The Unique Challenge Of Valencia

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Friday 22nd August 2008

The European Grand Prix is far from a new event in the Formula One calendar, but this season's venue represents a fresh challenge.

Since its inception in 1983, it has been held at Donington Park - when Ayrton Senna won an astonishing wet race - Brands Hatch, the Nurburgring and Jerez.

Twenty five years on, Valencia has its chance to stage what is expected to be an enthralling spectacle around the marina that last year was home to the America's Cup.

Here, we take a look at the 25-corner, 5.440km circuit that on Sunday will play host to a 57-lap race in front of 110,000 fans.

The circuit designed for Valencia could scarcely be more different to the tight, twisty, virtually unpassable streets of Monaco.

A lap time of around one minute 37 seconds is expected, during which it is anticipated there will be a number of chances to overtake.

With a glorious sandy beach yards away, the dramatic America's Cup port and one of Europe's liveliest cities as a backdrop, Valencia is already off to an impressive start.

But take a closer look, and you will find a circuit which promises to be as spectacular as the surroundings.

From the start-finish straight, a fast right-hander leads into the right-angle Grua Cabria - which takes the cars within metres of the yachts in the harbour.

That leads into the technically-challenging Malvarossa complex, which culminates in a 55mph right hander.

Next is a trip over the swing bridge across the mouth of the harbour, which - when Formula One is not in town - opens to allow ferries to and from the Balearic Islands to dock.

Following a tight right-hander directly after the bridge, it is full throttle all the way through a left-hander and on to the back straight where the cars are expected to hit speeds of 200mph.

Scrubbing off 125mph under heavy braking, a twisty right-left-right section follows past the fish market - before another long blast of the throttle rockets the cars into a tight right-hand hairpin.

The walls then zip by through the exhilarating Grao section before the final turn, another hairpin.

The unique pit garages, housed in former dockside warehouses, whizz by on the left as a lap is completed.

Honda driver Jenson Button remarked: "I think the whole of Formula One is very excited about going to Valencia.

"We have a simulator at our UK base, and spending a lot of time on that has been vital in terms of learning the circuit.

"With a simulator you're not getting the complete feeling of the car, but you are gaining understanding of the distances and the braking points - so it's very useful.

"We have some very fast circuits like Monza, Spa and Silverstone on the calendar, and then the slower circuits like Monaco and Hungary. We're expecting Valencia to be somewhere in the middle.

"It's also got the added excitement of being surrounded by barriers - which really focuses your mind and demands you give full concentration around every single lap."