Formula One / Thomas Cowie / 20 August 2009 /

After a busy month away, F1 returns this weekend. Betting.Betfair's man about the track, Tom Cowie tells you everything you need to know about the venue for the European Grand Prix...

If a week is a long time in politics, then a month is an eternity in F1. Twenty-five days after Lewis Hamilton sensationally took the chequered flag in Budapest, the all too familiar aspects of modern F1, namely accusations, sanctions and terminations have re-emerged.

Renault's one race ban after Fernando Alonso's car lost an unsecured wheel after a pit stop was almost certainly a reaction to the injuries sustained by Felipe Massa the previous day, and the tragic death of Henry Surtees at Brands Hatch the previous weekend. In both cases, the drivers were hit by debris from other cars. Renault's ban has now been rescinded and they will race in Spain.

Renault also used the four week break to put Nelson Piquet Jnr out of his misery. The Brazilian has struggled all season, and it was a case of when rather than if the notoriously impatient Flavio Briatore would wield the axe. Frenchman Romain Grosjean makes the step up from test driver to race driver, and will partner Alonso for the rest of the season.

Ferrari have also promoted a test driver, though in very different circumstances. Luca Badoer, their test driver of 10 years will substitute for the convalescing Massa, though how long this unexpected promotion will last depends on Massa's head, and Michael Schumacher's neck, currently not strong enough to withstand F1 G-forces after two years in retirement.

Unlike Grosjean, Badoer is an F1 veteran, having last raced in 1999 for Minardi. He holds the unenviable record of having made the most GP starts without scoring a single point - Valencia will be his 49th, and potentially final chance to break his duck. He certainly knows the car inside out, but to say he may be a little race rusty would be a masterpiece of understatement.

The 3.3 mile street circuit through the port region of Valencia will certainly not allow him any early mistakes. The track consists of 25 corners, with a top speed of 201 mph. The circuit's trademark feature is the 140 metre swing bridge, which allows the cars to cross from one side of the port to the other.

At last year's inaugural GP, Massa dominated the weekend, winning from pole, and setting the fastest lap for good measure. Hamilton finished second, and the combination of this and his incredible win in Hungary makes him the market leader at [4.0] for the win.

Despite suffering retirement in Hungary, Sebastian Vettel's race odds remain healthy at 4.6. He brought his Torro Rosso home in the points here last year, and will be looking to do the same this year driving its' big brother.

After a windfall of points in recent races, Mark Webber has announced himself as a serious contender for the title. Still regarded as the unofficial number two driver at Red Bull, Webber must continue to outperform Vettel if the team is to back him for the title ahead of the young German.

Brawn GP continue to struggle. Their new developments failed to stop the rot in Hungary, and they are currently treading water, their lead in both Championships slowly but surely diminishing. A podium finish for Button (9.4) simply must come soon to stop their alarming slide from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Ferrari continue to improve, with Kimi Raikkonen scoring the Scuderia's third podium in five races in Hungary. For a team that looks on every one of its employees as part of the same family, the accident that befell Massa will have been a big blow. It is now up to the notoriously insular Raikkonen to galvanise the team and lead from the front. At [15.0] for the win, he could do just that.

With seven races to go, the Championship is once again heading for a photo finish. Red Bull and Brawn remain the main Championship protagonists, but with Ferrari and McLaren now capable of podium finishes, the chances of a runaway championship winner - a foregone conclusion Four months ago, now seems increasingly unlikely.

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