Formula 1 Betting: Hamilton will relish Valencia road test

Formula One / Thomas Cowie / 18 August 2008 / Leave a Comment

Tom Cowie looks ahead to the European Grand Prix where teamwork will be essential.

Round 12 of the 2008 season is almost upon us, and takes the F1 circus back to Spain for the European Grand Prix. Created as a means of allowing a country to host two Grand Prix in the same season, the race recently spent eight years at the Nurburgring a direct result of the popularity in Germany of Michael Schumacher.

Having scrapped the European GP on the grounds that it was unfair on the other host countries, Bernie Ecclestone reversed his decision in the wake of the popularity in Spain of Fernando Alonso. His brace of World titles converted a nation of motoGP fans, indifferent towards F1, in to flag waving, horn blowing F1 fanatics virtually overnight.

Valencia is Spain's third biggest city, and until now, it's only involvement in F1 has been as a winter testing venue, allowing teams to run their new cars in rather more pleasant conditions than the UK can offer in mid January.

The new venue may be a street circuit with 25 corners, but it's quick. A top speed of 200mph down the back straight means this street circuit is more like Long Beach than Monaco. The circuit weaves its way through the port area of Valencia, and crosses from the North Marina to the South via a specially constructed swing bridge.

With no experience of the circuit whatsoever, the teams will need to quickly find the best set up. To do this, they need the drivers to learn the circuit and get up to top speed as soon as possible in order to accurately evaluate each set up option. Strong teamwork is going to be essential, especially as the ideal will most likely be a compromise between grip in the slow corners, and straight line speed.

Street circuit racing is a unique skill - hence the number of drivers over the years who have won multiple times in Monaco. It requires higher levels of concentration and accuracy, and represents an opportunity for drivers in lesser teams to shine.

Based on their strong performances round the streets of the Principality, expect strong performances from the likes of Webber, Barrachello, and Vettel.

Last time out in Hungary, Felipe Massa did exactly what he needed to - he bullied his way past Hamilton, and showed a clean pair of heels to his teammate, only to be let down by the car 3 laps from home. He now needs to produce the same level of performance, and hope that this time reliability is on his side. He is currently trading at [4.2] for the win.

Raikkonen lucked in to a podium in Hungary after Hamilton's puncture, and Massa's retirement. Despite a string of poor performances, fortune has kept him in the running. He must capitalize on this with a strong performance in Valencia before his luck runs out. His odds of [3.75] are rather flattering when you consider that he hasn't stood on the top step of the podium for seven races.

Hamilton will be confident as ever - he has a good record on street circuits, reflected by his odds of [2.52], and will relish the new challenge here. However, he will also be aware of Massa's resurgence in Hungary, and the fact that he had no answer to the Brazilian's pace before a puncture ended his victory challenge.

The battle for the Constructor's crown is getting closer - Ferrari are still favourite's at 1.56, but Mclaren are closing the gap, now trading at 2.94, courtesy of Kovalainen's maiden victory in Budapest.

With seven races remaining, and only eight points separating the top three drivers, the Championship remains wide open. It will be fascinating to see which team and driver combination comes out on top in Valencia.