P but i do think that we may see some heavy accidents and safety cars around here =/

Valencia - The Technical Challenge

The coming race at Valencia will be a real challenge for the teams in terms of set-up. Dependant on how much work has been done in simulators by the teams the circuit looks to pose a formiddible work load for drivers and engineers trying to find the optimum set-up.

Being a street circuit running on public roads teams won't be expecting alot of grip so to help compensate rear suspension will be softened up to help to put traction down. But teams will want also to be able to switch directions quickly for the esses which will call for a stiffer front suspension. As previously mensioned downforce will be similar to Hockenheim which is a mid of the range type circuit. This will hopefully provide enough grip for the tight twisty stuff but also low enough drag for a good top speed to allow for some of this much wanted "overtaking" Expect McLaren and Ferrari to be right up the front just as they were in Hockenheim, Hungary and Monaco the circuits most likely to show some sort of resemblance to the circuit.

1. Good stuff. Hamms losing.

2. Money.

3. Yes.

4. Like a burlap sack full of dog turds (aka Hammie's number 2). Oh just made a great joke without realizing it until after.

Insightful, no?

Valencia Track Guide by Kipi19

Turn 1: Approaching turn 1 is an easy doddle, it is a sweeping right hander and around 170mph, this would be easily flat our for all the drivers

Turns 2 and 3: After exiting turn 1, the drivers will look for a braking point into a heavy braking zone from around 185mph, these two turns are more of a chicane than anything else and will be tight for the drivers on the first lap or two.

Turns 4 and 5: After a quick burst of acceleration out of turn 3 you come to another chicane, this is a left right flick normally taken at around 70mph, drivers will be cautious on the first couple of laps as the field will be tightly packed

Turn 6: This corner is as you start to accelerate out of turn 5 and is a fast left flick taken at full throttle, heading down a back straight which leans towards the right, according to the officials counts as turn 7 but for this track guide the hairpin is turn 7

Turn 7: Turn 7 is a tight hairpin braking from around 200mph the cars will be very bunched on the first lap still heading down to this corner, a certain overtaking opportunity if they can get a good run out of the chicane and follow their rivals down the straight, Turn 7 is the end of sector one, turn 8 is directly after and is a quick left kink that leads onto the bridge across the harbour

Turn 8: After exiting turn 7, 8 is a quick left flick onto the bridge itself

Turn 9: This is the hairpin that exits the bridge, Very slow and all the drivers will find it difficult to manage this in one piece when exiting the corner, a long straight sweeping straight will take the drivers to 10 and 11 which is a prime overtaking opportunity.

Turns 10 and 11: 10 and 11 is a slow chicane that is a right left flick, the braking zone coming into this corner is a certain overtaking spot and i think should be watched closely, whilst exiting this corner coming out of a left flick, it is double apexed, so don't think it is 2 corners

Turn 12: After a short quick run out of 11, you come across 12, this is normally taken at around 80mph i'd guess, and is quite flowing so it will keep the drivers happy, exiting this turn will lead towards a nice acceleration area

Turns 13 and 14: Whilst building up speed after exiting 12, turns 13 and 43 follow in short short succession, almost similar to that of Istanbul's Turn 8, just not as many turns or as tight. These turns i would predict to be almost be taken at full throttle, if not a small lift before 13 and putting the power back on to lead onto another fast section of the circuit onto a back straight

Turn 15: After exiting turn 14, is nice run down to turn 15 fast and should be very enticing for the drivers to slip one up the inside of their rivals into the braking zone braking from around 180-190mph they will be tempted to overtake if the opportunity arises, this turn will be roughly be taken at around 40-50mph.

Turns 16, 17, and 18: These sequence of corners, is not quite fluent but will be quickly approached out of turn 15, Turn 16 is a left hander, and 17 and 18 are fast right hand flicks, All complete at around 100mph to 130 on the exit on 18, now we approach a back stretch

Turns 19, 20 and 21: Heading down this back strectch bulding up speed, it has slight kinks as corners, and is completed in a right, left right synchronisation, all taken a full throttle

Turn 22: After completing the kinks in the straightaway at full throttle, you have to slow for a right hand kink at the end of it all taken at around 120mph

Turn 23: This turn is a slow corner right after 22, taken at around 40mph, Exiting the corner will see you cross the finish line, The pit entry is on the exit of this corner, so people pitting will turn 23 and peel off the right on the exit when they are due a pit stop.

I hope you enjoyed the track guide, I apologise if this track guide does not fully count all the corners, I wrote it down as how I saw the corners whilst lapping the circuit on Rfactor

The organisers of Valencia's inaugural grand prix have revealed what the drivers' and constructors' trophies will look like ahead of this weekend's race.

The brand new street circuit will host this year's European Grand Prix and, while the nuances of the track still remain a mystery to the Formula 1 drivers, they have been shown the trophy they will be fighting over.

The winning driver will receive a trophy in the form of the city's distinctive Reina Sofia Arts Centre, a futuristic building in the harbour-side area near to where the grand prix is being held.

While the winning constructor will take home a trophy in the shape of the region of the Community of Valencia.

SOURCE: ITV-F1

ED: Constructor's Trophy:

Driver's Trophy:

BRIDGESTONE TO CELEBRATE 200TH F1 RACE:

Bridgestone is set to celebrate its 200th race as a tyre supplier in Formula 1 at the European Grand Prix in Valencia this weekend.

The Japanese firm's Potenza tyres have made an appearance at every race since the 1997 Australian Grand Prix and it was the sole tyre supplier in 1999, 2000 and since 2007.

Bridgestone director of tyre development Hirohide Hamashima said that Valencia was a fitting venue for the team to celebrate its milestone race.

"When we entered Formula 1 in 1997 all of the circuits were new to us with F1 cars so it is fitting that we should celebrate our 200th race with a new track," he said.

"Valencia is a city we spend a lot of time in when we are testing at the permanent race circuit so to be able to race along the streets of the port will be particularly special for us."

Aside from the celebrations, Bridgestone will bring its two softest tyre compounds to Valencia, a decision Hamashima is confident in.

"For Bridgestone, we have evaluated the track layout and surface and we will bring the softest tyres in our compound range, the soft and super soft," he said.

"As with any street course we expect the grip levels from the circuit to improve over the course of the weekend.

"In Valencia in August we should see quite high temperatures so teams will have to be vigilant with their tyre management."

SOURCE: ITV-F1

THURSDAY PRESS CONFERENCE
Drivers: Rubens Barrichello (Honda), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Jarno Trulli (Toyota).

Q: A question to you all. Can you give us your impressions of the circuit and Valencia?
Jarno Trulli: So far it is nice, warm and sunny. The circuit looks good but obviously we need to wait until we get into the rhythm of the weekend to understand what kind or what type of circuit it is as we don't know much about it. But it looks pretty good, very well organised and obviously the atmosphere seems great because we are in Spain and for sure we will have a lot of Spanish supporters.
Rubens Barrichello: I love it. I think the facility and the track, the surface, the asphalt, is all fantastic. I mean, well prepared, very, very nice. The only thing I don't like is that the policemen keep on telling me to turn right. My hotel is a five minute walk from here and it takes me half an hour as they tell me to go to Barcelona and come back so that's the only thing I don't think they are very well prepared. Apart from that the whole situation inside of the track is pretty nice.

Q: You are hoping to cut your lap time between hotel and circuit?
RB: I hope by Sunday it will take me only 20 minutes.

Q: Felipe, your feelings on what you have seen so far?
Felipe Massa: I think it is pretty impressive, interesting. I think it is a pretty different track than we are used to having on the calendar. You can have maybe some corners which seem to be like Monaco but some very different corners, very long straights which even can be similar to Bahrain for example. I think it is very nice. It will be very, very dirty tomorrow because you can see that the asphalt is very, very slippery and dirty but I think it will be ok. I think it will be nice. I like the city, very nice, so hopefully we can have a nice race for us but also for the people.

Q: Lewis, your first impressions?
Lewis Hamilton: First of all it is great to be here in Valencia. I had a race here in GP2 in 2006 but this is really the first time, apart from the launch last year for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, into the city for me and it is a beautiful place. I think they have done a fantastic job in building the place up. It has got a great hotel and the track looks incredible. I think it looks pretty awesome, so I am looking forward to getting out on it tomorrow.

Q: Jarno, two podiums for Toyota over the last few races. What are your feelings for the rest of the season? Are there developments still coming, what's happening with Toyota?
JT: I think the team is doing a very good job this year. We start pretty well and we have always improved the car. The team is keeping on pushing the development work, so I am confident that before the end of the season we can do some good results. There are some circumstances and some circuits where we are extremely competitive like it was in Hungary and Magny-Cours and some others maybe we suffer a bit more but nevertheless I think we will always fight for top 10 in qualifying and our aim is always to score points at every race obviously. Our target will be finishing fourth in the Constructors' championship.

Q: Are there developments still coming?
JT: Yeah, even here. We always have some new bits. They are already concentrating on next year's car development but they are still pushing on this year's car as obviously the fight for fourth in the Constructors' championship is very tight. We would like to finish fourth.

Q: What is your own situation with the team for next year?
JT: We have a contract in place, so we believe we can stay together for next year.

Q: Rubens, you had developments in Budapest but what about the rest of the season?
RB: I think in terms of pure developments, aerodynamic and mechanical, that's it. But we have to optimise everything that we brought to Hungary and before. We have new, little things in place. We had a new rear suspension for Hungary but unfortunately we couldn't rig test it before because of lack of time and in these two weeks we could see that there was a big margin for improvement. We are expecting that to work better here. And the spirit is good because although the preparation for next year is already in place, people are working very, very hard with the tools that we have in hand to improve the car. I am definitely looking forward to the end of the season with the tracks that are coming on as we can score points.

Q: There were articles in the press after Hungary that Fernando Alonso would be joining Honda next year. Where does that leave you?
RB: I think the team is definitely talking to Fernando but that's the question mark. I have never been so enthusiastic about my whole situation with the team. I left Ferrari because I didn't have the freedom to do what I wanted to do. I have that at Honda but I still have not had the car to perform and I am waiting for that chance. What can I say, but honestly the day that I feel that I am slower than my first race is the day I will call it off and stop. The conversations are there and I am talking to the team, I am talking to all the teams. I want to be racing.

Q: Felipe, have you got over the disappointment of the last race?
FM: Yeah, for sure. We need to look forward and we need to look to the next seven races. We know we still have 70 points in front of us and we need to do our best to recover. For sure if you look back it would have been a great moment to win the last race but sometimes this sport is like that and we need to look forward. The most important thing is that we are very competitive. As I mentioned before even with the qualifying I would have been able to fight for the pole because the car was great. I didn't do a good lap which is why I was not able to fight for the pole. But in the race we showed our performance. We showed great performance, good speed, good pace. We showed that we are there which is the most important thing. It can be very important for the next races.

Q: Is the first lap performance of the Ferrari a thing of the past? Is that now optimised and as good as it could be?
FM: Yeah, I think so. If you look at Q2 I did a great lap. I was a little bit in traffic and I didn't do a great lap in Q3 and you know that if you don't do everything right, with the big competition that we have with McLaren, maybe you cannot start on pole. I lost the possibility to start on pole because I didn't do a great lap but I was quite happy to start third instead of second as it gave me the chance to fight.

Q: Lewis, you've been quoted as saying consistency is the key to the rest of the championship. Why do you think there has been less consistency this year amongst all the championship contenders, in comparison to last year?
LH: I can't remember saying that but my guess is as good as yours. I think we are all pushing very, very hard, it's a closer season than it was last year. I think all the teams are perhaps pushing even more to the edge and that's where you really see mistakes starting to happen. This year there are lots of opportunities to make mistakes and there are lots of unknowns: we come to new circuits, lots of different things with the car. It's nothing new but last year, for sure last year we had... I was looking at my results from last year; for the first nine or 12 races it was quite unreal. Who knows? We might have that another year but I think this year everyone has pretty much the same sort of run, especially us guys at the front.

Q: In Hungary, you had a long stint on the super-soft tyre. Were you particularly pleased with the way that worked out because there have been problems with tyre wear? Have you changed anything?
LH: Not really. I think the tyres were very similar. Obviously I had to change (tyres) at that time, so I think I did something like 30 laps or so on the softer tyre but it held together quite well for me and if anything, I was even more comfortable on that tyre than I was on the prime.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Ian Parkes - The Press Association) Lewis and the other guys: I've just been with Fernando Alonso at his personal press conference. He's just mentioned that in the light of what happened yesterday, the Spanish plane disaster, that he's hoping to get you guys together to hopefully observe a minute's silence as a mark of respect before practice. Presumably that is something you would be more than happy to go along with providing the FIA also agreed?
LH: Yes. For me, I would definitely be looking forward to doing that. I just want to send out my heartfelt thoughts and best wishes to all the families and to all the people in Spain. I think it's a tragedy, I was really sad to hear it had happened. We're in a beautiful country, in a beautiful city. I just hope that doesn't stall our weekend. I hope we are able to move on and do the country proud.
FM: I think last year we had a similar accident in Brazil, and it was a disaster, it was so sad. As Lewis said, I give 100 percent support to the people because we are here for sport and there are so many important things apart from sport which are the lives of these people, and it's a very sad moment. I think all of us need to do everything we can to help these people.
JT: I share the same feelings.

Q: (Peter Windsor - Speed Channel) Lewis, I'm just wondering what the verdict was on the puncture in Hungary, now that Bridgestone and your engineers have presumably had time to look at it? There was talk about possibly the serrated edge of the apex kerb on some of the corners being the cause. Equally, it may have been debris. Any information on that?
LH: For me, I've not spoken to my engineers about it. That was the last race. You might want to ask them if you do a press conference with them, but for me it was a tyre failure, it was just one of those things, a little bit unfortunate, but I don't think they really found the exact cause of it.

Q: (Peter Windsor - Speed Channel) Felipe, Ferrari's engine reliability, touch wood, has been brilliant. We saw Kimi with the exhaust failure still finishing second in France. What was the verdict on your engine failure? Could it have been managed any differently by the engineers? What is the thinking on that?
FM: No, definitely not. We had a completely different problem, which maybe you can have once every ten years. It was a manufacturing problem of the piece and you cannot do anything. We have never had this problem except at that particular moment, so there's nothing that can be done about that.

Q: (Livio Orrichio - O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all the drivers: are you satisfied with the run-off areas of the track?
JT: Well, I did have a look and it's difficult to comment at the moment because we don't know exactly the speed in certain corners but I must say it's a safe circuit anyway, and so far I can see that they have done a pretty good job, but it's probably still a bit too early to judge.
RB: It's very similar to Melbourne, in a way, because you have limited space on a road circuit. I think it's nicely done. Obviously if you have problems in turns nine and ten which is the bridge - if a car parked there - I think you would have to stop the race because it's not even a safety car issue. You would have to take the car away and bring trucks onto the bridge. It might be a bit of an issue but I think, so far, as Jarno said, we have to really understand what is the speed of the cars, and the only corner that we were concerned about, as a team, was turn one, because you don't have a lot of run-off in that turn but apart from that it looks OK to me.
FM: It looks OK. We just need to run and see exactly how it is when you are in the car. I think, especially if you have good grip from the asphalt, it should be OK. If you don't have really good grip, the run-off areas are smaller than you think, so we need to run and see.
LH: I think they've done a good job.

Q: (Frederic Ferret - L'Equipe) Lewis, does your driving s_tyle lead to you having problems on some tyre compounds?
LH: No, why would you say that?

Q: (Frederic Ferret - L'Equipe) Because of the puncture in Hungary and the one in Turkey last year.
LH: I think in Turkey it was more about my driving s_tyle but I don't think it was the case in Hungary.

Q: (Frederic Ferret - L'Equipe) Have you changed your driving s_tyle since last year?
LH: No.

Q: (Ian Parkes - The Press Association) Lewis and Felipe, can we just get your thoughts on the title fight at this stage; what is going to be the key now towards winning the title?
FM: Whether or not you are losing points which was already the key since the first race. It seems to be that all of us have lost important points this year. I think the key will be to be consistent which was already the key since the beginning of the first race which everybody was saying. It doesn't change anything.
LH: I agree.

SOURCE: OFFICIAL F1 WEBSITE

HOLY SON OF A COW :|

I'm in stitches... Toro Rosso... FIRST AND FOURTH!?! Unbelievable :lol:

Now that has to leave Red Bull worrying, the B team in 1st and 4th whereas they were last of the bunch...

One concern I have is the pitlane exit. Drivers starting a lap cross that line by a hefty amount, so that could be ugly if a car comes out of the pitlane at the wrong time...

...and the pit entry also reminds me of Brazil. It's gonna be hard to tell when someone's gonna pit or not.

A lot of dust around too, would've thought that'd get cleared up beforehand but it caught a lot of people out. Good job though by the guys for not one of them making a visit to the walls though.

Friday Practice 1 Results:

A very positive beginning for this circuit, with praise from the drivers and a very entertaining session. I have to say I'm really impressed at how much it feels like a race track, rather than a Monaco-esque parade circuit. Any concerns about its addition to the calendar should be proven wrong by the end of this weekend

But onto the sport; I'm starting to feel a little concerned by Red Bull, they are so unpredictable in terms of pace. Just 3 races ago we had Webber on the front row of the grid, now he sits solidly in last place in practice, behind Couthard, who is 0.3 behind a Force India. And Raikkonen needs to start making an impact in all sessions if he want to start winning again; he hasn't won since Spain, and now he's back in the country, he needs to win here again if he wants to challenge for the title.

Now that's cause for concern, Heidfeld's transmission:

"Turn 10, there were police escorting people off the run-off area"

Why are they even on the track!?!

Incident involving Alonso to be investigated after Practice.

Anyone see what happened?

EDIT: Watching the replay package after, I think it's to do with Alonso entering the pitlane over the red & yellow striped zone rather than using the correct entry lane.

Big moment for Rosberg:

Great job by Webber too to not turn in when Nico came flying past him.

Friday Practice 2 Results:

F1 pays respects to Madrid victims

The Formula 1 community and Valencia race officials held a period of silence at the street circuit on Friday in tribute to the victims of the Madrid plane crash.

Drivers, leading paddock figures and organisers gathered following the weekend's opening practice session to remember the 153 people that were killed when a Spanair jet crashed shortly after take-off at the Spanish capital's airport on Wednesday.

Spain's leading motorsport icon Fernando Alonso had said on Thursday that he hoped his fellow drivers would join him in making a tribute and he was duly joined by a large group of F1 personnel at noon to pay their respects.

The Renault driver, who will race with a black armband this weekend, said the tragic events would cast a sombre mood over Valencia's inaugural race with the country in three days of mourning.

SOURCE: ITV-F1

Still meant to be raining sometime today. Whether that's for Quali or not I don't know but could spice things up. Would be interested to see what caused Trulli from being able to set a lap time.

ALONSO FINED 10,000 EUROS FOR PIT INFRACTION:

Fernando Alonso was handed a 10,000 euro fine and a reprimand after cutting the entrance to the pit lane during Friday's second free practice in Valencia.

The Spaniard appeared to make a last-minute decision to enter the pits and cut across the white line dividing the track from the pit lane entrance.

Alonso admitted to his mistake and played down any suggestions that the pit lane entrance might be dangerous or confusing for the drivers.

"You have to stay on the right part of the white line," he said.

"Today, one time, I was not.

"It was my mistake and if you stay on the right I don't think it is a problem and it is not dangerous or anything like that."

Alonso also dismissed concerns over differences in speed when following a car that is entering the pits.

"It is maybe from the outside more difficult to look who is going into the pits than on the inside," he said.

"But when a car in front of you goes into the pits you see clearly that he brakes a little bit later and when you go to the pits you brake late."

Alonso will not receive any sporting penalties such as grid demotions as a result of his mistake.

SOURCE: ITV-F1

Qualifying Results:

Not exactly sure as to who has the advantage here, Massa or Hamilton. Massa will have an easier line into turn 1 so could box Lewis out, BUT Massa is on the (very) dirty side. Lewis has a tighter line into turn 1, but with the cleaner side, grip will come quicker to him. GP2 may give an indication of what it'll be like. I'll be watching it.

In latest news, RSPCA is coming to destroy Piquet.

Even by Allen's standards, today was absolutely rubbish, culminating in 'Can Massa take pole? NO HE CAN'T!'

This was rather hastily corrected.

To answer my question from earlier, it appears that even if it's the dirtier side, if Massa's good enough on the start he should hold off Lewis.

Turn 2 saw everyone get through, however 6 cars were claimed through turn 3, so that may be where the incidents happen as the cars switch-back.

Only 1 Safety Car was required to clear those cars caught up, which lasted 2 laps. Also, and this is the bad news, overtaking was very minimal. There was a few overtaking manouvres, but not as many as people may be thinking of seeing.

However, if you get a chance to, catch the end of the race. It was one of the most unpredictable last laps I've ever seen.

The pole position slot for the European Grand Prix has been switched to the right side of the track ahead of this weekend's first race in Valencia.

The original first slot was situated on the left hand side of the track, which was supposed to have been more favourable for the racing line into the first right hand corner.

But after observing the behaviour of cars during practice on Friday and Saturday, FIA Formula One safety delegate Charlie Whiting has announced that the pole position slot will now be moved to the right.

A statement issued shortly before qualifying said: "Having observed the line taken by cars across the grid, and in accordance with Article 36.2 (a) off the F1 Sporting Regulations, the first grid position will be removed and pole position will now be on the right hand side of the grid."

The regulation refers to the layout of the grid, stating that on new circuits the pole position side is decided by the FIA safety delegate.

Source - Autosport.com

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69984

The track has already thrown up some shocks this weekend; take a look at this 'horrific' Formula BMW crash at the new circuit:

The driver must have been pretty hurt right? Well let's just say that the previous shot was rather misleading:

Another angle (Photo)

So while the car looks snapped in two and the other half completely missing, the crash wasn't really as bad as the very deceptive first photo makes out. The front of the car was hidden from view as the rear was at 90 degrees to it.

It'll be an interesting start if there has been over night rain and/or rain at the start. With no rubber laid down and a slippery surface I'd say all bets are off!

Big thumbs up to Vettel he has done an excellent job in qualifying and with a teensy bit of luck and or good strategy he could be looking at a big points haul or perhaps even a podium!

RFLMAO at James Allen. What. An. IDIOT!

I'm surprised Glock was unpunished for double-blocking Heidfeld and the Renault in Q1. I know both got through, but Kovalainen got a penalty for something not even half as bad as that. Rather inconsistent by the stewards, I must say. Even Bourdais' "block" wasn't that bad either. Glock be a lucky boy, but at least it still puts him in the show.

Weather reports still suggest light showers for today, but if anything, it'll probably be just a repeat of yesterday.

European Grand Prix Result:

Flawless drive by Massa, but the same couldn't be said for Raikkonen again (prior to his engine failure). He just doesn't seem to have either the race pace or the qualifying pace to keep up, and so I think Ferrari should now consider Massa as their number one for the title. It only makes sense at this point, unless Massa suddenly has a change in form. And Kubica is back to his early season pace, but Kovalainen has no answer for it. Top marks to Toro Rosso for 6th and 10th, they've definitely overtaken Red Bull Racing, at least for this weekend.

As for Massa's incident, I think we've seen this happening every weekend, and short of warning teams to be more careful from now on, there should be no penalty. In future I think penalties should be given, but to single out Massa prior to a crackdown would be wrong.

The day I never thought I'd see coming - me defending Ferrari! :shock:

Great drive by Massa, but it could be robbed by an incident to which, from my memory, I can recall absolutely no one getting a penalty for beforehand. There was the mention of the penalties to the 2 GP2 teams, however, so there was a forewarning that something could come up if it did happen. I do question why now all of a sudden it could be penalised.

Listening to the press conference now, Massa blames Sutil. Why!?! He's not gonna stop just to let him through, it's better to do it on the racetrack.

If there's gonna be a penalty at all, it should be a 10-grid drop for Spa. It would be unfair to rob Massa of a strong win. What Ferrari do need to look on is that engine reliability though. They had issues at the start, got on top of that, but now 2 engine failures in 2 races, it's not helping them in the battle with Hamilton.

EDITED: Thought that some people might've missed the race, and didn't want to spoil anything to them.janti_hakouz

Don't worry about it. F1 races get updated thoughts here all the time. You should see the Canadian GP thread and see how many people disliked Lewis' actions immediately :lol:

EDIT: cjek is right. I suppose given the past with these incidents, it's fair. Considering what the stewards have been like his weekend, he's lucky to not have a race penalty.

MASSA GETS FINED BUT KEEPS VICTORY:

Felipe Massa has been allowed to keep his European Grand Prix victory after the stewards investigated his near-collision in the pits with Adrian Sutil.

The Ferrari driver's win was initially in doubt pending the outcome of the post-race investigation, but he escaped with a 10,000 euro fine and a reprimand.

The incident occurred on lap 37 as Massa and Sutil left the pits following their second stops.

Massa was released from his pit bay into Sutil's path as the German driver accelerated down the pit lane, but contact was averted.

SOURCE: ITV-F1

Don't worry about it. F1 races get updated thoughts here all the time. You should see the Canadian GP thread and see how many people disliked Lewis' actions immediately :lol:

Redders1989

Since I'm new here, I didn't want to get bad first impression ;)