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Valencia Street Circuit

Coordinates: 39°27′31.6″N 0°19′32″W / 39.458778°N 0.32556°W / 39.458778; -0.32556
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Not to be confused with Circuit de Valencia
Valencia Street Circuit
The swing bridge, an important element of the Valencia Street Circuit.[1]
LocationValencia, Spain
Time zoneGMT +1
Coordinates39°27′31.6″N 0°19′32″W / 39.458778°N 0.32556°W / 39.458778; -0.32556
Opened2008
Major eventsFIA Formula One
European Grand Prix
Websitehttp://www.valenciastreetcircuit.com/index_eng.html
SurfaceAsphalt
Length5.419 km (3.367 miles)
Turns25
Race lap record1:38.683 (Germany Timo Glock, Toyota, 2009)

The Valencia Street Circuit (Template:Lang-va, Template:Lang-es) is a semi-permanent street circuit in Valencia, Spain which will host the Formula One European Grand Prix for seven years.[2][3] The first race meeting on the circuit was held over the 23/24 August 2008 weekend,[4] with Felipe Massa winning the main event, the European Grand Prix, after starting from pole position. The circuit utilizes the roads skirting around the city's harbour and America's Cup port area[5] – including a section over a 140-metre-long (460 ft) swing bridge,[1] and also includes some roads designed exclusively for racing purposes by the German architect Hermann Tilke who also designed the infrastructural buildings for the circuit. The 2011 edition was held on Sunday June 26th.[6]

History

The deal to host the Valencia race was signed on June 1, 2007 and is for seven years.[7] The deal was made between Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the Valmor Sport group, which is led by former motorcycle rider Jorge Martinez Aspar and Villarreal football club's president Fernando Roig. This deal goes back on comments made by Ecclestone previously stating that no European country should hold more than one race each year as Barcelona currently holds the Spanish Grand Prix each year.

Although now confirmed, the deal was rumored to be conditional on People's Party winning regional elections on 27 May 2007.[8] However, Ecclestone had clarified his comments on May 16, 2007: "I said I wouldn't formalise a contract until after the elections because I didn't know who I would be signing it with." He said his statements were taken out of context.[9] Ecclestone has since been cleared of influencing the election by the Valencian Electoral Commission.[10]

The official track layout was unveiled by Valencia councillor and transport counselor, Mario Flores, on 19 July 2007. The track was first used in the last weekend of July 2008, as the circuit hosted a round of the Spanish F3 Championship and International GT Open. It was first used for the European Grand Prix on August 24, 2008.

Layout

The track is 5.419 kilometres (3.367 mi) long and incorporates a total of 25 turns – 11 right-handers and 14 left-handers.[11] It is estimated that the track has a top speed of around 323 kilometres per hour (201 mph),[12] with a lap record of 1:38.683, held by Timo Glock, which he set during the 2009 European Grand Prix. Valencia is not as tight as Circuit de Monaco but overtaking opportunities are still relatively few, due to the straights not being straight and the dust off line. Nico Hülkenberg noticed quite a bit of space for a street circuit and some corners have a lot of run-off area. Robert Kubica suggested that good traction and good braking stability are crucial to win at this circuit because there is a lot of long straight lines ending with heavy braking.[5]

The circuit has been criticised by the drivers for its lack of overtaking opportunites. There have only been 4 recorded overtakes since the race was first held in 2008, with none of them in 2009. There is little space for improvements to the circuit to address this problem.[citation needed]

2008 European Grand Prix

Main article: 2008 European Grand Prix

The 2008 European Grand Prix was held on August 24, 2008. It was the 12th race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team after starting from pole position. Lewis Hamilton finished second in a McLaren car, with Robert Kubica third in a BMW Sauber.[13]

During the race Massa was reprimanded by the stewards and fined €10,000 for nearly colliding with Adrian Sutil's car in the pits, but the Brazilian kept his victory.[14]

This was Bridgestone's 200th and Massa's 100th entry, and this makes Massa the only driver to date to win his 100th race.

2009 European Grand Prix

Main article: 2009 European Grand Prix

The 2009 European Grand Prix was held on August 23, 2009. It was the 11th race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Rubens Barrichello for the Brawn team after Lewis Hamilton took pole in the McLaren. Hamilton came second, while Kimi Räikkönen took third in the Ferrari car. It marked the first race of Frenchman Romain Grosjean in the Renault. Barrichello's victory was the 100th for a Brazilian driver.

2010 European Grand Prix

Main article: 2010 European Grand Prix

The 2010 European Grand Prix was held on June 27, 2010. It was the ninth round on the 2010 Formula One season. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull Racing after starting from pole. McLaren team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button came second and third respectively. Championship contender Mark Webber was involved in an accident with the Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen, resulting in the Australian's car launching into a flip, before crashing into the barriers. The release of the Safety car following the accident led to a controversial moment in the race, with Hamilton passing the safety car while Fernando Alonso was stuck behind, providing Hamilton with the opportunity to pull away. 20 minutes after Alonso had complained to the stewards, Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty, meaning to the dismay of the Ferrari driver he was able to maintain his position.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Swing Bridge Already Closed – Valencia Street Circuit". Valencia Street Circuit. Generalitat Valenciana. 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  2. ^ "Telefónica, Principal Sponsor of the Formula 1 Telefónica Grand Prix of Europe – Valencia Street Circuit". Valencia Street Circuit. Generalitat Valenciana. 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  3. ^ "Telefónica is European GP Sponsor (Translated from Spanish)". Valenciacircuitourbano.com. 2008-01-28. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  4. ^ "The Official Formula 1 Website". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
  5. ^ a b "Motorsport: Spanish drivers eager to please home fans". nzherald.co.nz. 2010-06-25. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
  6. ^ "F1plus: Valencia Street Circuit: Formula 1 Circuit Details". F1plus.com. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
  7. ^ "Valencia deal done". GPUpdate.net. 2007-06-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  8. ^ "Valencia street race for 2008". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2007-05-10. Archived from the original on 2007-05-13. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  9. ^ "Ecclestone seeks to clarify Valencia deal". EEMS. 2007-05-16. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  10. ^ "Bernie Ecclestone cleared of influencing elections in Valencia, with Formula 1 announcement". bymnews.com. 2007-06-21. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  11. ^ "Valencia plans revealed". Forumula1.net. 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  12. ^ "Valencia track unveiled". Pitpass. 2007-07-19. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
  13. ^ "2008 Formula 1 Telefonica Grand Prix of Europe". The Official Formula 1 Website. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
  14. ^ "Europe: Massa fined, keeps win". Manipe F1. 2008-08-24. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
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