Valencia Street Circuit
Encyclopedia
The Valencia Street Circuit is a semi-permanent street circuit
in Valencia, Spain which will host the Formula One
European Grand Prix
for seven years. The first race meeting on the circuit was held over the 23/24 August 2008 weekend, 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 – including a section over a 140 metres (459.3 ft) swing bridge, 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.
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 Europe
an 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. 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. Ecclestone has since been cleared of influencing the election by the Valencian Electoral Commission.
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.
, 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.
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.
. 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
.
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.
This was Bridgestone's 200th and Massa's 100th entry, and this makes Massa the only driver to date to win his 100th race.
. 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.
. 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.
and was held on 26 June 2011. It was won by defending champion and championship leader Sebastian Vettel
who started from pole position and delivered a fastest lap on lap 53, giving him a hat-trick. Fernando Alonso
and Mark Webber
finished second and third after a race-long battle. The race was notable for having the fewest retirements, 0, and the most finishers, 24, ever in a Grand Prix. Vettel became the first multiple winner of the European Grand Prix
in Spain
and Red Bull
became the first ever multiple constructor winner.
Street circuit
A street circuit is a racing circuit composed by temporarily closed-off public roads of a city, town or village, used in motor races. Facilities such as the paddock, pit boxes, fences and grandstands are usually placed temporarily and removed soon after the race is over but in modern times the...
in Valencia, Spain which will host the Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
European Grand Prix
European Grand Prix
The European Grand Prix is a Formula One event that was reintroduced during the mid-1980s and has been held regularly since 1999. From 2008 it will take place for at least another 7 years...
for seven years. The first race meeting on the circuit was held over the 23/24 August 2008 weekend, with Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He finished second in the Drivers' World Championship, and is under contract to race for Scuderia Ferrari until the end of the season.-Early years:...
winning the main event, the European Grand Prix, after starting from pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
. The circuit utilizes the roads skirting around the city's harbour and America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
port area – including a section over a 140 metres (459.3 ft) swing bridge, and also includes some roads designed exclusively for racing purposes by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
architect Hermann Tilke
Hermann Tilke
Hermann Tilke is a German engineer and auto racer, who has designed numerous Formula One motor racing circuits.-Racing:...
who also designed the infrastructural buildings for the circuit. The 2011 edition was held on Sunday June 26th.
History
The deal to host the Valencia race was signed on June 1, 2007 and is for seven years. The deal was made between Formula One supremo Bernie EcclestoneBernie Ecclestone
Bernard Charles "Bernie" Ecclestone is an English business magnate, as president and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration and through his part-ownership of Alpha Prema, the parent company of the Formula One Group of companies. As such, he is generally considered the primary...
and the Valmor Sport group, which is led by former motorcycle rider Jorge Martinez Aspar
Jorge Martínez (motorcyclist)
Jorge Martínez, nicknamed "Aspar", was one of the most successful motorcycle racers in Grand Prix motorcycle racing history with 22 Grand Prix victories to his name in the 80 cc class and a further 15 wins in the 125 cc class.Martínez entered his first Grand Prix in 1982...
and Villarreal football club
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
's president Fernando Roig. This deal goes back on comments made by Ecclestone previously stating that no Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an country should hold more than one race each year as Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
currently holds the Spanish Grand Prix
Spanish Grand Prix
The Spanish Grand Prix is a Formula One race currently held at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, as part of the annual Formula One championship season.-History:...
each year.
Although now confirmed, the deal was rumored to be conditional on People's Party
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
winning regional elections on 27 May 2007. 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. Ecclestone has since been cleared of influencing the election by the Valencian Electoral Commission.
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
International GT Open
The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It is a spin-off of the Spanish GT Championship, and uses a similar format, except its races are held internationally.-Format:...
. It was first used for the European Grand Prix on August 24, 2008.
Layout
The track is 5.419 kilometres (3.4 mi) long and incorporates a total of 25 turns – 11 right-handers and 14 left-handers. It is estimated that the track has a top speed of around 323 kilometres per hour (200.7 mph), with a lap record of 1:38.683, held by Timo GlockTimo Glock
Timo Glock is a German motor racing driver, currently driving in Formula One for the Virgin Racing team. At the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix, standing in for Giorgio Pantano who had a contract dispute with Jordan Grand Prix, he joined a select group of drivers who have scored a World Championship...
, which he set during the 2009 European Grand Prix
2009 European Grand Prix
The 2009 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on August 23, 2009 at the Valencia Street Circuit in Valencia, Spain. It was the 11th race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race was contested over 57 laps, an overall race distance of 303.9 km...
. Valencia is not as tight as Circuit de Monaco
Circuit de Monaco
Circuit de Monaco is a street circuit laid out on the city streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine around the harbour of the principality of Monaco. It is commonly referred to as "Monte Carlo" because it is largely inside the Monte Carlo neighbourhood of Monaco.The circuit is used on one weekend in...
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
Robert Kubica
Robert Józef Kubica is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006...
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.
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.
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 season2008 Formula One season
The 2008 Formula One season was the 59th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It began on 16 March and ended on 2 November with eighteen Grand Prix races....
. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He finished second in the Drivers' World Championship, and is under contract to race for Scuderia Ferrari until the end of the season.-Early years:...
for the Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
team after starting from pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
. Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
finished second in a McLaren car, with Robert Kubica
Robert Kubica
Robert Józef Kubica is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006...
third in a BMW Sauber
BMW Sauber
BMW has been involved in Formula One in a number of capacities since the inauguration of the World Drivers' Championship in . The company entered occasional races in the 1950s and 1960s , before building the BMW M12/13 inline-four turbocharged engine in the 1980s...
.
During the race Massa was reprimanded by the stewards and fined €10,000 for nearly colliding with Adrian Sutil
Adrian Sutil
-Biography:Sutil is the son of professional musicians Monika, a German, and Jorge, a Uruguayan. He has two brothers named Daniel and Raphael. He weighs 165 pounds and is 6 feet tall. A talented pianist, Sutil started karting at 14 before moving up to Swiss Formula Ford 1800 in 2002...
's car in the pits, but the Brazilian kept his victory.
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
The 2009 European Grand Prix was held on August 23, 2009. It was the 11th race of the 2009 Formula One season2009 Formula One season
The 2009 Formula One season was the 60th FIA Formula One World Championship season. The season took place over 17 rounds, and started with the on 29 March 2009. It ended on 1 November 2009 with the inaugural ....
. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Gonçalves "Rubinho" Barrichello is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He is currently racing for Williams F1.Barrichello has scored the seventh highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from to , as Michael Schumacher's teammate, enjoying considerable...
for the Brawn
Brawn GP
Brawn GP Formula One Team, the trading name of Brawn GP Limited, was a Formula One motor racing team and constructor, created by a management buyout of Honda Racing F1 Team. It only competed in the 2009 Formula One World Championship, with drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. The team...
team after Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
took pole in the McLaren. Hamilton came second, while Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Matias Räikkönen , nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racing driver, who will drive in Formula One for Lotus in . After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship from 2009-2011.Räikkönen entered...
took third in the Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
car. It marked the first race of Frenchman Romain Grosjean
Romain Grosjean
Romain Grosjean is a racing driver, who holds dual nationality from France and Switzerland, but competes under a French racing licence. He was the 2007 Formula Three Euroseries drivers' champion and the inaugural GP2 Asia Series champion and drove in Formula One in 2009...
in the Renault
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
. Barrichello's victory was the 100th for a Brazilian driver.
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 season2010 Formula One season
The 2010 Formula One season was the 61st Formula One season of World Championship motor racing competition. Red Bull Racing won its maiden Constructors' Championship with a one-two finish in Brazil, while Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race...
. The race, contested over 57 laps, was won by Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel is a German Formula One racing driver, currently driving for Red Bull Racing. He is the current World Champion, having won the championship in and ....
for Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing is a Formula One racing team based in Milton Keynes, England which currently holds an Austrian licence. It is, along with Scuderia Toro Rosso, one of two teams owned by beverage company Red Bull GmbH. The team have won two Constructors' Championship titles, in and , becoming the...
after starting from pole. McLaren
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup...
team-mates Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
and Jenson Button
Jenson Button
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion.Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British...
came second and third respectively. Championship contender Mark Webber
Mark Webber
Mark Alan Webber is an Australian Formula One driver.After some racing success in Australia, Webber moved to the United Kingdom in 1995 to further his motorsport career...
was involved in an accident with the Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen is a Finnish Formula One racing driver who spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons with British based team McLaren and the 2010 and 2011 seasons with Team Lotus....
, resulting in the Australian's car launching into a flip, before crashing into the barriers. The release of the Safety car
Safety car
In motorsport, a safety car or pace car is a car which limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of a caution period such as an obstruction on the track. During a caution period the safety car enters the track ahead of the leader...
following the accident led to a controversial moment in the race, with Hamilton passing the safety car while Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
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.
2011 European Grand Prix
The 2011 European Grand Prix was the eighth race of the 2011 Formula One season2011 Formula One season
The 2011 Formula One season was the 62nd FIA Formula One season. The original calendar consisted of twenty rounds, including the inaugural running of the Indian Grand Prix before the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Pirelli returned to the sport as tyre supplier for all teams, taking over...
and was held on 26 June 2011. It was won by defending champion and championship leader Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel is a German Formula One racing driver, currently driving for Red Bull Racing. He is the current World Champion, having won the championship in and ....
who started from pole position and delivered a fastest lap on lap 53, giving him a hat-trick. Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
and Mark Webber
Mark Webber
Mark Alan Webber is an Australian Formula One driver.After some racing success in Australia, Webber moved to the United Kingdom in 1995 to further his motorsport career...
finished second and third after a race-long battle. The race was notable for having the fewest retirements, 0, and the most finishers, 24, ever in a Grand Prix. Vettel became the first multiple winner of the European Grand Prix
European Grand Prix
The European Grand Prix is a Formula One event that was reintroduced during the mid-1980s and has been held regularly since 1999. From 2008 it will take place for at least another 7 years...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Red Bull
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing is a Formula One racing team based in Milton Keynes, England which currently holds an Austrian licence. It is, along with Scuderia Toro Rosso, one of two teams owned by beverage company Red Bull GmbH. The team have won two Constructors' Championship titles, in and , becoming the...
became the first ever multiple constructor winner.
See also
- List of Formula One circuits
- Circuit de ValenciaCircuit de ValenciaCircuit Ricardo Tormo, also known as Circuit de Valencia and officially named Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, is a motorsport race track located in Cheste and built in 1999. It has a capacity of 120,000 spectators and seating for 60,000...
– another motor racing circuit in Valencia used for MotoGP Valencian Community motorcycle Grand PrixValencian Community motorcycle Grand PrixThe Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event held in Spain that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. The event takes place at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo .-Multiple winners :...
.
External links
- The F1 Valencia Street Circuit Guide Site
- The F1 Valencia Street Circuit Official Site
- Valencia Street Circuit guide from Official F1 Site
- BBC's circuit guide
- More Monza than Monaco – why Valencia's no ordinary street circuit
- City limits: Toyota on what to expect in Valencia
- A lap of Valencia with Honda’s Mike Conway
- Facts and figures – Valencia and its new street circuit
- Valencia – the technical requirements
- Valencia F1 Street Circuit in Google Maps