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STAR Sports race commentator Steve Slater is a veritable encyclopaedia of motor racing and has been a journalist, race-organiser, radio broadcaster, and commentator. Slater offers his insights before the Formula One European Grand Prix this weekend.
All eyes will be on the continuing battle between McLaren and Ferrari as the championship shoot-out resumes in Valencia this weekend. But maybe, just maybe, we’ll see a surprise winner from another team, as the vagaries of a new track might just lead to someone springing a surprise.
The street circuit which hosts the European Grand Prix sweeps around the King Juan Carlos I yacht marina that hosted the Americas Cup last year. The track is more likely to have similarities with Singapore’s floodlit venue than Monaco.
The track is wide but doesn’t have sufficiently long straights to allow horsepower advantage to show. That could be music to Fernando Alonso’s ears. The Renault engine has a clear horsepower disadvantage compared to rivals. The Valencia track will let Alonso show off his car control and racecraft to adoring home fans.
Fernando has already joked about ‘getting up early’ to beat rivals, but he has a serious point. “We must do our best to find our reference points quicker than the others in order to spring a surprise”, said Fernando.
The faster you learn the track, the more likely you are to qualify well and, if you do that, the odds will favour a good result. Enter McLaren. Although none of the Formula One teams have been allowed to run significant on-track testing during the three week-long ‘summer break’, there hasn’t been much evidence of anyone taking a holiday. Every team has been working flat-out behind the scenes to boost performance.
Driver to watch: Lewis Hamilton. I know it’s a predictable choice, but Hamilton has an opportunity to take control of the World Championship with a victory in Valencia. The McLaren arguably remains the superior car to the Ferrari and as Lewis proved in Monaco, he can match aggression with precision. He is also perfectly supported by team-mate Kovalainen. The big question is will Ferrari put up a real fight?
Will it be the scientific approach of Hamilton, Kovalainen or Massa that wins? Or the raw talent of Raikkonen or Alonso? Or even a real outsider like Red Bull’s Mark Webber, who thrives on new tracks? Only one way to find out- sit tight and tune into the European Grand Prix this weekend.
Images courtesy of Action Images.
For more information visit www.espnstar.com and Steve Slater's blog.
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