European Grand Prix 2011, Valencia Street Circuit - Race 8/19

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Valencia Street Circuit

Friday 24 June
First practice: 0855-1035, BBC Red Button/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Second practice: 1255-1435, BBC Red Button/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online

Saturday 25 June
Third practice: 0955-1105, BBC Red Button/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Qualifying: 1210-1415, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online

Sunday 26 June
Grand Prix live: 1200-1530, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 live/online
F1 forum: 1530-1630, BBC Red Button/online
Highlights: 1900-2000, BBC Three

Standings:

Track:

Track Diagram

Track DRS
The European Grand Prix will be the second race this year to feature two DRS zones per lap.

As in Canada, there will be only only detection point, meaning a driver can continue to use DRS in the second zone even if they complete a pass in the first zone.

The zones are positioned on two of the longest straights on the Valencia street track:

Circuit information
Lap length 5.419km (3.367 miles)
Race laps 57
Race distance 308.883km (191.931 miles)
Lap record* 1’38.683 (197.688 kph) by Timo Glock, 2009
Fastest lap 1’37.587 (199.908 kph) by Sebastian Vettel, 2010
Maximum speed (2010) 314.5 kph (195.421 mph) by Sébastien Buemi, Toro Rosso
DRS zone (race) Two straights

Car performance
Full throttle 69%
Power loss 6%
Tyre energy (1-3) 3
Brake energy (1-3) 1
Downforce level Medium
Gear changes per lap 64
Fuel use per lap 2.9kg

Strategy
Pit lane time loss 21 seconds
2011 prime tyre**: Medium (2010: Medium)
2011 option tyre**: Soft (2010: Super Soft)

Team Preview
Pirelli

Red Bull Not uploaded yet
McLaren
Ferrari
Mercedes
Renault
Williams
Force India Not uploaded yet
Sauber
Toro Rosso Not uploaded yet
Lotus
Hispania
Virgin Not uploaded yet


Classic F1
Nico Rosberg - classic F1 2011
Nico Rosberg is the latest grand prix driver to select his five favourite all-time races for our classic Formula 1 series.

Nico Rosberg's classic F1 - South African Grand Prix 1985
Watch highlights from the 1985 South African Grand Prix as Nigel Mansell wins at Kyalami as his Williams team-mate Keke Rosberg puts in one of best ever drives to eventually finish second.

Nico Rosberg's classic F1 - British Grand Prix 1987
Watch highlights from the 1987 British Grand Prix as Nigel Mansell beats Williams team-mate Nelson Piquet to rapturous scenes from the home crowd.

Nico Rosberg's classic F1 - Belgian Grand Prix 2000
Watch highlights from the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix as Mika Hakkinen pulls off one of the greatest overtaking manoeuvres in F1 history to win ahead of Michael Schumacher.

Nico Rosberg's classic F1 - Brazilian Grand Prix 2008
Watch highlights from the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix as Felipe Massa wins but Lewis Hamilton is crowned champion after a dramatic final lap at Interlagos.

Classic F1 - European Grand Prix 2010
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel wins an action-packed European Grand Prix in Valencia, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button second and third.

Technical Changes - Canada

Weather Forecast
Practice 1 Fri 10:00
Practice 2 Fri 14:00

Practice 3 Sat 11:00
Qualifying Sat 14:00

Race Sun 14:00

News

• Latest FIA technical clampdown 'set to impact all teams'
  All of Formula 1’s teams will have to change procedures on their cars from this weekend’s European Grand Prix after being informed by the FIA of an immediate clampdown on qualifying-only engine mapping settings, reckons Renault’s technical director James Allison.
• Pirelli confirms more durable medium tyre for Europe
  Pirelli has confirmed the medium compound tyre given to teams to evaluate in Friday practice at the Canadian Grand Prix will be pressed into full race weekend service in Valencia, as the white-banded tyres make their first official appearance of the season.
• Red Bull set to roll out 'significant' KERS fixes
  Red Bull will bring some “significant fixes” to the forthcoming grands prix in a bid to finally eradicate the remaining glitches with their KERS system.
• Lewis Hamilton: I'll get my season back on track in Valencia
  Lewis Hamilton says he wants to get his season back on track and 'consolidate' in Valencia next weekend, after two troubled grands prix.
• Button believes in McLaren's ability to fight for title
  Jenson Button believes his sensational Canadian Grand Prix victory proved McLaren can seriously contend for this year’s world championship despite Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s big leads in both points tables.
• Ferrari deserve a change of luck – Alonso
  Fernando Alonso feels Ferrari have been plagued by bad luck so far this season but is hopeful their fortune is about to turn in Valencia having shown at the last two races that they are “clearly capable of winning”.
• Renault determined to keep Mercedes at bay
  Renault team boss Eric Boullier says his current goal is to ensure his squad stay ahead of Mercedes going into Formula 1's summer break.
• Williams eye first two-car points finish of season
  Williams are hoping further revisions to their FW33’s diffuser for this weekend’s European Grand Prix will provide a further step forward in performance and they can achieve their first two-car points finish of the season.
• Perez feeling ‘perfectly well' for European GP return
  Sergio Perez expects to return to race action for the first time since his heavy Monaco Grand Prix qualifying crash last month in Valencia next week, the young Mexican reporting on Friday that he feels “perfectly well".

Driver Chnages



The track and TV coverage starts


FIA Press Conference
Europe preview quotes - Williams, Ferrari, Force India & more
After the streets of Montreal’s Ile Notre Dame, Formula One racing heads to the streets of Valencia. But in the place of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve’s high-speed, low-downforce layout, come the Spanish track’s demanding twists and turns. There are 25 corners in total - the highest number of any currently-used circuit - all of which test the drivers to the maximum. They and senior team personnel look ahead to the forthcoming 2011 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe...

Canada preview - now or never to halt Red Bull rampage?


FIA Thursday press conference - Europe
Drivers - Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber), Vitantonio Liuzzi (HRT), Mark Webber (Red Bull).

Friday practice - selected team and driver quotes
It may have been business as usual on Friday morning in Valencia, with Red Bull’s Mark Webber leading the pack, but by the afternoon session the advantage had shifted to Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. The drivers and senior team personnel report on the opening day of the European round…

FIA Friday press conference - Europe
Team representatives - Ross Brawn (Mercedes), Mike Gascoyne (Team Lotus), James Key (Sauber), Geoff Willis (HRT), Franz Tost (Toro Rosso).

FIA post-qualifying press conference - Europe
Drivers: 1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 2 - Mark Webber (Red Bull), 3 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)

Qualifying - selected team and driver quotes
Lotus’s Jarno Trulli on spinning on his last lap during Q1 and finishing 20th on the grid; Williams’ Pastor Maldonado on why he brought out the red flags; Force India’s Adrian Sutil on making it through to the top-ten shootout; and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber on locking out the front row. All the drivers and leading team personnel report back on Saturday in Valencia…


Technical changes Valencia

Practice 1

Practice One - Webber quickest for Red Bull in Valencia
Mark Webber struck a blow against the hopes of rivals that the revised engine mapping rules might hurt Red Bull this weekend by setting the fastest time in Friday morning's opening practice session by 0.824s.

Highlights - Mark Webber sets European GP first practice pace
Watch highlights from the first free practice session for the European Grand Prix as Mark Webber sets the pace on the streets of Valencia.

The European Grand Prix - Practice One
Coverage of the first practice session of the European Grand Prix from the Valencia Street Circuit, Spain.


Practice 2

Practice Two - Alonso fights back for Ferrari
Just when it seemed that Red Bull had a sizeable grasp on things on Friday afternoon in Valencia, the times tightened up considerably as drivers switched from Pirelli’s medium prime tyre to the softer option, and that saw the first seven of them covered by just over half a second.

Highlights - European GP second practice
Watch highlights from the second free practice session for the European Grand Prix as Ferrari's Fernando Alonso edges out Lewis Hamilton in a competitive session in Valencia.

The European Grand Prix - Practice Two
Coverage of the second practice session of the European Grand Prix from the Valencia Street Circuit, Spain.

Practice 3

Final practice - Vettel moves ahead in Valencia
Sebastian Vettel ended up where his rivals feared he would in Valencia’s final practice session on Saturday morning, almost half a second clear of the field.

Qualifying

Qualifying - Vettel on pole as Red Bull dominate
Sebastian Vettel needed only one hot lap in the final qualifying to secure his seventh pole position of the season for Red Bull in Valencia. Just after Lewis Hamilton had lapped his McLaren in 1m 37.380s to set the Q3 pace after the first runs, Vettel replied with 1m 36.975s, and that was it. Job done.

Highlights - European Grand Prix qualifying
Watch highlights as Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel storms to an emphatic seventh pole position of 2011 ahead of team-mate Mark Webber and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in Valencia.

Sebastian Vettel's European GP pole lap
Ride on board with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel as the German secures his seventh pole position of the season in qualifying for the European Grand Prix in Valencia.

The European Grand Prix - Qualifying
Jake Humphrey introduces live coverage of qualifying for the European Grand Prix in Spain, with commentary from Martin Brundle and David Coulthard.


Grid

Race

Race - Vettel wins from Alonso in Valencia
Sebastian Vettel scored his sixth victory of the season in Valencia on Sunday, without anyone getting anywhere close to his Red Bull.

Formula 1 highlights - European Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel controls the race from start to finish to win the European Grand Prix in Valencia, ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber.

Standings

 

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As always there's two technical changes. Surinam changes will be released Saturday and on wards.

 

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It is banning of something on a switch. However the fia have to approve any software on the ecu. So if the ecu can't have the software on it and thus the switch won't work. I am sure fia will be checking the ECU extra hard for the next couple of races. If they even need to, the telemetry should show it easily.

Its not re programming as prety sure that's against the rules, as I understand it there are just a few engine maps on the ecu and you can switch between them. Fia are just going to make. Sure there isn't a qaulifying one on the ecu.

 

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But I don't see how that works, because they can't have standard maps that all teams use, because their engines will require different maps to work. Therefore unless they title one of the maps "Qually", how are the FIA going to know that a specific map is a qually map?

No they don't have standard maps, teams are allowed to use and make what ever maps they want.
Through telemetry and code. It's pretty easy to tell what the engine is doing.

All it means is they can't have one map that has massive amounts of OTBD and another map with hardly any.

 

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This has nothing to do with them checking there isn't a 'Quali' map on the ECU, it is a ban on them reprogramming the ECU between qualifying and the race.

If the teams having to reprogram the ECU between quali and the race then it clearly cannot be something that is simply changed by a switch (why would you reprogram something when you could just switch it on or off?!?).

Unless you are suggesting the FIA have banned something that doesn't exist....

Didn't realise, that got a link? I thought that wasn't allowed. And it can be programmed on the fly, as anything on the ecu has to be approved by the fia first.

 

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Never mind, your right

“Finally, with immediate effect, it will no longer be possible to reprogram the ECU configuration between qualifying and the race in the expectation that this will discourage extreme ECU set-ups for qualifying – previously electronic access to the ECU under parc fermé conditions had been explicitly permitted.”

Then how does the fuel and other settings work. As that means they don't hold a few engine maps on the ecu which is what I assumed happened.
Or I sit literally just turning down the fuel flow rate with the same map?

 

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My prediction is that Vettel won't blow Webber away like he has been doing so far this season now that qualifying engine maps are banned, I'm convinced that's what Red Bull have been doing to keep Vettel on pole. It also explains how McLaren are regularly able to match Vettel in race trim.

Don't forget the accusations haven't just be about OTBD but also the rear wing being much larger, but means they gain a big advantage in qauli as they can use DRS, but lose time in race.
Flexible wings and probably other stuff.

 

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But if they can store maps, then the ban this weekend makes no difference as it just stops reprogramming in parc ferme.
Standard ecu where never to sto stop teams using there own stuff, just to lock down what they can and of course if you know the course code it's a lot easier to find whats happening.
I'm shocked that they don't need fia approval.

 

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Why don't they show this on bbc3 as it's just showing a holding screen. That way could watch it On catchup tv.

 

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Raised a chuckle from me

Brilliant

 

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I believe it's a technical issue. Obviously on freeview BBC3 and CBBC share the same frequency. It's simply software that 'hides' the channel behind a holding screen.

Naturally, on SKY/Virgin it's not so much of an issue.

That makes sense I've always wondered why as it wouldn't cost anything. Now I can stop wondering.

 

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I was just wondering why you think its a ridiculous and stupid rule change, considering the existing parc ferme regulations? If anything, its ridiculous and stupid that its been allowed to go on at all in the first place.

Perhaps because there's an explicit exception in the rules for engine maps, so I and others agree that it's retarded halfway through the season. Like f-duct and DD should have been left till the end of the season and banned in 2012.

 

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That's becuase there are explicit rules that allow the fia to changes rites wring if they feel that the tests are replicating race conditions. So. Again it's not similar.

It's also not a rule clarification, it's a total rule change.
Your right it's not new, but that doesn't make it right.

 

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A discussion and a moan. I mean that's what discussions and conversations are based on. Or shall we just have a results thread with no chat?

 

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Solely at RBR? Who said that, all but one team runs it to one degree or another.

 

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But then the question must be asked, if its a change in the rules that affects nearly all the teams (or all the teams that matter), whats the problem?

you don't see a problem with changing rules half way through a season,as I said this is nit a clarification, there was a written in exclusion to engine maps.
Add to that the inconsistency, they allow DD and f-duct which where specifically included. Yet something which is so actually included and written into the rules they ban it.

 

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When the cost/effort of implementing this change is minimal, no, i don't see a problem at all. Are the FIA not allowed to plug holes in their rules that the teams start exploiting?

Shouldn't be. it's also not a hole. It is EXPLECITLY written into the rules.

Banning f-duct means no such thing. It just need the hole blocking up.

Banning OTBD may also need major redesigns as it will unbalance the cars.


Your question should be why ban it? What are they achieving by it. It's not safety, it's not against the rules. They are panicking again about the championship and I expect to fail.

 

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Ok, so if the FIA aren't allowed to develop the rules, the teams shouldn't be allowed to develop the cars. If the regulations have to remain fixed at how they are before the season starts, then the cars must to do to?

What rubbish are tpyou talking, really take another read of that and have a think. How does one follow the other.

If it's a grey area fia can make a design. If it is allowed in the rules fia should take. No action. Especially as 11 teams have it I implemented.

 

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oTBD will unbalance the cars, how much remains to be seen. As the downforce is generated at the rear. The one less effected should be Renault due to their forward exhausts.

Again why ban q maps? Its allowed in the rules to change engine maps. What is the reason?
Why do it? On what grounds?

 

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Costs n money?
There will be a lot of reworking in the coming races for both q-maps and OTBd and new aero for it.

And no fia should not make rules up halfway through the season. They should make up rules in advance and where needed clarify grey areas.

You still advent given one reason why it should be banned? Other than fia trying to influence championship.