European GP - Thumbs Up for new track
Valencia, 22nd August 2008
In the weeks leading up to this weekend, the brand new Valencia street circuit has been compared to Monaco and Canada and the first day of practice did indeed highlight some similarities: the harbour setting of the Principality, the dusty track conditions of Montreal, but one unexpected factor was that the heat and humidity in the pit garages approached that usually experienced at the Malaysian Grand Prix. With the trucks parked undercover in what used to be a fish market, the hot air generated by the cars and equipment stays trapped inside, making it a tough working day for the mechanics. As for the drivers, having their first ever real laps of a circuit most of them had only seen on simulators in the factory, the general consensus is that this brand new street circuit is a success, partly because it has managed to include some fast sections and generous run-off areas at key points.
Kimi Raikkonen had the honour of setting the fastest time of the day on this very first running at the Valencia street circuit, taking his Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro F2008 round the track in a time of 1.39.477. It's an optimistic start to the weekend for the Finn who last won a grand prix when the championship came to Spain for the first time this year in May for the race in Barcelona. Second fastest was the man that all the crowds are here to see, Renault's Fernando Alonso. A surprising third fastest this afternoon was Jenson Button in the Honda, who lapped just 0.132 seconds faster than Ferrari's Felipe Massa in fourth place. Completing the top six were the two McLaren-Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen in that order. Despite the dusty track the Ferrari duo nevertheless completed 54 laps in the morning - 27 a piece and 61 in the afternoon, with the Finn doing 30 and the Brazilian one more. The track conditions improved very rapidly during the day and we can expect to see lap times come down significantly in tomorrow morning's final hour of free practice before the excitement of the first ever Valencia qualifying session in the afternoon.
In the weeks leading up to this weekend, the brand new Valencia street circuit has been compared to Monaco and Canada and the first day of practice did indeed highlight some similarities: the harbour setting of the Principality, the dusty track conditions of Montreal, but one unexpected factor was that the heat and humidity in the pit garages approached that usually experienced at the Malaysian Grand Prix. With the trucks parked undercover in what used to be a fish market, the hot air generated by the cars and equipment stays trapped inside, making it a tough working day for the mechanics. As for the drivers, having their first ever real laps of a circuit most of them had only seen on simulators in the factory, the general consensus is that this brand new street circuit is a success, partly because it has managed to include some fast sections and generous run-off areas at key points.
Kimi Raikkonen had the honour of setting the fastest time of the day on this very first running at the Valencia street circuit, taking his Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro F2008 round the track in a time of 1.39.477. It's an optimistic start to the weekend for the Finn who last won a grand prix when the championship came to Spain for the first time this year in May for the race in Barcelona. Second fastest was the man that all the crowds are here to see, Renault's Fernando Alonso. A surprising third fastest this afternoon was Jenson Button in the Honda, who lapped just 0.132 seconds faster than Ferrari's Felipe Massa in fourth place. Completing the top six were the two McLaren-Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen in that order. Despite the dusty track the Ferrari duo nevertheless completed 54 laps in the morning - 27 a piece and 61 in the afternoon, with the Finn doing 30 and the Brazilian one more. The track conditions improved very rapidly during the day and we can expect to see lap times come down significantly in tomorrow morning's final hour of free practice before the excitement of the first ever Valencia qualifying session in the afternoon.
History of "Menu dei Motori"
DESIGN PROJECT
UNIVERSITA' DI MODENA
Comments
Nessun commento presente
Add Comment