Background
The Grand Prix was contested by 20 drivers, in ten teams of two. The teams, also known as " constructors ", were Ferrari , McLaren - Mercedes , Renault , Honda , Force India , BMW Sauber , Toyota , Red Bull Racing , Williams and Toro Rosso . Tyre supplier Bridgestone brought two different tyre compounds to the race; the softer of the two marked by a single white stripe down one of the grooves.
Race
The Grand Prix was the first to be held at the new Valencia street circuit. After seeing the track for the first time, four days before the race, the drivers were positive about the track. Formula One tyre supplier, Bridgestone, celebrated their 200th Formula One grand prix at the race, having now supplied Formula One tyres since 1997. Celebrations included a special "golden tyre" which was displayed at the track, as well as two hoardings, inscribed with "Bridgestone 200". In technical developments, McLaren and Ferrari modified their front winglets, to make sure that the maximum amount of air flow was diverted. Ferrari also revised their sidepod chimneys and winglets, with the aim of making sure the engine remained cool in hot conditions. At his final stop, Felipe Massa 's Ferrari was released from its pit stop into the path of Adrian Sutil 's oncoming Force India car. There was no collision as Massa backed off as soon as he realised what had happened. This incident was deemed "unsafe" and was being investigated by the stewards. Shortly afterwards it was announced the incident would be investigated fully after the race. Ferrari was subsequently reprimanded by the stewards and fined €10,000, but the Brazilian kept his victory. [ 3... To add to Ferrari's pit stop blunders, Kimi Räikkönen left his pit box with his car's fuel hose still attached. The incident left a Ferrari mechanic Pietro Timpini with a minor fracture. Räikkönen also lost a place. Nico Rosberg scored a "rare" point for his Williams Team by finishing eighth.
Qualifying
Massa clinched pole position with a time of 1:38.989, and was joined on the front row by championship leader, Hamilton. Kubica took third place on the grid, with Massa's teammate Räikkönen taking fourth. Hamilton's teammate, Kovalainen, took fifth; Vettel, Trulli and Nick Heidfeld occupied the next three spots. The two Williams cars of Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima finished ninth and 11th, with Bourdais in between. Alonso qualified 12th, with Timo Glock of Toyota b...
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39°27′32″N 0°19′54″W / 39.45889°N 0.33167°W / 39.45889; -0.33167
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Part 1 | Part 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:38.176 | 1:37.859 |
| 2 | 22 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:38.464 | 1:37.954 |
| 3 | 4 | Robert Kubica | BMW Sauber | 1:38.347 | 1:38.050 |
| 4 | 1 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:38.703 | 1:38.229 |
| 5 | 23 | Heikki Kovalainen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:38.656 | 1:38.120 |
| 6 | 15 | Sebastian Vettel | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 1:38.141 | 1:37.842 |
| 7 | 11 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 1:37.948 | 1:37.928 |
| 8 | 3 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 1:38.738 | 1:37.859 |
| 9 | 7 | Nico Rosberg | Williams-Toyota | 1:38.595 | 1:38.336 |
| 10 | 14 | Sébastien Bourdais | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 1:38.622 | 1:38.417 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air hung thick with the scent of burning rubber and a palpable tension – a familiar shroud for this circuit. Massa, a sculptor of speed, coaxed a prodigious 740 horsepower from his Ferrari's 3. Hamilton, wrestling with the McLaren's 2. 4-liter engine, a testament to Mercedes' relentless pursuit of efficiency, relentlessly attacked the rear of the Ferrari's lead. A subtle shift in tire pressure – a calculated risk by McLaren's engineers to combat the Valencia tarmac's abrasive nature – would ultimately determine the extent of Hamilton's challenge.
The Spanish sun beat down with a brutal insistence, mirroring perhaps, the simmering tension within the Ferrari garage. Massa, a man sculpted by quiet resolve, navigated the Valencia street circuit with the almost unsettling precision of a seasoned cartographer charting an unknown land. A curious pattern emerged: for the second time this season, a driver starting from pole would complete the race without a single overtake, a statistical anomaly considering the ferocity of the midfield battles. Hamilton, always a tempestuous force, was left chasing the shadow of Massa's dominance, a frustrating echo of his earlier championship ambitions.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain hadn't relented, not a drop, just a slick, insistent grey pressing down on the Valencia tarmac. Hamilton wrestled, a furious white blur against the muted colours, his McLaren spitting water, desperately trying to hold onto the tail of Massa's Ferrari. You could almost taste the tension – the raw, brittle fear of losing ground, the desperate calculation of every millisecond. A slight lock-up, a brief flash of rear-wheel spin, and suddenly, the gap widened, a gulf carved out by a champion's instinct and a driver's unwavering resolve. Massa, calm, collected, was building his advantage, a sculptor shaping stone with the measured force of his car. It wasn't simply victory he sought, but the quiet assertion of dominance, a testament to years of honing this very skill.
The rain, a sullen grey smear across the Spanish sky, seemed to mirror the knot in Rubens Barrichello's stomach. Twenty years. Twenty years he'd chased this ghost, this sliver of victory, and here he was, watching young Pastor Maldonado, a man who seemed to operate on pure, unadulterated instinct, pull away. It wasn't just the lead; it was the *manner* of it – a chaotic, almost joyous, defiance of the established order. The older Brazilian simply stared, a flicker of something akin to disbelief in his eyes. A lifetime of calculated aggression, replaced by a raw, almost reckless, surge. A strange, unsettling portrait of a legend nearing the end.