EU, June 25–27, "Miami street Circuit

Timo Glock, track record
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq_X2...layer_embedded

FIRST RACE: August 24, 2008
LAP LENGTH: 5,440 meters
TOTAL LAPS: 57
FASTEST LAP: Timo Glock - 1:38:683 (2009, Toyota)
2009 PODIUM: 1. Rubens Barrichello - 2. Lewis Hamilton - 3. Kimi Raikkonen

European Preview Quotes: Bridgestone, BMW Sauber, Mercedes GP & more

Following the action on the streets of Montreal’s Ile Notre Dame, Formula One racing heads to the streets of Valencia. Instead of the stop-and-go nature found at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, the Spanish track offers a demanding series of twists and turns. With 25 corners in total—comprising 11 left-handers and 14 right-handers—the circuit pushes drivers to their absolute limits. Both the drivers and senior team personnel are turning their attention toward the forthcoming European Grand Prix...

Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone director of motorsport tyre development
"Bridgestone director of motorsport tyre development from a riverside street course in Canada we now head to a seaside street course in Europe. In common with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Valencia street course has several high speed sections, though it features even more corners. The layout and the track surface are far more punishing on the tires than they were in Montreal, so we aren't anticipating the same level of difficulty for teams trying to extract peak performance from the medium and super soft compounds as we saw in Canada. This year's European Grand Prix takes place in June, as opposed to the late August dates of the first two Grands Prix in Valencia, but we don't expect the shift in schedule to bring any radical changes in the weather..."

Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I’m definitely looking forward to my second home race of the season, even if the weekend promises to be incredibly hectic. It’s a massive win for Spain to have two Grands Prix, especially since the crowds are always so incredible. If there's a downside for the fans, it's that overtaking is notoriously difficult on both Spanish circuits. You rarely see much passing in Barcelona or Valencia. Turn two should be the best option for overtaking, but since I haven't driven the Valencia street circuit yet, there might be other opportunities... In the two races I have finished this year I have been fighting for the points until the last few laps of each race. We’re introducing several new components to the car, so I'm expecting a significant step forward here."

Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"Based on what I've seen, the Valencia street circuit might not look like the most thrilling track, but I've only experienced it through two GP2 races, and Formula One will be different. I actually enjoy the section crossing the bridge; it gives the track a unique character. It likely won't be quite as sweltering as it was last year when the race was held two months later, but I'm still bracing for high temperatures, which I personally don't mind. Since it's another race in Spain, and in Barcelona we had one of our better weekends in terms of performance, I’m hopeful we can pull off a strong result."

James Key, BMW Sauber technical director
"For Valencia we return to a higher downforce level, similar to what we had in Istanbul and a step up from what we had in Canada. Because Valencia is a street circuit with minimal run-off areas, things can get chaotic quickly—you simply cannot afford to touch the walls. The track is very stop-and-go, meaning acceleration and braking are everything, especially with those slower corners tucked between the straights. We’re debuting a new aero upgrade for the European Grand Prix, which should increase efficiency and make the car a bit more user-friendly to set up. This marks the start of our mid-season updates. We'll have to wait and see how we fare in Valencia, but we are determined to bounce back after a rough weekend in Canada..."

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP
2009 Qualifying - 7th, 2009 Race - 5th
"This will be Formula One's third visit to Valencia and I'm really looking forward to the weekend. The city is pretty cool and the Spanish fans are always enthusiastic so there should be a good atmosphere around the Marina. Valencia is a really good track and not what you would usually expect from a typical street circuit. There are a lot of corners but it's quite fast and flowing which combined with the barriers that line the circuit means that you have to keep your concentration levels high. The last race weekend in Canada was quite a tough one for us but I was pleased to finish in sixth and score decent points after being in thirteenth place on the first lap. Our pace was quick in the race and I hope that the upgrades we have for Valencia will bring further improvements..."

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"Valencia is a track which I have never raced on before so it will be another new experience for me but one which I am very much looking forward to. I always have been quite good in adapting quickly to new situations and I strongly expect that to be the case in Valencia. I like going into new experiences like this and having detailed discussions with my engineers about the challenge. We will bring further updates for our car which should help to improve the performance. We have already seen that the car has improved steadily over the last few races and in Canada, the pace was better even if unfortunately that did not show in the results. That's why I look forward to travelling to Spain a great deal..."

Ross Brawn, Mercedes GP team principal
"Our car was well suited to the circuit in Montreal and our pace during the race was encouraging. Unfortunately qualifying was a disappointment and we placed well below our potential which compromised our weekend. Nico was clearly one of the quickest cars during the race and his climb from the midfield to sixth place was a very impressive performance. Michael showed good promise but damage to his front wing on the first lap and then the puncture put him out of the running and we were too ambitious with the use of the option tyres which left him struggling for pace. Looking ahead to Valencia, the circuit is similar to Montreal in many ways with long straights connected by slow corners which should suit our car. We have an upgrade package which will be another good step in our development towards competing at the front of the field. With the new points system this year, we are still within striking distance of the championship leaders and we will continue with our efforts to become more competitive. We have a number of the basics right and the difference between winning and losing is small. We need to close that difference..."

Norbert Haug, vice-president, Mercedes-Benz motorsport
"The track at Valencia's harbour side, where the America's Cup took place in 2007, is not a typical one on the Grand Prix calendar. It consists mainly of slower corners with the last sector then being quite fast and presenting some quicker turns. The lap is close to 3.4 miles which is above the average length of most circuits. We are planning to introduce some important upgrades to our cars in Valencia and are looking forward to making a step towards the top of the field..."

Jenson Button, McLaren
2009 Qualifying - 5th, 2009 Race - 7th
“We’ve pulled the maximum amount of points possible over the last two rounds, and honestly, it feels like we’ve finally caught a massive wave of momentum... The whole crew is operating as one cohesive machine right now, so we’re heading into Valencia next weekend with plenty of hope that we can lean into that collective drive and ambition. While it is technically a street circuit, it doesn't feel like your typical urban layout such as Monte Carlo or Singapore. It’s significantly quicker—you have these tight, low-speed turns where the walls are unforgivingly close at the apex, yet you're simultaneously dealing with rapid high-speed direction changes and sweeping long straights, making the setup incredibly complex. You can't just lean entirely on downforce; there's a delicate balance to strike, and I suspect our current configuration should handle that trade-off quite well.”

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2009 Qualifying - 1st, 2009 Race - 2nd
“I am genuinely excited to get out there in Valencia. I put on a hell of a show last year, driving very aggressively—but having spent the last two seasons finishing in second place, it feels like I have some serious unfinished business to settle! I also believe the championship benefits from this kind of diversity; we’ve transitioned straight from a fast, flowing road course in Canada to this tighter street layout in Valencia. Then, just next month, we hit Silverstone—one of the fastest tracks of the year and a venue steeped in legendary history. For a driver, that kind of variety keeps things electric and unpredictable, which is really the only thing you can hope for. The recent Grands Prix have delivered some spectacular racing lately—it would be wonderful for all the Spanish fans if we can provide a similarly thrilling spectacle here. Passing hasn't been easy at this circuit historically, but I have a feeling Formula One will be different this time around... the field is so tightly packed, and seeing those intense battles stretching through the entire pack in Montreal last week makes me think we're in for a close, nail-biting race this year.”

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
“Following those two back-to-back one-two finishes, it truly felt as though Bruce McLaren himself was watching over us with a smile, especially since we just marked the 40th anniversary of his passing. I’m certain Bruce would have been proud of the relentless and dedicated approach we have taken to the engineering and development of MP4-25... We proved over the last two races that our hunger and motivation are second to none. Because our car is under constant evolution, I’m confident we can remain a genuine threat at most of the remaining stops on the calendar. We aren't new to this kind of non-stop development—it’s arguably the team's greatest asset—and we are fully committed to squeezing every ounce of potential out of every single component in our pursuit of speed. No detail is too minor to ignore; it’s that comprehensive, big-picture mindset that actually yields results, letting us find marginal gains in every corner of the car. We’re applying that same rigorous focus to the wider operation as well, looking closely at everything from pit stop execution to engineering and race strategy... and we are already seeing the tangible, material benefits of that work.”

Friday
Jun 25

Mostly Sunny
High 81°F
Low 66°F
Precipitation 0%

Saturday
Jun 26

Mostly Sunny
High 81°F
Low 67°F
Precipitation 0%

Sunday
Jun 27

AM Fog / PM Sun
High 83°F
Low 67°F
Precipitation 0%

Valencia 🤮

that's basically all I've got to say ☕

I honestly wonder who’s actually going to sit through four opening posts about Valencia 🤣 🙂

It’s probably just going to be one exhausting procession ☕

Christian Williams61 said:I honestly wonder who’s actually going to sit through four opening posts about Valencia 🤣 🙂

It’s probably just going to be one exhausting procession ☕

You guys have no idea—it's going to be the most intense and best race of the season. 🤣

Total madness on the track; bulls and matadors will be dropping from the sky and running between the cars. 🤣

stormybadger8 said:You guys have no idea—it's going to be the most intense and best race of the season. 🤣

Total madness on the track; bulls and matadors will be dropping from the sky and running between the cars. 🤣

...I mean, heading into that final corner, you just know it’s gonna be a total dogfight for first place between Ayrton Senna and Narain Chandhok. 🙏 🧐 😁

stormybadger8 said:You guys have no idea—it's going to be the most intense and best race of the season. 🤣

Total madness on the track; bulls and matadors will be dropping from the sky and running between the cars. 🤣

Dio Bik's bits...😬

Valencia is just a total bore.

Since every single race so far has gone completely against the grain of what we expected, I find myself wondering if things might finally settle down in Valencia. Perhaps we are due for a predictable outcome where everything goes exactly according to plan, resulting in a race that is—dare I say—fantastically dull? My prediction? McLaren and Red Bull pulling away at the front, leaving Mercedes, Ferrari, and Renault to fight it out in their wake...

Don't get mad, Kimi Raikkonen, but this is a textbook example of how not to open a thread: way too much text and it isn't even in English... I highly doubt anyone is actually going to slog through all of this, even if the idea of quoting statements from the key players is brilliant. If you had just picked two or three, it would have carried much more weight.

Regardless, I'm expecting a good nap during the race. If Blažičko were in charge, we'd be stuck listening to endless complaining about the America's Cup again, but luckily, since this guy is just a local working at JAR, the other managers should spare us the headache. I’m anticipating a comeback from Red Bull; in my view, they have a car that's simply too fast and drivers far too talented to let a third consecutive win slip away. A strong showing from Ferrari is also on the cards.

I'm holding out hope for a fifteen-minute downpour right after the start followed by the track drying out by the end—and, of course, a strong performance from Renault. It would also be wonderful to see Sauber pull themselves together and secure a decent result.

intro😕

So, honestly, I’m fully expecting a repeat of those last two races🙏 when it comes to the podium, obviously.😁

From my own experience, when you see disastrous races, disastrous tracks, and disastrous organization 👎

but I’m actually expecting Williams to stand on the podium 🙏🙏

😂 😂 😂
man you're being ridiculous 🙏 🙏 what did Nico Rosberg even look like? 😬

Christian Williams61 said:😂 😂 😂
man you're being ridiculous 🙏 🙏 what did Nico Rosberg even look like? 😬

Like this:

Man, you’re gonna end up getting flagged by Pilatus because your image is way too huge, and then they'll come after you on the forums...
🤣🤣

ruggedfox28 said:Man, you’re gonna end up getting flagged by Pilatus because your image is way too huge, and then they'll come after you on the forums...
🤣🤣

The picture actually follows all the F1 PDF rules perfectly. ☕
The only thing he could possibly complain about is the fact that he wasn't there himself. 😉

mistybear87 said:Like this:

Who could possibly look bad standing next to a handsome guy like Williamstown?

EDIT - By "look bad," I'm talking about the guy in the blue shirt.

As for the race—even the rain isn't going to save us.🙏