Barcelona’s decision to abandon plans to alternate its annual grand prix hosting rights has caught Valencia by surprise.
It was believed Barcelona, the regular host of the annual Spanish grand prix, had agreed with European GP venue Valencia to annually alternate a single spot on the schedule from now on. Valencia is duly absent from next year’s calendar.
Valencia is hoping to return to the F1 calendar in 2014.
The Spanish street race – recently the regular host of the European grand prix – has dropped off the sport’s schedule for next season. But it has been suggested that Spain’s two F1 hosts, Valencia and Barcelona, will alternate the Spanish grand prix from now on.
Sebastian Vettel has denied ever suggesting the FIA deployed the safety car at Valencia as a deliberate ploy to spoil his race.
The reigning world champion, and Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, were quoted after the recent European grand prix as implying that Charlie Whiting only neutralised the race to deliberately curb Vettel’s runaway race lead. Shortly after the safety car period, ostensibly to clear crash debris from the track, the furious Vettel’s RB8 failed.
Valencia winner Fernando Alonso, and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, only narrowly avoided penalties at the recent European grand prix.
Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport has revealed the details of a team bosses meeting that took place at Silverstone on Thursday. They were told by FIA officials that Alonso and Hamilton technically broke the rules at Valencia, and would have been sanctioned if rival teams lodged official protests.
Sebastian Vettel has been warned to watch his manners, according to Germany’s Kolner Express newspaper.
After Valencia, where following his retirement the Red Bull driver admitted he suspected a conspiracy, German motor sport association president Hans-Joachim Stuck said Vettel needed to be careful about being cited for “unsportsmanlike conduct”. Vettel had suggested the safety car was called onto the Spanish circuit chiefly to cut his huge lead.
Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull should tread carefully in accusing the FIA of a conspiracy to enliven last weekend’s Valencia race. That is the view of Hans-Joachim Stuck, the president of the German motor sport association DMSB.
Red Bull has called for a clarification about how the DRS overtaking system can be used whilst yellow flags are being waved.
Written off beforehand as a ‘boring’ race, Valencia in fact hosted a frenzy of overtaking manoeuvres last Sunday.
Before the race, Jenson Button and Mark Webber wrote off their chances of climbing through the field on the basis that passing is always almost impossible between the Spanish street layout’s concrete barriers. But the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat has counted up the genuine passing moves in Sunday’s race, and the tally is 58 — second only to China in 2012.
The legality of Red Bull’s RB8 could come under the spotlight yet again.
Italy’s Autosprint is reporting that Mark Webber’s car only narrowly passed post-race scrutineering at Valencia after officials “examined carefully” the new rear suspension layout. Allied with the innovative ‘double floor’ which was also debuted last weekend, the developments helped Sebastian Vettel to set pole and dominate the Spanish street race until his retirement.
Valencia flagged a major headache for F1 engine supplier Renault.
Not only did Lotus’ Romain Grosjean break down with a failed alternator, so too did Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel. Initially, it appeared the failures were coincidental, but Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport now reports a common link. And, reportedly, Renault now suspects that a problem suffered by Caterham’s Vitaly Petrov in Monte Carlo was also similar.
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