I’m prepared to go on record as saying that the European Grand Prix – hosted around the the docks of Valencia – was the most boring I’ve ever been subjected to, perhaps save only for Barhain 2010.
The entire race, and the entire weekend for that matter, was devoid of action, and of what makes F1 what it is.
I’d quite gladly have sat staring out of a window for the first time in the thirteen years I’ve followed F1.
Even the 2010 Bahrain GP held more interest to me, purely because it represented the return to the sport of seven-times champion, Michael Schumacher.
To sum it up, the race was pretty much decided by the first corner, it was apparent that Sebastian Vettel was never going to be challenged barring divine intervention.
What’s more, every competitor made it to the chequered flag for the first time in six seasons, and only the fourth in Formula One’s rich sixty-one year history.
DRS, KERS, Pirelli’s rapid wearing tyres and the like, were introduced to spice up the racing.
They had what I’d describe as a transparent effect at Valencia.
You know that when this happens, something is very wrong.
And it’s not with the rules, they’re proven themselves worthy.
The Valencia circuit is one of a string of tracks created at the hands of German architect Hermann Tilke, and whilst many of his tracks are what I’d describe as average bordering on idiotic, this one takes the cream.
The race is a bad look for Valencia, for Spain, who already have the Barcelona Grand Prix to lean on, and for Formula One as a whole.
Surely, if any track needs to be axed in the future to avoid the calendar extending beyond the universally accepted 20 grand prix limit, it is Valencia.
As for the European GP moniker, long may this title live, it’s stint as the official name of the Valencia race is a mere blip, but the track has some serious questions which it needs to ask itself.
In two weeks, hopefully all memories of the stain on F1 will be forgotten, bring on Silverstone – the home of motorsport, where we look forward to the official unveiling of the redeveloped pit-straight, followed by outings at the established order of the Nurburgring in Germany, Hungary, and then the iconic Spa-Francorchamps and Monza circuits in Belgium and Italy.
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