Q and A with Jarno Trulli

Conducted and provided by Toyota's press office.

Q. Did you have an enjoyable summer break?

Jarno Trulli: It was good and it was nice to be able to spend some time with the family. The F1 calendar might not be as packed as NASCAR but it is still pretty busy because our season is more compact and you have the testing programme to concentrate on between races.

With the August testing ban we took the opportunity to go across to the US. I didn't go to any races but we did actually spend a day with Juan Pablo Montoya and his family in Miami. It was nice to spend some time together away from the race track. Instead of being in the paddock it was great to be on the beach with our wives!

Q. What were your impressions of Valencia?

JT: I think they did a good job and it is a great new venue for Formula 1. It is always nice when you have a race in the middle of a city. The atmosphere was nice and this year's race was extra special because it was the first one.

Q. What about the circuit itself?

JT: It was not what you would call a typical street circuit with slow average speeds. The race-winning average was 193km/h and there was more run-off than normal at a street track. I was expecting that there would be some incidents in the race but in fact we got through without any Safety Car appearances, which was unexpected.

Q. Were you happy with fifth place in the race?

JT: Yes, it was a strong performance by the whole team. The weekend didn't start well for me on the Friday because I wasn't happy with the car balance. You always have to be extra careful on a street circuit, especially a new one, because there is a lot of dust and a lack of grip on the first day. I learn circuits quickly so that was no problem, but the track does come to you even more when the tyre rubber goes down. You notice that a lot in Monaco and I was expecting the same. I changed quite a bit for Saturday morning, but didn't have the opportunity to evaluate the car in final practice.

Q. What was the problem?

JT: There was an issue with the gearbox oil pump. We replaced it twice and then it broke down again so we changed some of the ancillaries as well. It basically meant that I missed out on Saturday morning free practice and went into qualifying blind.

Q. So how surprised were you to be fastest of all in Q1 and less than 0.1s from fastest Q2 time?

JT: It was a nice surprise because I didn't know what to expect. If I'm honest, I found the car much easier on lighter fuel than with a heavier load, especially after missing third practice. Because I'd changed the set-up completely and not tried it at all on Saturday morning, in qualifying I was just driving with what I had. I managed to get it right in Q1 and repeated the lap in Q2. I did a decent lap at the start of Q3 and then on my final run I was three tenths up in the first sector but made a mistake and aborted the lap. The potential was maybe fifth but in the circumstances I couldn't be too unhappy.

Q. Did the race go to plan?

JT: I made quite a good start so I was fighting for points straight away. I was behind Sebastian Vettel and although I felt I could go a bit quicker, there was no way to pass. I didn't lose too much ground though and I went two laps longer than him in the first stint so got past in the pit stops. I was able to maintain a strong pace without pushing too hard and was taking care of the tyres and the brakes, so everything was good. Then I managed to get ahead of Kimi Raikkonen at his second pit stop because he was delayed. That was unexpected and I thought we would have a big fight for the position until I saw him retiring. Fifth position was a good result considering where we started and it was particularly good to get both cars in the points.

Q. Toyota is now more firmly established in fourth place in the Constructors' Championship. Are you optimistic about the rest of the season?

JT: I am definitely optimistic because the team is pushing very hard. Our recent results show how much stronger we are getting and it is nice to race with a competitive car every weekend. Toyota is doing a very good job this year and looking stronger and more competitive at every circuit.

We are still pushing ahead with the development work so I'm confident that we can maintain the form in the coming races and keep the points coming. I will do two test days at Monza which, in terms of set-up is a bit of a one-off race with very low downforce. After that we go to Spa, which is my favourite circuit. It's always a good feeling to be heading there!

Q and A with Jarno Trulli

GP2 drivers to race on Valencia streets

Trulli: Fourth shows Toyota’s progress

Britain Sunday quotes: Toyota

American racing legend Phil Hill has died

Motor racing legend and the only American-born Formula One world champion Phil Hill has died tonight in a California hospital due to complications from Parkinson's disease. He was 81 years old.

Phil Hill won the world championship driving for Ferrari in 1961, becoming the first American to do so, later to be followed only by Mario Andretti. But Hill remains to date the only native-born American to win the title.

Phil Hill: Made in America (part I)

Phil Hill: Made in America (part II)

Photo gallery: Phil Hill, 1927-2008

"It's a sad day," Carroll Shelby, a close friend of Hill's, told the LA Times. "Phil was an excellent race car driver with a unique feel for the car, and his real expertise was in long-distance racing."

Hill was born in Miami, Florida, on April 20th 1927. His family soon moved to Santa Monica, California, and the state would become his American home for most of his life.

He studied business administration in university, but never finished his degree, getting drawn into the world of motor racing initially as a mechanic.

In 1958, he made his debut with Ferrari in Formula One, also taking his first Le Mans win - also in a Ferrari.

Of his 48 Grand Prix starts in F1, Hill won three. He also had an illustrious career in endurance racing, having won the Le Mans 24 Hours also three times. He retired from active racing in 1967. Hill was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991.

After hanging up his helmet, Hill continued his involvement in the motor racing world through long-running work for Road & Track magazine, and as tour host with Grand Prix Tours. He continued going to Formula One races several times a year and was a regular and much loved face in the paddock.

He was a great story-teller, always a gentleman, and much admired and respected in the motor racing world. He is survived by his wife Alma, son Derek, daughters Vanessa and Jennifer, and four grandchildren.

He will be missed.

Hill predicts Raikkonen comeback

Ferrari pay tribute to Phil Hill

Rossi relishing Donington prospect

Hayden to continue with pneumatic engine

Stoner and Rossi argue over incidents

Ferrari pay tribute to Phil Hill

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo paid tribute to 1961 world champion Phil Hill, who died on Thursday, saying he will miss the American's passion and love for the Italian marque.

In a statement issued shortly after news broke of Hill's passing, di Montezemolo said: "I, as well as all employees of Ferrari, am extremely saddened by the news of the passing of Phil Hill, a man and a champion who gave so much to Ferrari and who has always greatly represented the company's values inside and outside the racing track.

"Phil raced and won many competitions both with prototype cars, like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring, won three times each, as well as with F1 single seaters.

"With our car, Phil won the Formula One Championship title in 1961 as the first American-born to reach this result.

"Phil and I have always kept in touch throughout the years and I know I will miss his passion and love for Ferrari very much. My deepest sympathies are with his wife Alma and son Derek in this sad moment."

Hill won two of his three Grands Prix in Monza, while driving for Ferrari. He remained throughout his life much loved in Maranello, and was a regular guest of the team at the San Marino and the Italian Grands Prix throughout the years.

Ferrari and Formula One are likely to pay tribute to Hill next weekend, at Spa-Francorchamps, for the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

Rossi relishing Donington prospect

American racing legend Phil Hill has died

Hayden to miss San Marino GP

MotoGP: Okada to race pneumatic valve Honda

Q and A with Stefano Domenicali

Q. Since when have you no longer used the lollypop for pitstops, and can you explain how your system works?

Stefano Domenicali: Basically, the system is working in the following way. Basically when the fuel nozzle is connected to the car, you see that there is a red light on. At a certain moment, you see that there is a flashing light that is close to the red light that is flashing, showing the driver that he has to be ready.

Then, as soon as the nozzle is coming off, the light becomes green unless the guy that is controlling the pitstop position is controlling that manually, because that means that there is a car on the fast lane that is coming through, so he has to block the car. That is the system, how it works. We've used it since last year.

Q. You noticed that you removed the wheel hub covers at Felipe's first stop, can you tell us what the thinking was behind that?

SD: Yeah, both cars, we decided to change the cover of the front wheels just to make sure that... you know that here braking is very hard, so we didn't want to risk any problem with the brake wear and with the brake temperature so that was the safest thing to do, considering the performance, and considering the gap that we had.

Q. Stefano, you've been using this system for a while now but it does seem to be very complicated and it just didn't work to your advantage today in the pitstops. Are you over-complicating it and is there too much room for error, during what is a very tense moment when drivers are coming in, especially in the case of Kimi Raikkonen's pitstop today?

SD: I don't think so, to be honest. When there is a red flight, it's a red light, it's like the lollypop is down. I don't think that we need to go towards that depth. Of course we need to make sure that the system is always working, that is something that we have to make sure, but this is another story.

Q. Obviously there was also the incident involving Felipe's exit from the pits today. Can you talk us through what happened there and how you saw it?

SD: As you know, we've received a fine for the team and not for the driver for unsafe release of the car from the pitstop position. To be honest, we didn't consider that as an unsafe move. As you can see, there was no hindering, there was no braking, Felipe was on the right hand side, he stopped and let the Force India let him through but that was the view of the FIA and we have to respect it.

Q. Stefano, was there any indication of Kimi's impending engine failure or was it very immediate and sudden?

SD: Unfortunately as it was last time in Hungary for Felipe was no indication at all, we saw the smoke on the main straight once again. And we are just now disassembling the engine to understand what is the real problem of that, so I cannot give you that answer straight away because really the guys are still working on the engine. No warning at all.

Q. In the past you had a T-car to do pitstop training on Saturday morning. That is no longer the case obviously. Has that affected your pitstops at all?

SD: To be honest I don't think so because we are doing the pitstop at home, trying to do more simulation or do some rehearsals at home, but that fact that we can't do it at a race but I don't think that's a problem.

Q. Kimi is the world champion for sure but he's not having a good time in Formula One. Today he failed at the start and even in the pitstop, does Ferrari think of doing something to support him, try to understand what is going on for the last races in the championship?

SD: Of course. It's easy when things are going well, that everyone close to you puts your arms on their shoulders to say you are number one, number one, number one and then suddenly when you have a difficult situation, then you see, ha ha, this is already a boiled driver. That's not the case.

He's the world champion, we are a team, and of course we will support everyone of the team, and above all, of course Kimi, because we trust him 100 percent. It's in the difficult moments that the team has to stay together. We don't have any doubt at all about Kimi's performance and I'm pretty sure he will come back from here up to the end in Brazil.

Q. In Kimi's pitstop, the instant Kimi started to move, what was the status of the light? What was it showing?

SD: It was red.

Q. You've had two engine failures in two races. Is this indicative there's a reliability problem with your engine and does that mean that you're concerned for Spa with Felipe going into the second race at a circuit that's hard on engines?

SD: Well of course this is a problem that in this condition make us not sleep very well. If you don't arrive in races it is difficult in a championship that is so tight, and you lose points on the reliability to be up in both classifications. The only thing we can do is to work hard and try to understand what's the reason for these failures and work.

That's the only thing we have to do and keep fighting because on the other side, we saw great performance of the car coming back and this is what we want. On one side we are still in the championship, on the other side the gap is there. We will push very very hard all the way to the end.

Q. What is your latest information about the injured mechanic?

SD: It's alright. He had a little fracture of one toe but he's alright. I spoke with him, he's alright. He's very happy that we won. Just to show how is the feeling of the people, he said to me 'I'm very sorry, I'm very sorry' and it was not his fault.

It just shows how Ferrari people are, the passion that they have, the way they behave and the professionalism that put in every day and they know they are mechanics. We need to be very proud of the guys that are working in this team.

Q. Back to Kimi Raikkonen who got beaten off the line by Heikki Kovalainen, and as you've just admitted, went away from his pitstop with the light on red, so he's not concentrating, he's not performing to the standards that you would set from your driver. What is wrong with him?

SD: You're a good friend of Kimi, I would say! When you're a driver, first of all you are really able to look inside and understand what things are going well and the things that are going wrong, and for sure, at this moment, we - because I want to stress and underline the fact that we – have to work together and understand how on our side we can improve and help and I'm pretty sure that as I said before, once again, that he's totally committed and you will see up again in the end because he wants to show and we want to show that he's the World Champion, believe me.

Q. Kimi has been saying that he wants to put emphasis on qualifying set-up even though that might sacrifice his race set-up and today we saw a rather aggressive approach from Massa's strategy, as in he went slightly lighter than normal. Was Kimi given the choice to go for that kind of strategy today?

SD: Yeah, of course. We have normal discussion throughout the season in qualifying. I think that today shows that if you are able to race in free air we can show our pace completely, and if you are behind and if you have a difficult start it's more difficult. For sure it's a point of team improvement in qualifying.

Q and A with Stefano Domenicali

Ferrari move on after error-filled race

Q and A with Stefano Domenicali

Pantano wins to retake series lead

Ferrari president pledges Raikkonen support

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has pledged his support for struggling world champion Kimi Raikkonen and dismissed speculation the driver might be replaced by Fernando Alonso.

The Finn, who hasn't won a race in the last four months, has been rumoured to be forced out of the Italian team next year, despite having a contract running to the end of 2009, with the two-time Spanish champion in line for the coveted drive.

However, when questioned by the Italian media on whether the driver line-up at Maranello would remain the same next year, di Montezemolo replied: "Absolutely, yes."

Asked if that meant that Alonso should put his mind at rest then, the Italian said: "I don't know if he can put his mind at rest, poor guy, at the moment it's up to him. I was sorry to see a great champion like him be out of the top ten at Valencia.

"But with regards to Ferrari, he can put his mind at rest."

Di Montezemolo added: "All this criticism (of Raikkonen) reminds me of when (Filippo) Inzaghi was at Juventus: if he didn't score for three games, everyone would say he was in crisis.

"It can't be forgotten that he's the world champion, and that last year he won in his first season with Ferrari, while many people never thought he would do so. Now he has 17 victories and I hope he'll get back to winning ways in the next Grand Prix in Belgium. Anyway, he's not a driver in crisis.

"Kimi is motivated and we must work to put him in the conditions to start races nearer the front, especially on these new circuits which I don't like and are bad for F1: you can't overtake on them, and nine times out of ten the man on pole wins."

During yesterday's Formula One testing session in Monza, Raikkonen was visited by di Montezemolo.

Asked what his president had told him, the Finn was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport: "He didn't tell me anything in particular. I already had a contract (for 2009), so it's nothing new for me.

"Today's test went well, we've tried different solutions to several small problems. In the next races we'll do our best to win and we'll see how it ends up."

Raikkonen not thinking of title yet

Capirossi pledges future to Suzuki

Webber urges Red Bull to solve issues

Mark Webber has called for an urgent post-race inquest into Red Bull Racing's disastrous European Grand Prix - insisting the team cannot simply put blame on their Renault engine.

Webber and teammate David Coulthard had a torrid time in Valencia, neither driver making it through to Q3 or scoring points as sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso delivered the most competitive showing of their short history.

And that performance, Red Bull Racing's fourth consecutive non-point finish, has left Webber adamant that things have to be turned around.

"It is dead boring, but we do seriously need to go through a lot of things because we've been on the ropes since P1," Webber told autosport.com. "We got smashed in the race as well.

"I am sure we will dig our lot on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but unfortunately the knock-out hits have already been served. Whatever way we skin the cat here, we didn't start well and we didn't finish well."

Although some of Red Bull Racing's deficit to Toro Rosso can be explained by their relative engines, other factors such as set-up and operational procedures have played a role in the recent form of the two teams.

"Well, it is not just the engine, no," said Webber. "This is a vicious industry, and when you get nailed you can get nailed pretty quick. We are in that situation; we have a bit of a hole in the boat at the moment.

"We started the season off really well, getting lots of points and being bloody reliable and things were going our way. Then, it all started at the Hockenheim test and we have struggled since then – we haven't been competitive in any session, anywhere or any race.

"We are on the limit in qualifying to get through to Q3, and with a tenth we could have gone through, but we would still have got smashed in the race.

"Other people must be putting some performance on their cars or we are doing something with our cars that we don't quite understand."

Jones: Webber will end Australia’s drought

Ducati vow to help struggling Melandri

DPR sign former Super Aguri engineer

Coulthard silent over F1 future

MotoGP: Okada to race pneumatic valve Honda

Raikkonen to support Massa if needed

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says world champion Kimi Raikkonen will play a supporting role to teammate Felipe Massa if needed to secure the title.

"If needed, Kimi will help Felipe," Domenicali was quoted as saying by Gazzettadello Sport.

"We spoke about it at the beginning of the year.

"Before then, however, let's see how things evolve."

Raikkonen has struggled to match Massa's pace in recent races and the Finn has not won since the Spanish Grand Prix in April.

Massa, currently in second place in the standings seven points ahead of Raikkonen, has won four times to the Finn's two.

Domenicali is convinced, however, that Raikkonen will return to form.

"For me it doesn't represent a problem. He'll react, he'll soon be strong again, he knows how to keep away from criticisms and polemics," he added.

The team boss said it was up to the team to give Raikkonen a car he feels comfortable with.

"He isn't happy with the way the car enters corners. He would like it more aggressive, and this influences him. It's up to us to carry on giving him a hand."

Domenicali is also adamant that Massa is strong enough to win the championship.

"Certainly. We will have to give him an always competitive car. He's mature to manage it and we'll help him."

The Italian conceded the team cannot afford losing any more points through reliability problems, and revealed Ferrari have strengthen their quality control process.

"We can't anymore afford the luxury of losing important results because of reliability problems," he said. "However, it's also true that McLaren last year had 35 points more than today, and we had 16 more.

"It's been decided to strengthen controls over the whole component production of the cars. We have 40 people between metallurgy and quality department.

"What is about to start in two weeks' time in Belgium will be a sprint championship over six races, so we can't give away anything anymore."

Disappointed Raikkonen stays philosophical

ITV4 to broadcast GP2 this season

Suppo: Next two races crucial for Melandri

Raikkonen: My position is improving

Crew showcasing road quality

BMW tell Heidfeld to lift his game

BMW Sauber have told Nick Heidfeld that he must lift his game more to convince them he has got over his early season problems with their car if he wants to remain as Robert Kubica's teammate next year.

The Hinwil-based team have, as autosport.com exclusively predicted in May, taken up Kubica's option for 2009.

High level sources have also revealed that attempts by BMW chiefs to tie Kubica down for their preferred three-year period failed, with the Pole adamant he wants to be a free agent for 2010.

Kubica's new deal is unlikely to be announced until the team know who his teammate will be, and Heidfeld's up-and-down form is making their decision on him far from straightforward.

For although Heidfeld had made big progress in recent races to overcome the qualifying issues, setbacks in Hungary and Valencia have once again cast doubts about how on top of the issues he is.

And BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen has made it clear that he wants to see more strong qualifying performance from Heidfeld before he is sure that the German is the right man for his team in 2009.

When asked by autosport.com if he had seen enough yet of Heidfeld's step forward to be convinced for next year, Theissen said: "I am not sure. What we saw in Valencia was mixed again and, in the second run in qualifying two, it was almost a perfect lap. He was struggling before in two specific areas of the track and in that one lap he was able to do that very cleanly.

"I hope it gives him the confidence to be strong again in the races, he has been strong, I think he will be back on track."

When asked if the qualifying factor was going to play a key factor in his team's driver decision for 2009, Theissen said: "It has to, because if you look what you can do from P10, it is limited."

BMW Sauber have not confirmed their taking up of Kubica's option, or the fact they would have preferred a three-year deal, although Theissen did admit last weekend that longer term contracts were more favourable.

"In F1 stability is an important factor, that is what I can say," he said. "That applies to the driver as well as to the key engineers, even the operational tasks. It is so important.

"Generally, I would favour a longer term arrangement on the driver side."

Read this week's edition of Autosport for an in-depth analysis on Robert Kubica's situation.

Theissen backs Heidfeld to fight back

MotoGP: Hayden confident of strong result

Whitmarsh: Kovalainen more complete

Heikki Kovalainen has overcome the problems that were holding him back at the beginning of the year and is now a far more complete driver, according to McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh.

The Finn followed up his maiden victory at the Hungaroring earlier this month with fourth place in Valencia on Sunday, and Whitmarsh believes he's now capable of fighting for podiums on a consistent basis.

He says that Kovalainen has learned to adapt his driving styles to suit what the team require from particular sections of races, or other sessions, and has therefore overcome the tyre degradation issue that plagued him earlier in the season.

"Heikki's much more adept at switching effortlessly between engine-saving, brake-saving and tyre-saving modes, and he knows exactly when to push, so the situation he encountered at the start of the year when he was dealing with slightly more tyre degradation is no longer a concern," said Whitmarsh.

The McLaren boss also praised Kovalainen's ability to chase down a rival in a race.

"The reality is that Heikki's particularly strong when he's got the car in front in his sights," he added. "When he homes in on another competitor then his natural competitive instincts really come alive."

Stoner rues bad tyre compound choice

Hayden: Tyre issues a learning experience

Kovalainen philosophical after unlucky day

McLaren: Win will give Hamilton momentum

McLaren deny FIA picking on them

Europe Sunday quotes: Bridgestone

Hirohide Hamashima - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development: "Congratulations to the city of Valencia for providing Formula One with such a good race venue. Today we saw a strong race which was exciting on this very high speed street course.

"We must congratulate Felipe Massa and Ferrari for winning the 200th Grand Prix in which Bridgestone have participated since 1997. There were many results worthy of mention today. Both Toyotas scored points and both Toro Rosso cars finished in the top ten, so well done to those teams.

"Both the soft and super soft compounds worked very well here, which is a credit to our engineers who selected this allocation for this new race destination. Even in the high temperatures seen today at this fast track, the super soft was capable of being used in a one-stop soft - super soft strategy as seen by Timo Glock. We now start the count towards our next hundred races."

Tyre strategies - European GP

MotoGP: Rossi still expecting tough title fight

Bridgestone reveals final tyre allocations

Tyre strategies - Canadian GP

Q and A with Martin Whitmarsh

Q. After several weeks of simulation and preparation, did the European Grand Prix weekend play out largely as you had expected?

Martin Whitmarsh: "It's fair to say we predicted more drama from a track lined with concrete walls, and had factored the appearance of at least one safety car period into our pre-race calculations. The reality is that the race had its moments of controversy but never quite delivered the level of incident we'd been anticipated beforehand.

"I don't know whether that’s down to us misinterpreting the level of risk involved in racing around this track, or whether it was just a testament to the good driving standards of modern Formula One drivers. Nonetheless, we came away from Valencia having made gains in both championships, which was very encouraging."

Q. How close did Lewis come to not taking part in the race?

MW: "At 8am on Saturday, I received a phone call from the team's doctor, Aki Hintsa, telling me that Lewis was in some difficulty. He'd woken up with a severe migraine and with his neck in spasm. Aki treated Lewis but when he arrived at the circuit on Saturday morning, he could barely move his neck at all so things looked very severe.

"As a precaution, we readied Pedro to take over - but, despite delaying his start to Saturday practice, Lewis was able to continue with his full race programme. His physical problems are unlikely to disturb his fitness programme and we expect him to make a full recovery for both the Monza test and next week's Belgian GP."

Q. Was the race pace of the MP4-23 largely what you had been anticipating?

MW: "Lewis felt a lot better on Sunday but was still slightly sore and tender. We are delighted he was able to sustain the performance of a full race in hot conditions. We did not have the package to beat Felipe Massa but we feel we did a first-rate job and secured a very useful haul of world championship points.

"Lewis extended his lead in the drivers' championship, and in the constructors' we extended our lead over BMW Sauber and closed down the gap to Ferrari."

Q. Heikki's victory in Hungary and fourth place in Valencia suggest he's become a more complete driver - would you agree?

MW: "Most definitely. The reality is that Heikki's particularly strong when he's got the car in front in his sights. When he homes in on another competitor then his natural competitive instincts really come alive.

"Heikki's much more adept at switching effortlessly between engine-saving, brake-saving and tyre-saving modes and knows exactly when to push - so the situation he encountered at the start of the year when he was dealing with slightly more tyre degradation is no longer a concern."

Q. How do you see the remainder of the championship playing out?

MW: "I think Ferrari were pleased the sun came out on Sunday as I'm sure they feel when the track temperature really heats up that's when their car really comes to them.

"We're now entering extremely interesting territory where we won't be entirely certain what sort of temperatures we'll be encountering at some of the future races.

"Monza is likely to be hot and Singapore will probably be cooler, but the races at Spa, Fuji, Shanghai and Brazil could just as easily be sweltering as torrential. Regardless, we will continue to make changes to our car right through until Brazil."

New Valencia track secures GP2 race

Q and A with Martin Whitmarsh

McLaren deny FIA picking on them

GP2 drivers to race on Valencia streets

McLaren: Win will give Hamilton momentum

Tyre strategies - European GP

The Formula One regulations state drivers must use both types of tyre compounds during every race.

Below is the order in which each driver used his tyre compounds in the European Grand Prix, as recorded by Bridgestone:

Team Tyre choice by stintFerrari Kimi Raikkonen Soft Soft Super Soft DNF Felipe Massa Soft Soft Super Soft BMW Sauber Nick Heidfeld Soft Soft Super Soft Robert Kubica Soft Soft Super Soft Renault Fernando Alonso Soft DNF Nelson Piquet Soft Super Soft Williams Nico Rosberg Super Soft Soft Soft Kazuki Nakajima Soft Super Soft Super Soft Red Bull Racing David Coulthard Soft Soft Super Soft Mark Webber Soft Super Soft Toyota Jarno Trulli Soft Soft Super Soft Timo Glock Soft Super Soft Scuderia Toro Rosso Sebastien Bourdais Soft Soft Super Soft Sebastian Vettel Soft Soft Super Soft Honda Jenson Button Soft Super Soft Rubens Barrichello Soft Super Soft Force India Adrian Sutil Soft Super Soft Super Soft DNF Giancarlo Fisichella Soft Super Soft McLaren Lewis Hamilton Soft Soft Super Soft Heikki Kovalainen Soft Soft Super Soft

Bridgestone reveals final tyre allocations

Tyre strategies - Canadian GP

Stoner delighted with fifth pole in a row

Stoner rues bad tyre compound choice

Europe Sunday quotes: Bridgestone

Hayden: Tyre issues a learning experience

Vettel thrilled after 'perfect day'

Sebastian Vettel celebrated a "perfect day" after coming home in sixth position at the European Grand Prix at Valencia.

The Toro Rosso driver culminated one of his strongest weekends of the year with his fourth point-paying result of 2008.

"Incredible! A perfect day," said a delighted Vettel. "It was fun but tough and hot out there. It's a nice race track.

"My start was not so good on the dirty side and going into Turn 1 I was right on the limit and very close to Kimi and could defend my position against Jarno for the first stint, but he had a bit more fuel on board and stayed out an extra lap and he overtook me in the pits.

"But we can be very very happy with this result. We made no mistakes, no mistakes all weekend and maximised our performance. The whole team can be very proud of what it has achieved and hopefully, for the next races we can be in the top ten again."

Sebastien Bourdais did not have such a good day after damaging his front wing at the start, meaning he lost a lot of time before it was replaced during his first pitstop.

The Frenchman went on to finish in 10th.

"That was a very nice race, apart from the fact that I touched with Heidfeld which broke my wing, which was a real shame, as I had to do 17 laps like that, losing around 20 seconds to the group I was in," Bourdais said. "The next two stints were good quality and I had a good pace.

"But I am happy with the result and I think we had the right strategy. It's my best result since Australia and especially from the second stint onwards I felt much more comfortable and confident with the car and felt I could push as the track rubbered in.

"As for the next races, I continue to tackle them one at a time and hope that next time out in Spa I can make it into the points."

Vettel proud after ‘very strong’ race

Injured Lorenzo thrilled with fourth

Dovizioso thrilled to be top Honda

Vettel not judging new car’s pace yet

Rosberg happy after return to points

Nico Rosberg was happy to return to the point-scoring positions at the European Grand Prix, ending a three-month drought.

The Williams driver, who had last finished in the points at the Turkish Grand Prix in May, completed a strong weekend at Valencia, winding up eighth.

"I'm pretty happy with that," he said. "It's good to be going home with a point today as it's been a long time since it happened. The race went quite well for me and I was giving it my all, driving what felt like qualifying laps one after the other.

"The result is also good for the team as it shows we are getting back on track. Once again, I would like to say that Valencia has done a great job here and the race was good fun."

Teammate Kazuki Nakajima was not as happy after making contact with Fernando Alonso at the start of the race.

The Japanese driver was forced to pit for repairs and eventually finished in 15th position.

"I had a bad start and we have to find the reason for that," Nakajima said. "On lap one, going into turns four and five, I was just behind Alonso, but there was a bit of a battle going on in front and I couldn't avoid him going into the corner.

"After that, I just tried to be consistent. My pace was ok, but I was behind Barrichello and it was really difficult to overtake. Eventually I made it past him and my pace improved, but it was too late."

Rosberg says practice vital in Valencia

Petrov inherits victory in Valencia

Q and A with Martin Whitmarsh

Q. What did you make of the Valencia circuit and its facilities?

Martin Whitmarsh: I think you'd start by saying to create this and grow this out of this area is a fantastic achievement. The event really has gone off without incident, so congratulations to Valencia for that. Looking at it, here in the paddock we can develop a little more atmosphere we can grow and develop this in the years to come.

Q. How concerned were the team with Lewis's neck situation yesterday?

MW: Lewis wasn't in the greatest form yesterday (Saturday) when he got up. He did a fantastic job and got stronger and better as the day wore on. These young drivers, they are made of rubber and he bounced back pretty well normally.

Q. Were you worried he wouldn't be able to race?

MW: No. We were worried about how he would cope with the day and he coped with it in the circumstances very well.

Q. Was Pedro put on standby?

MW: Pedro is always on standby, he is our standby driver.

Q. When you were sure he could drive?

MW: At least a quarter of an hour before the start of P3! He didn't go out until a quarter of an hour into that session but we just wanted to make sure he had enough opportunity to prepare.

Q. What did you learn today from the performance of your car against Ferrari?

MW: In truth, this isn't the most technical circuit. I think it's quite close. There reality is it's very close between Felipe and Lewis and quite close between Heikki and Kimi. I personally wouldn't be able to draw anything too conclusive from that. The best philosophy for us is to assume we are behind and to make the car quicker before the next race.

Q. Lewis had an incident-free race, and we haven't been able to say that for a while. It seemed like a really solid performance - is this the kind of long game strategy coming out to win the championship rather than winning every race?

MW: We turned the engine down towards the end of the race and we wanted a solid points performance. Given Lewis wasn't on sparkling form yesterday he did all that was asked of him and he did the same again today. No risks, scored points and extended his lead in the world championship.

Q. Which is quite different...

MW: I think we're all learning. Lewis is learning, he's getting stronger mentally. He's been in one championship fight and he's now in another one - I'm sure he will learn throughout this one as he did in the last one.

Q. Is this a specific strategic theme - to play for points and drive a solid race?

MW: In truth, the team shouldn't take any credit for it. Lewis is an intelligent driver, he's absolutely committed to winning every race and he likes to end every session the quickest, but I think he's becoming more relaxed and confident in his approach and realising that what really counts is winning the world championship at the end of the year.

Q. If you were in the position of Ferrari of having two engines failures, especially during an engine freeze and it's very difficult to change something inside?

MW: Well it is if they've got a proven reliability fault and they can do something about that. The reality is for Massa now he's got to carry that engine into the next race - they may have a concern, I don't know. That was a consideration when we were considering turning the engine down. We're at the end of our engine lives but we thought it prudent to make sure Lewis finished.

Another consideration was perhaps that we shouldn't be doing that, perhaps we should be pushing in the knowledge that Massa's engine had to go forward to Spa. But as it turned out we decided to take a prudent approach. Who knows, that engine may or may not survive the next race. I doubt whether we can rely on an engine failure at the next race!

Q. Do you think it's odd that after 10 races where nothing happened, in two consecutive races two Ferrari engines have failed?

MW: No I don't. The reality is that the tolerances in engines, though it is tiny everything is very heavily stressed. I can recall times in our history that we've had issues, so I think Ferrari are a professional team and they will get on top of it. They have had some fantastic reliability in the past, so I don't think we're counting on them having reliability problems to win the world championship. We've got to go out and beat them.

Q. Is Massa the key player for Ferrari?

MW: He's certainly a contender. He has exceeded many people's expectation in terms of his reliability and I think that for sure we know Kimi better and he is a formidable competitor and he will be scratching his head. This isn't a highly technical circuit, you've got to be good on the brakes and I think Kimi will bounce back strong in Spa.

GP2 drivers to race on Valencia streets

MotoGP: Okada to race pneumatic valve Honda

McLaren deny FIA picking on them

Whitmarsh: F1 should cater more to fans

Q and A with Kimi Raikkonen

Q. What happened in qualifying today? And is there a relation between what happened today and in the last few races - as you seem to have a problem in the last 10 minutes?

Kimi Raikkonen: The lap wasn't probably what I wanted exactly, but I cannot change it any more. It wasn't very easy, but that is life. We are still in fourth place. It is not exactly what I wanted but I think we have a good pace for the race.

Q. Is there a reason for the problem in sector two, where you seem to have a problem?

KR: I was slow and that was it. I don't need to start telling you what happened on the lap. We were not fast enough.

Q. You targeted an improvement to qualifying form as key to the championship. Felipe is obviously on pole position, but do you feel you have made a step forward or is there still much more to do?

KR: It wasn't what we wanted today, so it wasn't exactly an improvement. That is nothing new – it hasn't been an easy qualifying for me this year. I am not surprised that it didn't go exactly the way we wanted. But of course I think we improved the situation but we are still not where we want to be yet. We try to do better again next time. It is not the end of the world, so we will see what we can do tomorrow in the race and go from there.

Q. Can you give us an impression about how much fun it is to drive on this track? Do you like it?

KR: It is a nice circuit. They have done very well when they prepared and made the circuit. For a street circuit it is a very nice place to come and of course I hoped we would do a little bit better today.

Q. Do you see an advantage in the race for Ferrari?

KR: I don't know. We will see what we can do. I think we have a good car so as long as we get everything going well we should be okay. It depends a lot on the start what happens in the race, but we try to win it for sure.

Q. The FIA has swapped the side of pole position, so you are on the other side now. How do you figure the start of the race?

KR: I think where we end up now it would have been better to have it the other way around, but it is fairer for the guy who is on pole to be on the cleaner side. It is not clear either side because we seem to go between the two starting grids. We will see what we can do at the start. There is a lot of space but there is quite a tight corner at the end of the straight, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

Q. What is the trickiest part of this circuit?

KR: There are many tricky places, and if you make a small mistake you lose a lot of time as it is so slippery off line. If you go a little bit wide then you lose a lot of time.

Disappointed Raikkonen stays philosophical

Stoner surprised to take pole

Q and A with Kimi Raikkonen

Stoner delighted with fifth pole in a row

Q and A with Kimi Raikkonen

Davidson optimistic of 2009 return

Former Super Aguri racer Anthony Davidson is optimistic that he will land a job back in Formula One next year.

The Briton is in talks with several teams about opportunities for 2009 and is confident that he will conclude something that will get him back into the sport full-time.

"I have been talking to the obvious teams where there might be a chance for next season," Davidson told autosport.com in Valencia, where he is also helping out as an expert commentator for BBC Radio 5 Live's F1 coverage.

"And it is always positive feedback - it has been promising. And I am hopeful of remaining in F1. If that doesn't work out, there are many other options outside of F1 and I know there is life outside of F1. But right now I am focused on remaining in the F1 world and I feel I have got a load to offer."

Davidson added that he is excited about the future, having been left without a drive when Super Aguri folded prior to the Turkish Grand Prix.

"It has been good for me to reflect on what happened at the beginning of the year," he said. "I feel I can hold my head high with the job I did in F1 and I see this from people I am speaking to in F1 – that I am respected as a race driver and test driver now, rather than just a test driver as it was before the Super Aguri experience.

"So I feel full of energy for next year no matter what I do, and I think it is going to be an important next chapter in my career as a driver. I am excited about it."

When asked if he was optimistic about his chances of returning to the F1 field in 2009, he said: "I do feel optimistic. I feel positive. I am a free agent. Some people could get put off like that, but I am treating it like this is the next big thing to happen in my career."

Weigl optimistic of Honda support

Sato doing all he can to return to F1

DPR sign former Super Aguri engineer

Soucek secures Super Nova drive

Di Grassi in GP2 return with Campos

Europe Saturday quotes: Williams

Nico Rosberg - 9th: "It's been a few races since we managed to get into the top ten, so this is a good result for us. We'd obviously always want to do better, but this shows we've made a step in the right direction and that's satisfying. We had a better understanding of where we had to improve, so we've made those changes which gave us a more competitive car today. We have a good strategy for the race so anything is possible. Today has been positive which gives me hope for points tomorrow."

Kazuki Nakajima - 11th: "It was a good qualifying for us as both cars are close in the midfield. It was a shame to miss out on Q3, but actually P11 is not a bad place to start the race from because we can select our fuel level. I'll also be on the clean side of the track tomorrow so, all in all, it was a positive qualifying session for us."

Patrick Head, Director of Engineering: "It's good to have at least one car in Q3 which we've missed for quite some races. Both drivers did a good job. Unfortunately, Kazuki just missed out on his first Q3 by the smallest of margins. The important thing now is to prepare for the race and make sure we're happy with our strategy. We're looking forward to tomorrow."

Rosberg set to compromise qualifying pace

Vermeulen laments lack of dry running

Germany Saturday quotes: Williams

Kawasaki frustrated by qualifying slump

Hopkins delighted with pace on return

Europe Friday quotes: Honda

Jenson Button - 3rd: "It was good to finally get out on the new Valencia street circuit today after previously experiencing the lap on the simulator and having a closer look during our track walk yesterday. We were struggling with very low grip this morning and I'm sure that was the same for everyone out there. The track is very dusty and if you go offline, your tyres are quickly covered in dirt, which makes it difficult to be consistent. We made a lot of changes to the car this afternoon which have proved positive and provided a great deal of useful information to study this evening. It was nice to do a quick lap at the end on the option tyre. Hopefully we can further improve the car overnight and be reasonably competitive for qualifying tomorrow."

Rubens Barrichello - 20th: "The new circuit here in Valencia is impressive and the grip levels have been improving throughout the day, so the lap times are becoming more representative. We had a good morning session and I felt the car was quite well-balanced but this afternoon it was almost like I had a completely different car. We changed some parts for the session and unfortunately they had a real impact on the car's performance, which along with some braking concerns, meant that we were unable to progress. I'm confident that we can resolve these concerns overnight and get back on the pace for qualifying tomorrow."

Steve Clark, Head of Race & Test Engineering: "The track is very dirty as it is so new and it's very easy to lose a bit of direction as the track improves, the car balance changes and the tyres behave differently. There are also some unknowns like the optimum downforce level and the drivers finding the racing line. In addition there is the additional challenge of getting the brakes to work correctly. There is quite a lot to get to grips with and we have to do so as quickly as possible. Fortunately we have two very experienced drivers which makes the process a lot easier.

"Jenson has obviously done a good job today and is looking extremely competitive. Rubens has some braking problems that we have had to live with during the session because there wasn't sufficient time to fix them. If we can resolve this issue then there is no reason to think that both cars can't be quite closely matched during the rest of the weekend. I think we have done a good job here in Valencia so far but credit should also go to the rest of the team for all the hard work that was achieved off-track during the three-week break. The progress we have made with honing our recent developments appears to be paying dividends."

Rossi rues poor track conditions

Vermeulen laments lack of dry running

Turkey Friday quotes: Renault

Raikkonen laments lost track time

Edwards content despite falling to fifth

Rosberg confident after Friday practice

Nico Rosberg is confident of a strong European Grand Prix weekend for Williams after he and his teammate Kazuki Nakajima ended the first day's practice at the new Valencia street track 12th and 14th fastest respectively.

The German hinted that the positions were not indicative of the FW30's potential as the circuit's conditions improved considerably during the last 15 minutes of the second session, while he had set his new tyre laps early on.

"We went out on new tyres fairly early on, and the track ramped up a lot towards the end of the session so it's difficult to really tell, but I think the track is suiting our car," he said. "We will have to wait and see what happens tomorrow and in the race.

"In terms of setup, we made a considerable improvement today which is good."

Despite his confidence, Rosberg was one of many drivers to suffer a spin at the last corner, just missing Mark Webber's Red Bull as it came to rest in the run-off area.

"We lost a set of tyres with Nico following his spin and we're obviously lucky to get away without any car damage," said Williams co-owner Patrick Head.

Nakajima was also happy with his day's work, and remarked on how technical the new street circuit was to drive on.

"Conditions were changing all the time and the track became easier to drive as the sessions progressed," said the Japanese driver. "It's not the easiest of circuits, so I'm pleased I did lots of preparation work on the simulator before I arrived. I'm feeling positive ahead of tomorrow's qualifying."

Pedrosa hindered by practice crash

Rossi rues poor track conditions

Rosberg says practice vital in Valencia

Raikkonen steals Alonso's thunder in FP2

Kimi Raikkonen beat home crowd favourite Fernando Alonso to the fastest time in the second free practice session at the new Valencia street track.

Until Raikkonen's last gasp lap, Alonso looked set to end the day at the top of the timesheets, having leapt to the front of the field on the supersoft Bridgestones with four minutes remaining, only for the reigning champion to pip him by 0.020 seconds in the closing moments.

Jenson Button took a shock third for Honda, having also put in a last minute soft tyre lap. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) completed the top five.

After McLaren had led the way for much of first practice, this time it was Ferrari who proved superior for the majority of the afternoon, having put in soft tyre runs relatively early.

With 15 minutes to go, Raikkonen and Massa sat first and second in the order, just 0.001 seconds apart. Alonso and Button briefly disturbed their command of the session, before Raikkonen restored Ferrari's advantage with his final lap.

McLaren had a more conservative afternoon, with Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen fifth and sixth.

Timo Glock again impressed as he took seventh for Toyota, having earlier run in the top three. Robert Kubica (BMW) and Nelson Piquet (Renault) took eighth and ninth, ahead of a surprise performance by Giancarlo Fisichella.

Both Force Indias had been in the top half of the field for much of the afternoon, with the veteran Italian ultimately taking 10th.

As had been the case in the morning, most of the drivers managed to stay out of trouble despite the circuit's relatively tight confines and its slippery nature.

Many took a trip down the Turn 2 run-off, while Nico Rosberg had the most attention-grabbing incident when he spun his Williams at the final corner and was only narrowly avoided by Mark Webber's Red Bull, shortly after having set an early fastest time while on supersoft tyres.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:39.477 30 2. Alonso Renault (B) 1:39.497 + 0.020 39 3. Button Honda (B) 1:39.546 + 0.069 35 4. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:39.678 + 0.201 31 5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:39.712 + 0.235 31 6. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:39.954 + 0.477 30 7. Glock Toyota (B) 1:39.967 + 0.490 32 8. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:40.149 + 0.672 35 9. Piquet Renault (B) 1:40.439 + 0.962 32 10. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:40.500 + 1.023 23 11. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:40.585 + 1.108 24 12. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:40.607 + 1.130 34 13. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:40.696 + 1.219 23 14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:40.742 + 1.265 34 15. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:40.877 + 1.400 32 16. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:40.982 + 1.505 36 17. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:40.999 + 1.522 32 18. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:41.084 + 1.607 35 19. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:41.246 + 1.769 38 20. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:41.377 + 1.900 31

Di Grassi in GP2 return with Campos

Alonso tops second practice in France

Massa tops damp first practice - Canada

Alonso calls for Madrid plane crash tribute

Former world champion Fernando Alonso will urge his fellow drivers to join him in paying tribute to 153 victims of yesterday's Madrid aircrash ahead of first practice for the European Grand Prix at Valencia.

The Spaniard, who will wear a black armband as a personal act of respect after a Spanair flight crashed shortly after take-off from Madrid airport, is hoping to convince the other 19 drivers on the grid to join him in a minute's silence before heading onto the Valencia street circuit for the first time.

"I will wear a black armband and I will talk with the drivers tomorrow," said Alonso. "Maybe we can do something before starting - maybe one minute's silence in the pit-lane."

Alonso also believes that the tragedy will overshadow Valencia's first grand prix.

"It will definitely change the weekend for me, because it's a tragedy what happened," he said."All the Spanish people are in shock and I am too. It's probably the saddest approach to a weekend I have had.

"Tomorrow we will start slowly to get into the weekend - life continues. But it's a different weekend compared to what it should be."

A three-day national period of mourning has been declared in Spain.

Rosberg says practice vital in Valencia

GP2 drivers to race on Valencia streets

New Valencia track secures GP2 race

Raikkonen: My position is improving

Kimi Raikkonen is not concerned by Lewis Hamilton's championship lead and says he is still in a position to retain his world title.

Although the Finn has recently been outperformed by McLaren's Hamilton and his Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa, he gained ground on Hamilton and overtook Massa with his third place in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

And though he says he has kept himself in touch and can be on top at the end of the season, the world champion recognises that he needs to be at his best for the rest of the year.

"This season shows that you should never give up," he said. "There were some races where things didn't go well for one reason or another, but I was able to collect some precious points.

"My position after Hungary is better than it was before the race. We haven't lost anything, but we need to get better results consistently. From now on, every single race will be extremely important and every single point will have a great value, the fewer there are the more important they become.

"I think the championship will be very tight, but I need to have at least one point more than my competitors after the last race. This is the sole aim, the rest is just details."

Raikkonen is looking forward to this weekend's race on the new Valencia street circuit and believe he will be able to learn the track quickly on Friday.

"I've only seen the new track from an on-board camera and it seems to be very fast for a street circuit," he added. "I always love to drive on new tracks and I'm always very quick to know them, I can't wait to race at Valencia.

"It will be more important than in other places to drive with continuity from Friday on. Qualifying will be extremely important, although I think there are some possibilities to overtake.

"If it's hot, that will help Ferrari. Like at Montreal, you also need a bit of luck and I hope that it will not end for me as it did in Canada."

FIM reveals provisional 2009 calendar

Raikkonen: Hamilton penalty was deserved

GP2 drivers to race on Valencia streets

New Valencia track secures GP2 race

Disappointed Raikkonen stays philosophical

Raikkonen expects very competitive Ferrari

Europe preview quotes: Force India

Giancarlo Fisichella: "I'm looking forward to getting back in the car after the short break. I took some time off to be with my family and do some training, so I feel quite refreshed and ready to tackle the last races of the season, especially as they include some of my favourite tracks - particularly my home race in Monza.

"My targets for the rest of the season will be to have good reliability, finish all the races and be there if there are opportunities to score points. Valencia is a completely new track for everyone and a good challenge. It looks very fast, particularly for a street circuit, and I've heard it is sold out so the atmosphere will be good.

"I am pleased we will be able to actually race the new seamless shift gearbox now. We've been having some good fights so far, particularly with Honda, and with the gearbox worth a couple of tenths per lap this may just move us in front - the field is so close now that any new developments will move us closer."

Adrian Sutil: "Over the summer break I've been training in the mountains and working on my fitness for the second half of the year, which will be tough with the four flyaway races at the end of the season.

"We had some good races at the same circuits last year and I scored my first point in Fuji, so for sure I am looking forward to these races. As the new events in Valencia and Singapore are street events, and we've had some good races on this type of circuit, I think we have a good chance of getting some good finishes.

"Looking to the next race in Valencia, we will be using the seamless shift gearbox for the first time at a race and hopefully that will give us a few tenths to be able to qualify a bit better. This has got to be the goal for the second half of the year."

Colin Kolles, team principal: "The three-week break is actually an opportunity for the race team to take some time off as it's been a very busy few months with the testing and racing. With the season being 18 races this year, it's a long season and it's good to take time off while it's a bit quieter.

"We didn't completely shut down, though, following the tests and running of the seamless shift box in Hungary, we've gone over the data and are making sure we are fully prepared for its introduction under race conditions in Valencia. We also took part in the Rotterdam Racing event, which was great fun for the team and the drivers."

Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer: "Going to new circuits presents a different challenge for the team, but it's an interesting challenge for the engineers as well as the drivers, and Valencia in itself will be a fascinating and unique event.

"In terms of preparation, we obviously look at the track layout and put this into our computer simulations so we have a fair idea of the nature of the circuit. There are some things you can't understand from the computers however, specifically the nature of the asphalt, how the tyres are going to react, whether you can use the kerbs or not, and so on are all unknown quantities until we get to the track. It's a good challenge though and will keep us busy."

Europe preview quotes: BMW

Europe preview quotes: Toyota

New Valencia track secures GP2 race

Europe preview quotes: Honda

Europe preview quotes: McLaren

Lewis Hamilton

Q. Has the time spent away from the racetrack allowed you to reflect on the state of the championship and your rivals?

LH: "To be honest, I already spend quite a lot of time between the races analysing the data and keeping fit. This summer break gave me the opportunity to get away from that and focus on just recharging my batteries. Looking back at the season so far, it feels like a different championship compared to last year: 2007 was very intense and consistency was incredibly important. This year, everybody's results have been more varied and every driver who has won a race has also failed to score on at least two other occasions. That's made getting strong results even more important, but I think we'll see consistency becoming crucial as we head towards the end of the season."

Q. How have you prepared for this weekend's race in Valencia?

LH: "We launched the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team in the city at the start of 2007, and I've tested at the Ricardo Tormo circuit so the city isn't unfamiliar to me. Anyway, going to a new circuit doesn't really change my preparations: everybody's in the same situation so I don't treat things very differently. Of course, we've done some preparation back at the McLaren Technology Centre ahead of this race, but our main focus will still be the three free practice sessions ahead of qualifying. I'll be working closely with my engineers to make sure we start the weekend with a good baseline and work hard to strengthen it as we go through the weekend. I enjoy visiting new racetracks and I'm looking forward to getting into the cockpit on Friday morning. It looks like being an amazing track."

Q. What can we expect from you for the remainder of the year?

LH: "I'm wary of making predictions - the race in Hungary showed just how unpredictable Formula One can be, and that’s one of the reasons why it's such a fascinating sport. Clearly, though, I am still in a good position to challenge for the world championship and that remains my aim. We still feel confident about our chances - we know our rivals will be strong, but we’ve worked hard to improve the car and are confident we’ll be competitive this weekend. The most important thing is to finish consistently in the points."

Heikki Kovalainen

Q. What did you do after celebrating your maiden Formula 1 victory in Hungary?

HK: "I had very much a working holiday: I spent some time in Woking with my engineers preparing for this weekend and I also spent some time back in Finland, at my home town of Suomussalmi, where I help organise an annual karting event in the town. Obviously, having just won the most recent grand prix made it a fantastic event for everybody. It was my first time back in Finland for quite a long time, too, so it was great to turn up as a grand prix winner!"

Q. How will your success in Hungary affect your preparations for the remaining races of the year?

HK: "The win doesn’t change too much, really: I still believe I am improving and learning more about the team and the car at each race. My aim for the last part of the season is to win more races and to perform regularly at the front. It’s something I was able to do from time to time in the first half of the year, but I now feel more confident that I can be a consistent challenger in the remaining races, and I’m really looking forward to that."

Q. What are your first impressions of the circuit?

HK: "It looks pretty fast, to be honest. You get used to street circuits being quite slow, with lots of slow- to medium-speed corners and very short straights, but this is almost the opposite. There are a lot of fast kinks and esses, a couple of decent straights and lots of high-speed stuff. It’s too early to say yet whether there will be opportunities to overtake around here, but there are a couple of hairpins where it might be possible."

Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Formula 1, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

Q. What particular difficulties does a track like Valencia present to the team?

MW: "In terms of car set-up, we need to remember that, like Monaco, the track will be both green and dusty on the opening day of practice. That sometimes tempts you into playing with set-up more than you would like, so you need to resist that temptation and let the track come to the car. Our simulations suggest we'll employ a downforce level similar to that of Hockenheim, but the individual demands of the track may push that window up or down. Finally, anybody who’s studied any onboard footage of the circuit will be mindful of the proximity of the concrete barriers in certain areas - clearly, we'll be packing plenty of spares, but hoping we won’t need to use them!"

Q. How does the team prepare for visiting a track for the first time?

MW: "The most important thing is to be thorough, methodical and iterative. Although we arrive at a new racetrack having undertaken a huge amount of research and armed with an enormous amount of data, the reality is that it's really only the starting point for our engineering team. We begin Friday practice the way we would at any other circuit, but in this instance, we need to pay particular attention both to driver feedback and the data generated from the car. The important thing is not to react too hastily - it's vital that you don’t end up going down the wrong path, because you only have a limited amount of time to tune the set-up before qualifying."

Q. How important is this race for the sport?

MW: "Clearly, Spain has become a tremendously important market for Formula 1 over the past five years - and the addition of a second Spanish race to the calendar rightly reflects the sport's success and popularity in the market. We launched the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes partnership here in 2007 and the city was a stunning backdrop to the event.

"Everything we've seen about the city and the organisation of this event leads me to believe it will be a fantastic success and set a new standard for Formula 1. More importantly, it marks a return to city racing - something we will also witness in Singapore and next year in Abu Dhabi - and that’s something that really engages the people and fans far more than at a purpose-built circuit out of town. This is an important time for the growth of the sport and everybody at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes will be hoping the weekend is a fantastic success - both for the team itself and the sport as a whole."

Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

Q. The European Grand Prix will be held on a new street circuit; a new challenge after Silverstone, Hockenheim and Budapest. Will a fourth consecutive win be possible?

NH: "Lewis, Heikki and the entire team performed excellently achieving three race wins in a row. Since the beginning of the previous season, we have won 13 out of 28 races and if possible, we want to improve this success rate. However, the maiden race in Valencia will be a new game for everybody."

Q. The grand prix in Valencia is a new street race. What do we have to expect there?

NH: "When you think about temporary street races in Formula 1, you mainly think about Monaco. However, Valencia does not have very much in common with this classic race; just that both cities are located on the Mediterranean coast and that both circuits lead along the harbour front. While the Monte Carlo race is the slowest of the year with an average speed of about 156km/h for the fastest lap, and is also the shortest with a race distance of almost 254km, we face a race distance of 310 km in Valencia and a track on which the cars will reach 300km/h or more five times per lap. Three times per lap the drivers also have to brake to about 80km/h which will be as extremely demanding for the brakes as the Montreal circuit. The longest full throttle section will be along the harbour where the drivers will drive at full throttle for 13 sec. The front straight is 185 metres long and the shortest of all Formula 1 circuits this year. We calculated an average speed per lap of 225km/h which will be the eighth fastest of all Grand Prix tracks. This is not typical for a street race; it is more like a version of Silverstone or Monza but located in a city."

Q. How do the engine technicians prepare for a new circuit like Valencia, for which there is no firm data so far?

NH: "Our technicians at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth and Stuttgart work out the circuit simulation data together with our partner McLaren Racing and use them for the engine dyno simulation. The work on the dyno is based on calculated gear ratios, revs and gear changes. According to that we find the optimum engine response and we also optimise the calibration accordingly to match the demands of the Valencia circuit as well as requirements of our drivers. This preparation is particularly important for a new circuit, for which we don’t have data from testing or races - in the end, it can be crucial to tackle qualifying and race in the best possible shape."

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Ferrari to make pushes for '08 and '09

Ferrari say they can start producing components for next year's car now, without sacrificing any resources in their push to win this year's championships.

While most teams are facing a choice between focusing their primary efforts either on the continued development of their 2008 car, or working on next year's version to the new regulations, which include slick tyres and KERS, Ferrari claim they have the resources to work flat out in both areas.

The team's technical director Aldo Costa admits that having two projects on the go at once is a challenge, but believes they can keep up their drive to win this year's drivers' and constructors' championships, and still begin next season in the strongest possible position.

"Ferrari have the ability and resources to work on next year's car without having to relax for one moment on continuing the development of the F2008 in a championship that is proving to be very tight between ourselves and our usual opponents," he said.

"It is a very demanding challenge. Although it's a challenge we've faced many times before, it's particularly tough this time with so many new elements coming into play for next season. This makes the puzzle more complicated than ever, which is why we have to operate as efficiently as possible in terms of time management, commitment, and energy.

"We are now entering the production phase for the main components of our 2009 car, parts such as the chassis and gearbox, which is a delicate phase with no way to recover from any mistakes. One step in the wrong direction could prove very costly. Our aim is the same as ever, to ensure that every element of our package works to its maximum."

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Jarno Trulli: "The track looks amazing and the location is fantastic so I am really looking forward to this Grand Prix. The team has worked hard to prepare for this race because it is a new track for all of us but from a driver's point of view the important thing is to drive it for the first time and then you can start to understand more about the circuit.

"I enjoy going to new venues because they are a new challenge and there is always something to discover; every race is unique and I like that. Even though this is a new track for us, I know Valencia pretty well from all the testing we have done at the other circuit there. It is a lively city and there always seems to be something going on so it should be a fun weekend.

"I am expecting a competitive weekend as well because at the moment we are looking quite strong. Scoring more points is our target and if we challenge for the podium again, that would be great."

Timo Glock: "I'm still smiling after Hungary. That was an incredible result and a fantastic feeling; I hope it will be the first of many podiums in Formula 1. The important thing was that we showed just how competitive we are at the moment and moved further ahead in fourth place in the Constructors' Championship.

"There is a great atmosphere in the team and we are all working hard together to move forward, which is why it was so satisfying to get on the podium in Hungary. But Valencia is a new race and we must start again. I did plenty of street races when I was racing in Champ Cars and in that season almost all the tracks were new to me so I have learnt to adapt quickly.

"It looks like an interesting circuit and it's quite long so it should be a good show. We will have plenty of work to do on Friday to adjust the car to the track but we are in good form at the moment so I am optimistic for this weekend."

Pascal Vasselon - Senior General Manager Chassis: "We are well prepared for Valencia. Of course, we started our preparations for this new track by looking at the FIA information and that allowed us to put forward some speed profiles in order to estimate downforce and braking requirements, for example. We also sent staff to look at the inaugural race meeting there at the end of July and that gave us additional data with regards to speed profiles, driving lines and track surface.

"We expect the track to be in the mid range of downforce and quite severe on brakes. At the beginning we anticipate grip will be quite low but that should improve throughout the weekend. In terms of performance, we clearly want to build on the competitiveness shown in Hungary. We are genuinely challenging to be the third quickest car based on the last few races. Valencia will also show how well teams can react to new conditions so it will be an interesting weekend and we have every reason to be feeling very
positive."

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