Valencia, dull? 2012 begs to differ. Race winner, Fernando Alonso started from eleventh while nobody from the front two rows left with points in a topsy-turvy race that revolved around a mid-race safety car period and a series of retirements at the sharp end of the running order. The safety car was a big factor in the strategies too…

Who says qualifying at Valencia can’t be interesting? We might have anticipated a close qualifying session given that FP2 had seen 15 drivers setting times within one second of the leader, but Mark Webber’s surprise exit from the first session had not seemed likely.

Formula One, the America’s Cup and the construction of the City of Arts and Sciences by architect Santiago Calatrava, have made Valencia a city in transition. Massive construction and transformation over the last 10 years have turned a once little-considered port into one of the most fashionable destinations on the Mediterranean…

This weekend sees the fifth and final European Grand Prix to be held at the Circuito Urbano Valencia before it alternates with Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya as host of the Spanish Grand Prix. The circuit has been roundly criticised since joining the calendar in 2008 but the unpredictability of this season should offset the negatives. It may not live up to the hype of an eighth winner but we’ll still be spoilt with a choice of seven potential second-time winners…

It’s been a while since I’ve done some statistical analysis so having been fascinated by a comment from Reboot in Viva’s forum I felt the need to investigate further. I couldn’t recollect any specific examples of traffic having held Hamilton up after a pitstop so it was off to the FIA’s timing data to see if there was anything obvious that had happened, however the initial look revealed that the pitstop times of the two drivers were very similar. So what had caused the discrepancy?

Sebastian Vettel extended his World Championship lead with his sixth win in eight races in 2011 at the Valencia street circuit. It was a perfect weekend for Vettel who claimed the win, pole and fastest lap. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso denied Red Bull a 1-2 finish though, pipping Mark Webber to second with the Australian completing the podium…