Great destination, shame about the race

What on earth were you and your team thinking about barging your way into the post race parc ferme area at Valencia. If I were the FIA race director I would have your guts! Quickest way of losing the BBCs television pit and paddock privileges.

I do believe Valencia should depart the calendar. When EJ spoke to Bernie on the grid it seemed he was very subtly hinting that this track doesn't have a future.

Can anyone tell me why we can't race at the Nurburgring for the Euro GP anymore? Financial issues?

Adding to my previous comment, this grand prix was particularly boring. Partly because the other races this season have been so intriguing, but mainly because this is a boring circuit. Not even the new tyres and DRS could spark any fireworks.

Ah well, I'm hoping for an exciting race at Silverstone. Even if the Red Bulls walk it, I hope we get some good action.

We were also sat in the Medos cafe yesterday evening, reflecting on a fantastic weekend in Valencia. True the race wasn't the most exciting, but the weather was great and the atmosphere was electric. The only downside was waiting for the buses once we'd landed at Gatwick.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Hardly the most exciting race of the season so far but you can't have a thriller every time out.

I'll be working on the Jaguar stand at Goodwood this weekend helping to celebrate 50 years of the E-type. I'm not quite sure that we'll match Clarkson's efforts at flying the flag on Top Gear yesterday evening but we'll do our best.

For all those going to Goodwood, hope you have a great time and hopefully Silverstone will produce a far better race than Valencia managed.

Many of us appear to be fed up with the constant criticism of Lewis Hamilton by the BBC F1 team when Jenson Button is always outqualified by his team mate yet seems to escape.

Lewis said he was aiming for a podium finish after quali on Sat - this led the BBC F1 team (Andrew Benson, Sarah Holt) to criticise him as they felt he did not want to win.

A complaint was made a few months ago (one of many, according to various website forums) which is yet to be responded to. Clearly the BBC realise they are guilty of bias in their coverage otherwise why would they have failed to respond after several months have elapsed? According to the BBC Complaints website they should take just 10 working days yet they claim they are still 'investigating' the issues. It is an absolute farce. Any comment, Jake?

I don't think the Beeb are trying to grill Lewis too hard, at other times they're going out of their way to praise him which suggests that said complaints have gotten people's attention. The fact is, he's on a bad run of form at the moment though and I say that as a Lewis fan.

Monaco is little more than a spectacle race but stays on the calendar so no reason Valencia won't as well.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

I'd be very surprised if Fast Pete's view, recently posted, is shared by more than the very few.

post 10 - What sort of troll are you?!

Once again Jake - fantastic coverage as ever. Even with really average/poor races like this one you still were able to make the forum interesting and was not afraid to confront the fact to DC, EJ and Brundle that it was a poor race. Really look forward to see what the BBC have to offer at the British Grand Prix. Should be good, the DRS and KERS should be a hell of a lot more active...and I hope for a bit of rain!

I entirely disagree with Fastpete @ 10. Perhaps JH twitter account is not just for F1 related stuff? I would doubt that tweets are part of the contract for Jake. And complaining about the odd tweet which you don't like seems quite pointless.
MB is in my opinion the best thing about the coverage. He's even handed, insightful and not prone to hyperbole.
I would also like to question what part of it is unwatchable. The Sunday progs are good, qualifying has been good to watch and the red button stuff is good with Anthony Davidson.
Saying that the sport would benefit if the BBC decided against it is foolish in the extreme. Back to ITV and adverts and a commentator who was almost universally slated? To SKY and £50 a month?

Fast Pete (10) - You think Jake Humphrey tweeting costs you money? Do you know anything about how the Internet works? Jake can tweet what he wants, when he wants and it won't make a dent in the budget of the BBC. Because it's free. Your post lacks any kind of research, coherence and is 'at present, it almost' unreadable. If you don't like watching it, then don't turn on until the race starts.

Well, I did fall asleep for an hour during the race, woke up thinking it had only been a micro doze as nothing at all had changed position wise. Oh well.

The good news is, SILVERSTONE is coming! WOOP WOOP.

I like the presenting team, I don't think that anyone should poke about peoples tweets as it is not a purely F1 thing. Don't follow Jake if you don't like what he writes. There are plenty of purely F1 people if that's what you want, it is your choice.

I do hope BBC can carry on with the coverage. I personally feel that I have had a much better insight into the goings on of the paddock and various teams, as well as getting lots of interviews after the race on the forum. Half the fun for me is not knowing who will be grabbed for a word or two. Everybody has something relevant to say whether it be technical issues running an up and coming team or a weird story about goldfish amnesia. Its all part of it. I also really like the fact that there are no adverts and it is on a channel I already get. I do have bad memories of ITV cutting away from races for the ads and missing lots of important moments and sometimes not having time for the podium due to over runs or Corrie being on, etc. Can you imagine trying to get adverts in this season (ok, Valencia not counted, we could have watched a movie or something and not missed much...).

Anyway, with plenty of season still to go, it is not a forgone conclusion yet, I still watch every race with the anticipation of a child and pre race excitement levels at a high.

Oh and Jake, it was a very pretty fish market with very interesting tiles :O) .. possibly the highlight of the weekend for me. Oh no, that was the Parc Ferme line crossing situation in the forum. Hahahaha, wicked. You got to try.


Anyway, tuning in at Silverstone ready for another wicked one... Any chance of a shower or two??

the track isn't right, it doesn't work and I've been to Valencia and I didn't think it was up to much.

I'd much rather a new GP, maybe a return to Argentina or South Africa or something.

I loved the coverage as always, although it wasn't the most exciting race ever but there's not a lot Jake and the BBC F1 team can do about that!

For the comment above moaning about the Twitter feeds of presenters - its their personal Twitter account, not one solely for F1 coverage. If you don't like the personal tweets then simple answer is - don't follow them! Just use the F1 hashtag like anyone else to search for tweets you consider "relevant".

I'm looking forward to Silverstone GP. Its usually a good race and I love to see JB and Lewis in front of the home fans. My son has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and is being taken up to the track by one of the charities on Thursday 7th. Another 5 year old who's mad on F1 to carry on in the next generation of fans!

I have loved F1 being back where it belongs on the BBC however I do feel its lost its focus somewhat this year, especially the red button forum. This used to be great when it was packed with driver and team member interviews but now it seems to just be Jake, Eddie and DC aimlessly wandering around the paddock with little or no purpose.

Sadly I think its become obvious to even the most die-hard Jenson Button fans that there has become a strong bias towards him and against Lewis Hamilton in the coverage over the last few races.

Obviously Hamilton's form has been questionable of late but watching the coverage you become very aware who the bbc boys prefer on a personal level (more that they dont particularly like Lewis) and this shouldnt creep into their professional job which is presenting F1 in a fair and unbias way.

I hope this is taken as the constructive feedback that its intended to be.

What happened to the Canadian GP Blog Jake??? After such a great race we were looking forward to a terrific blog about it.......

@10 Are you actually suggesting/complaining that Twitter accounts are paid for out of the license fee? Trollolollololololololo.

Seriously now, Monaco stays because it's a true test; no compromise, no runoff, no gravel traps. The F1 World Championship should test all aspects of a drivers skill, Monaco is the pinnacle of precision with absolutely no margin for error. Circuits like Valencia and Singapore are the tedious middle ground that no-one needs, they take the negative aspects of Monaco (poor overtake rates etc) and translate them onto modern, wide racing circuits. They also lack the history and tradition of Monaco (whatever weight you give to such concepts), which, lets be honest wouldn't get a spot as a new race nowadays (and it's not alone on the calendar in that respect).

The Valencia race was and always is dull, I've got no idea why some circuits these days are designed so badly. This circuit is probably the worst on the calendar, even the DRS zones didn't work such is the awful layout of the track.

One other thing I would like to add is about tyres. Why has F1 become a test of how much a car and driver can preserve tyres? F1 should be about speed and bravery not this.

I would vote to lose Hungary before Valencia. I agree Valencia was not great but I just dont understand the attraction of Hungary. All the issues of a street circuit without the back drop, like Monaco.

Just wanted to also pitch in regarding post 10 - really? Do you recall the days gone by of the ITV coverage? Even if you find the current BBC effort to not be upon a stunning plateau, surely it's still a shining beacon by comparison.

The only downsides I can offer are relatively minor - Jake, please, you're an excellent presenter for this, but I'm far from convinced you and EJ are a good combination for the grid walk, that was rather weak. Can we have MB back on that at every circuit please? Or at least DC? I personally feel it really needs to be an ex-driver with their insight out there.

Also, I do rather feel that the technical content is drying up a little - I was really hoping for something meaty in either qualifying or race warm up about the regulation changes and speculation as to how it affects the teams, but apart from a very small throw away comment or two, nothing.... Hopefully I'll be given a glut of extra info pre-Silverstone though and then I'll shut up! ;)

As ever Jake a great weekend from all the BBC guys.
We have been spoiled this season with some thrilling races, so yesterday was a bit boring but we still have 11 excellent races to go (I maybe wrong with the amount left)!
Is it possible to back into the motorhomes again on the red button? I guess it must be difficult to get the agreement from some of the teams and when you do go into red bull's motorhome, all you seem to get is critism on here from poeple (but I am guessing red bull are very open to let you in, where some of the other teams may not be)!
Overall please dont change, we love you the way you are!

Amanda

What can i say about the latest round of the f1 champ apart from DULL DULL DULL
Reminds me of the Ferrari Schumacher days of the early 00s i switched off then and im considering it again The thing that gets me is the bbc team continuing to gush over Vettels driving and of `mastering` the new tyres. Well put a top driver in the car ie Hamiton Alonso and they would be getting the same results. Vettel is good putting Webber a second rate driver in the shade but its the CAR

With all the new countries being added to the calendar if they still plan to have a European GP in the future it should be held in a country that doesn't already have a race - Austria, France or Portugal perhaps?

Jake firstly well done for being so enthusiastic about Valencia. I've never liked the place. It looks like the cars are racing around a dockyard and we have never had anything like a decent race there. Unfortunately with F1 it's all about the money but I wish we could have the European GP somewhere else.

Secondly although I am British and live in the UK I do not support Mclaren or Lewis Hamilton. I am not alone. I have to concede that he is a talented driver but his driving of late has been reckless. Yet you all keep on defending him. Apparently it's OK for Lewis to crash in to other people because he is passionate. Other drivers do not get the same coverage. Think of the criticism you gave Michael Schumacher after 1 error in Turkey!! and frankly the whole interview with Niki Lauda where he was practically being forced to back down was embarrassing.

I absolutely love the BBCs coverage and you all do a fantastic job but I feel you've lost the plot a bit in the last 3 races. Credit should be where it's due but so should critism.

To finish my comment as i pressed the wrong key and sent it prematurely Vettel is good but its the CAR THATS GREAT

In regards to bias against Lewis Hamilton, I don't see it. What I do see is someone who needs to step back and take a look at himself. Yes he has energy and passion but having watched him drive recently about as well as I drive on my X-Box 360, I think he needs a cooler head. Jenson is winning praise for having just that, although I'll admit he sometimes needs a fire lit underneath him (particularly prevalent at the end of his championship year). I know this may take some flak, but Lewis is looking like more like a celebrity driving an F1 car (earrings, A-list guests in the garage, saturated media coverage outside f1), than an F1 driver who happens to be a celebrity.

Martin Whitmarsh should be asking him if he still has the discipline to fight for the win. Comments on the radio like 'I can't go any faster' simply sound immature like kid not getting his own way. A better car alone will not win races and to be honest I wouldn't let Lewis round a car park at the moment for fear of another 'racing incident', whilst no doubt complaining the trolley boys and security were all against him.

People support Jenson because he doesn't whine and support Andy Murray because he tries his best. Can't say the same for Lewis at the moment I'm afraid.

Another good blog. It's been a great season so far, but yet another borefest at Valencia. I hope to high heaven that the new US race next year will be more exciting, given that it's another Tilke track. Herman Tilke seems to have a talent for sanitising F1 circuits, the only exciting (or least boring) one I think he's designed might be Yas Marina. Even when he made changes to the Osterreichring it took away a lot of the excitement.

Spa is exciting because it's high-speed and low downforce all the way round, Monaco is exciting because it's low-speed and high-downforce all the way round. The new tracks all seem to be trying to be a mixture of both, and it has the effect of neutralising the cars setup-wise.

I'd like to see Bernie go to someone else, perhaps a former racer, to design a new circuit, because I think you need to be a racer to understand just what makes a brilliant racetrack.

On the point of Barcelona v Valencia, I actually thought Bernie was signalling the end for Barcelona more than anything with what he said. Which would be wrong, as Barcelona is the better circuit. Perhaps it's time to leave Valencia and push for a return to Hockenheim. Even the truncated H-ring is preferable to Valencia.

@2

We're at Nurburgring in a few weeks, it's the German GP since Bernie ditched Hockenheim.

I think the most important factor in the difference in quality of the last 2 races comes down to the simple fact that it rained in Canada and not in Valencia.

Tracks, tyres, DRS, Kers all have an effect to some extent, but wet races are far more exciting than dry ones. Fact.

I broke out my Young Ones DVD and watched the episode 'Bored' as after watching this 'race' for a bit I knew exactly how they felt. As a TV 'spectacle' I think it needs a new prescription. Forget 'should have gone to specsavers' the F1 circus 'should have gone somewhere else'.

@32

Perhaps there is something to Bernie's suggestion of manual sprinklers at circuits...would be interesting to at least give it a trial in a sort of friendly race!

@31

Haaaang on a minute. We raced at Hockenheim last year for the German GP, so do they switch between Nurburgring and Hockenheim for the German GP? Or is Hockenheim off the calendar forever now? I didn't hear about Hockenheim being axed.

I've seen it suggested (on the F1B website) that there could be a sort of roaming 'European' GP where countries not on the current calendar could take turns in hosting it - subject to a suitable track, of course.

To whit, if you change 'countries' to 'counties' then I would like to put forward Sainsbury's car park in Derby as a fair and honest replacement for the one at Valencia (SuperSol?). Some of the slower teams could take covert photos of the trollies whilst the faster ones pop in for a chocolate cake... ;-)

Hi Jake, nice to see your blog back again, what happened to your blog after the canadian grand prix?

Anyway going back two weeks to Canada what a race that was it was Button's best race ever that's for sure and best race of the year so far.

I now move on from the best race to the most boring race of the season. Valencia has always proved boring, this is the 4th race there now and each one has had no excitement whatsoever, if Bernie wants to remove a race from the European circuit then Valencia would get my vote.

As for the 2011 season, that now looks almost over I personally cannot see Vettel loosing the championship this year. I am hoping that the ban on exhaust gases at silverstone changes things but not sure that they will.

On a personal note I am really looking forward to silverstone as I shall be going and really supporting our British drivers even though that they may not win. Also the British fans are an awesome bunch to be around so should superb time.

PS - you did a grand job during your stint on BBC Radio 2!

@36

Yes, you're right...I just remember the talk of ditching Hockenheim, but having looked it up it'll be back next year.

Perhaps if they ever finish the work at Donington they might be considered for a one-off European GP in place of Valencia...shame it'll never happen though.

So Nurburgring this year, and Hockenheim next year. Kay. Got it.

I don't think its a scandal that a nation can have two grand prix, fact of the matter is we are missing some excellent circuits by virtue of their location. Is that really fair?
The two German grand prix circuits are in my opinion two of the best circuits ever to have been raced on. However these has been ditched in favour of two Spanish races, both of which I think are sub par compared to their German counterparts, as they generally provide more thrilling racing.
Valencia's problems are not just that it is a circuit which is hard to overtake on, Hungary and Monaco are both difficult to overtake on, yet we do not hear fan's pleas after every race there to scrap the race. Monaco is the 'jewel in the F1 crown' and overtaking there is as difficult, if not harder than in Valencia. The problem is that the circuit has no niche, its hard to overtake on, is horrible asthetically and does little to reward driving skill, in effect it is a car circuit that is very stop and go. We must be reaching the point soon where an ultimatum be placed on the circuit, change or be cut from the calendar!
This also takes me back to my earlier point, as to whether the circuit's nationality is really important, surely the quality it brings to the sport is of higher importance? The only reason why nationality ever became an issue to F1 was to slowly steer F1 towards Asia, where next year more races will take place than in Europe. Don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing that F1 should keep to what it knows and remain firmly in Europe except for a few token races at the start and end of the season, as it was in the past. I think F1 should try to expand to other markets, but it should be for the right reasons and not just about money. Valencia is one of many 'new' circuits, namely those from the Tilke generation which lack soul and passion. Monza, Sao Paulo, Spa, Silverstone, Monaco and Sazuka all exude a clear f1 passion which has been developed and is now engrained on the local landscape. Even circuits such as the Hungaroring and Singapore are beginning to find their niche and they have worked. The same can not be said for the bulk of newer circuits, they have simply been thrown into an area where there has been zero previous history of popular motor sport interest, which in my view is wrong. I think F1 demands a slow expansion, if it is to slowly expand, due to the complex nature of the sport.
Therefore, I think we need to rethink how we expand to new venues, it is a process which aims to establish an%2

Cheers for another welcome blog - and well done to all the team, cheerful, dedicated, wise professionals in every sense and much appreciated.
And I hear that Matt in Glastonbury never did wear white trousers (https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9522966.stm 11:52am), but then again, neither did DC this weekend...
PS the letter in Telegraph https://yfrog.com/kggydcj - very well put indeed.

Is it possible that the infantile Hamilton fanboys could stop accusing everyone of being anti-Lewis and just accept that sometimes Lewis will be criticised and sometimes he will be praised?.

If these posters spent more time analysing the race rather than getting upset over the slightest critique of Lewis, I am sure that they would discover that there are 23 other drivers who line up for each GP and that the world does not revolve around Lewis.

I wanted to discuss the Valencia GP but get so frustrated having to wade through so many school level posts by people who claim to be F1 fans, but who seem to be the sort of people who would argue with there reflection in the mirror.

My rant ends.

The trouble with a roaming race is that track owners won't go for it, many will likely have to jump through some expensive hoops to get the race and only get one opportunity to recoup the outlay.

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Next to Bahrain, Valencia is the worst circuit on the calendar. It needs to be culled soon. Ecclestone's comments on the gridwalk suggested that Barcelona will be the one that is ultimately culled and this circuit will sadly stay on the calendar though.

I have to say having watched during some of the Schumacher era processions and seen some dull races that it was definitely one of the dullest races ever. I think what made it worse was Brundle's constant attempts to create some illusion of any interesting contests/battles within the race.

Valencia must go!

I have come to this forum late on so I am uncertain if this thought of mine is anything like original but it has been troubling me for some time. In practice sessions, the DRS is available. DRS is an overtaking aid so that's fine; the drivers and engineers are preparing their cars for all the circumstances they will encounter in a race. DRS is also available during Qualifying, and, furthermore, throughout the lap. Why, please? No-one plans for overtaking during Quali so what is the reason for having a strictly race-oriented gadget usable in that situation? Clearly, the superior aerodynamics of the Red Bull benefit more than other teams' cars from being able to leave the wing open further into a corner and re-open it earlier on exit, thereby maintaining a higher speed. We have seen this and MB has commented on it. It is this factor which, I believe, has contributed as much to Vettel's grid positions as any other. DRS should be disengaged during Quali then we may see a more level playing field for the race. Prodigiously talented though he is, Vettel, in my opinion, could not mix it from row three with the likes of Alonso, Hamilton, Button, Rosberg, Schumacher or even Massa on a good day...and his team-mate, of course. They would eat him up until he learned how to win a grand prix from somewhere other than the front.

33: By the way, that Young Ones episode was titled "Boring" and not "Bored".

When was Hamilton battling with Alonso and Webber during the race... he was having his own drive far away from them...

I'm amazed that anyone thinks any of the races this year have been in any way interesting. For the most part, it's been a case of "qualify in pole, finish in first" and a tedious procession to the finish. The best thing for F1 is if it could quietly die in a corner somewhere and we could get something altogether less predictable on TV.

I too completely disagree with Fastpete @10. Formula One coverage on the BBC is a joy to behold and personally, would hate to see it move across to a rival broadcaster. Although everybody is entitled to their opinion, I think your point is a tasteless rant to a dedicated team who expertly guide us from season to season.

@21, it's a great point about tyre preservation. Do you think that the Valencia circuit in the DRS and Kers era would be capable of providing a more entertaining race if there wasn't so much emphasis on tyre wear? The circuit isn't great, but I'd like to see what people think!

Got to get behind the British lads again this weekend. A McLaren podium and Di Resta in the points is probably the best we can bargain for at this stage! As long as they do us proud, that's all I can ask!

green legend thank you someone does understand formula 1 lol, firsty valenica is one broing race, it was the only fun part was watching eddie make full of him self at the begining, martin burndle said i quote " vetteal is the smartest driver out there" what just because he wins easy races, his smart, and marti brundle really does havea problem with lewis lets face it, eddie martin brundle they really dont like lewis and love vetteal, i feel vettal would win 4 or 5 championships, or more where as hamilton would have 2 and statiscally would make vettal better than hamilton, whihc is not that case, alonso, lewis button and rosberg are better than vettal

Can you please go back to doing the forum how you did last year, finding a team's motorhome and have people visit you there. This year Martin in the darkened room analysis and you guys in the pitlane feels much further from the action. And trying to make a broadcast from parc ferme after the race this weekend wasn't great tele, the FIA did not want you there and it felt like a ghost town. Also, tell your bosses to let Murray Walker commentate on the British GP - not that Martin and DC are not doing a great job, as do you all, in general.

I was dissapointed that the fastest way to complete the race was to drive the entire thing with tyre-management in mind. The tyres have been one of the great things about this season but I think they ruined this race. I would challenge Pirelli to make a tyre that operates at a wider temperature range and degrades at a constant rate across that range. That may be physically impossible but you get the idea - drivers should be racing as fast as possible at all times. Whatever can be done to at least reduce the benefit of nursing tyres must be looked at.

I'm not saying it doesn't take skill to look after your wheels. Just that this particular race could have been a lot more action packed if rubber conservation was less of a concern.

@ post #49.

'Quietly dying in a corner' is a little harsh. I enjoyed all the races this season apart from Sunday's.

If Vettel wasn't on pole or alongside the pole sitter, I'm sure he would have a much tougher time. I don't believe Vettel is a proven overtaker yet, either.

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As someone who lives within earshot of the Valencia circuit, have driven along bits of it and walked other bits, the best thing is the paella restaurants just outside the gates. The circuit itself is a bore, and it is just around the docks with a bit around the houses. Not exciting but as long as Alonso is in with a chance, the money says that it will stay on the calendar. Can't count Cataluña as they claim it is a different country.
Someone mentioned Argentina, which I went to when I lived there. Not a great circuit but they could do a great one around the parks and along Libertador. It was mentioned but probably the finances did not work out.
It's all about money these days, as we all know but refuse to recognise.

In the few years since I've started watching Formula 1 regularly (difficult to do here in the States considering the odd hours at which the races are run here), I've always found the Valencia race to be consistently the most boring of the season. Knowing that was the race this weekend, I didn't even bother to get up and watch it this go-round. I'm sure it's a great and beautiful city, but Spain already has a race, and the Barcelona circuit is far superior to that at Valencia anyways. There are some excellent circuits that Formula 1 doesn't even visit anymore, for whatever reasons, and I would much prefer to see F1 leave Valencia and find a better home. There are a number of good tracks in Europe, and if they are going to have a European Grand Prix, I'd like to see it rotate among them on a yearly basis.

I am with number 10, lol........seriously, I used to be an avid follower of the sport, but when you change the rules every season and get even muster a word for the people of Bahrain, frankly you all deserve a left turn at the rascase and a permanent dip in the med.

Formula 1 could be the most exciting thing in the world however greed from the organisers by giving the rights to these rotten street circuits is going to kill it. Who wants to see the race on saturday during qualifying and then have a follow my leader race on sunday. This road race bore also includes Monaco, valencia and the singapore shambles. Formula one has got to realise that whilst they like to visit Monaco for all the parties and champagne and to have the celeb weekend, it is in fact absolutely boring and the people at home watching tv will very soon start to switch off. Brundle had it correct when he said formula 1 has outgrown Monaco. God alone knows what will happen if Hong Kong and some of the others are added. If there is no room or space or opportunity to overtake then why race.

Great blog as always Jake!
Despite there being some exciting Spanish Gps in the past, since I've started watching F1 (in 2009), there hasn't been a really good gp held there accept it was great to see Rubens get his first win in 5 yrs in 09. If I had to take one race off the calender, it would be either Valencia or Barcelona. I'd love Nuremberg to return to the calender.
Can't wait for the British gp, went to it last year and was great. Decided not to go to it this year as we're goong to Spa instead! Can't wait for the BBC coverage in 2 weeks.

The race was rather dull this weekend, although I've seen far worse in the past.
If you want to see a really boring race then take a look at the 2004 Hungarian Grand Prix.
As for the British Grand Prix in two weeks, I'm holding out little hope of any improvement as Red Bull have romped home to victories at Silverstone in 2009 and 2010. The fast sweeping corners suit their car perfectly and they will be practically impossible to beat unless the race weekend is hit by bad weather.
I must also say I was watching some Moto GP racing at Silverstone the other week. Although the Moto GP riders were not using the exact same course as the F1 teams, Silverstone has lost some of it's flow with the track modifications.

Comment number At 21:43 27th Jun 2011, You wrote:
@ #10, and in the words of Judith "Do be quiet Peter".

Keep going Jake, Martin, DC and EJ. You are all excellent. Eddie, could you just hold back a little on the touchy feelyness with people. It seems a little overbearing and a bit much occasionally. You are obviously a nice, warm guy but just a little less please.

As for Valencia, it has shown from the start that it is a rubbish race track. Even the now proven DRS, kers and tyre elements couldn't bring anything more. They, to me, have proven once and for all, and beyond any doubt that this track should never, ever enter the thoughts of the F1 organisers, nevermind a conversation. Just a shame that during your coverage DC in particular tried to defend it.

Cheers anyway guys. Looking forward to Silverstone!
And keep up the great work

Also have just read comment 10 and I totally disagree with it. I am in full support of the BBC coverage. You always make the weekend more enjoyable and analyse the race and interviews very well. I love all the presenters I don't think you could find a better team and I will be so upset if the BBC no longer covers the race as you could miss crucial points in the race when adverts are on. Keep up the good work and am looking forward to Silverstone!

@10 Lol!!!! Sorry just cant take this seriously!!! Fantastic job Jake as we have come to expect from the team at the BBC!!! Think @49 is in a time warp!!! With the exception of this week (which I admit was booorrrring) this season has been fantastic!!!
Cant wait for Silverstone, will be there camping, barbie, posh frock do sat evening and racing, bliss!!!!!!

Something to say about the apparent 'anti-Lewis' remarks by the BBC. I am a huge Hamilton fan and yes, the BBC are a little pro-Button but in recent races Eddie and DC have said they don't want Hamilton to change his style because 'he's the most exciting driver along with Kobayashi'. Not along those lines, but still.

In a season where even Monaco has been an entertaining race it has become painfully obvious that Valencia isn't a good racetrack. Hopefully F1 will ditch it soon enough.

Sorry Jake I've decided I won't be watching the coverage at Silverstone either............. but that's cos I'm gonna be there!! First race I've ever been to (despite the fact that I'm 23 and have followed F1 since I was little), and its two days after the end of the hardest exams I've ever had in my life!!! Very excited!

As for Valencia, I agree there's never been a good race there. It should be the second to go after Bahrain (shouldn't go back for moral reasons as well as racing reasons) if they choose to axe one next year. As for this season the tyres are the only thing thats keeping it exciting with Vettel marching off into the distance race after the race. I agree DRS should be banned in qualifying. It's an overtaking aid, not a performance aid!!

Keep up the good work with the coverage! I've never felt like I've understood the technical stuff as much as I do now!

Worst Grand Prix by a long shot and worst BBC before and afters too. Sorry for my honesty but trying to get into Parc Ferme with Jake shouting like a teenager that it'll be ok was simply cringe-making TV. Why oh why did Martin and Eddie listen?

I usually enjoy the pre and apres race program as much as the racing but the weekend's coverage was amateurish and on a week where it was leaked that the BBC fat cats were thinking of backing out of F1 it wasn't a good weekend to put on such a shoddy show.

The race itself was processional with limited overtaking and Mr Vettel sitting at the front watching the others chasing him but with plenty in the tank if needed. The long straights with the fencing either side looks like the entry road to a prison. The spectators that were there seemed to be sitting waiting on Fernando driving past doing a Spanish wave and then waiting on him coming round again.

@51 Please use a spellchecker before you post next time.

Mark Webber once described Valencia as "like driving around a Tesco car park". Nuff said. Think F1 has been fantastic this year, but would love to see one or two circuits replaced this being one of them the other that monstrosity in Abu Dhabi (never going to happen I know). Surely there's a better circuit in Europe to host a Grand Prix than Valencia. I'll leave it open to debate. Nice blog Jake ignore the morons

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

First of all:

@10 - Are you joking?! The BBC do a great job of broadcasting F1, and i'm sure the vast majority of fans think so too. We're treated to pretty much everything you could want in sports coverage - and although there are one or two minor low-points, they're nothing to get into a fuss over.

Secondly:

Yes, the race was pretty boring. But it's Valencia, it just doesn't give good F1 racing and year on year it shows why it shouldn't have a renewed deal with Bernie. There were few overtakes, large gaps throughout the field, only little action in places and us Brits didn't have much to cheer about with the outcome. But now that it's out of the way, hopefully we can continue to enjoy an era of F1 that has become the best in decades. I've never known this many non-fans to be so interested and enthusiastic for watching the GP on the weekend, F1 and BBCF1 are both in good places at the moment.

It was a really poor race, it has been a good season but we all know that it is lacking something, competition.

I don't think that Seb is so much better than the rest but his car is and Mark should be pushing him closer.

I haven't yet watch the forum which isn't the norm, what can be analysed? The start? JB's pass? Not a lot to choose is there?

C'mon McLaren - run the simulator 24/7 and sort it!

I thought it was an awful race simply because its an awful track. Its not just me either - the only adverts are on the pit straight and the rest is blue concrete, so the sponsors aren't keen either.

I really don't understand why its on the calender, indeed I'm perplexed as to why there is a European GP - why not just ditch the whole concept altogether.

Every year the Hungarian GP calls into question why I follow F1. Every year the same statement comes up ' its really difficult to overtake here'. So ditch it. There are plenty of other race tracks out there.

As to the BBC's coverage, I think that the banter between Coulthard and Brundle is brilliant - its a perfect partnership of dry humour and technical knowledge. It would be a terrible shame if the BBC gave up on F1 - ITV was diabolical.

Finally Lewis Hamilton deserves all the stick he's been getting. Physically shoving other cars out of the way is dangerous and reckless. He is a great talent but some of his recent showings have been awful. I thought his Monaco race was particularly poor in terms of sportsmanship.

If Sebastian Vettel sticks the wrong finger up next time he may well be in trouble as a racing driver and Red Bull pulling the strings this was another trouble free Grand Prix.I have been to Valencia twice the backdrop is great and the beach stretches for miles with a Mediterranean lapping up the coastline. Great place for an early tan but I am afraid the race was a tad bit dull another processional Seb look at me try and catch me feeling unlike the Canadian GP which has planted itself in the fans psyche as one of the best races to date! I have to agree with Eddie where did you get that shirt from Jordan qualifying has to be alot closer considering this season Vettel is king of the poles and with Hamilton and Button predicting the upgrades are not good enough Silverstone looks to be a British free zone. Anyway did anybody see Lewis's lookalike playing at Glastonbury check out the guitar player with Plan B!

@68 the Jake and Parc Ferme sounds dreadful, unfortunately didn't watch that much as we switched it off once the top 10 crossed the line,

A) to avoid Vettel thrusting his #1 finger (rudely) at all the other competitors, I know he doesn't think it is rude but to us Brits culturally it most definitely is. (I know you biased sods who post here may not believe this, but I do actually rate Vettel in the top 2-3 drivers out there, however the situation that is happening now is killing the championship, the rest of the year and ultimately the sport, I hate that regardless of team name/driver name - it must remain competitive, the only negative with Vet is his finger thrusting).

B) The BBC banal coverage and like childrens BBC trying to say everything is SUPER AWESOME FANDABBYDOZY, when it isn't is nothing but annoying too.

Ultimately the biggest problem was the track, I think all the new tracks are great tracks to drive around, but extremely poor tracks to race around. Hope you understand the difference. They really are a class above the old tracks for solo driving experience and challenge, but unfortunately with that comes far too much of the racing line traversing the track from left edge to right edge to left edge again, or long curves were there is only one line the racing line due to marbles/surface.

So all the features that make the track a roller coaster to drive around make it a nightmare to try and pull an overtake on, even with double DRS.

oh yes, the grid walk......MB if possible, otherwise skip it, Jordan and yourself were just awkward, nearly as awkward as following you exposing your wifes private bedroom antics through tweets on the F1 news page...

...@55 what is wrong with you? I tend to agree with rustigjongens and his comments, but then you only started watching F1 in 2007

Nice blog, crap race, followed by an excellent F1 Forum on the 'red button' (well I watched it on iPlayer just now, but the feeling of immediacy was still there).
So, Valencia serves up another effectively processional race... No surprises, no excitement, no 'anything' really.
The only things which were of any interest to me personally, was Alguersuari's 8th place finish from 18th on the grid. Easily the drive of the day, but somewhat unnoticed aside from a few throwaway comments by Mart n' Dave. And Sutil's 9th place and his ascension into the lofty heights of Q3 (although he didn't even attempt to make a run in that last 15 minutes). A lot of punditry revolving around Di Resta for the first few Grand Prix, but it seems Sutil is just as worthy of that 'top team' drive in the future.... The paradigm of those drivers at Force India is definitely one to keep an eye on through the rest of the season.
Loved the Parc Ferme escapade, I bet that ruffled a few feathers at the time and afterwards as well. But well done for doing it, it's that insistence on trying to gain more insight and offer the viewers something besides the actual racing that makes BBC coverage of F1 so good.
I do agree with other comments about Jake's grid walking credentials, he's just not the 'Brundle-fly' and doesn't seem to have the ex-F1 driver respect which is necessary to be able to barge around and grab drivers for a 30 second 'interview'. However I disagree that his 'style' is out of place, the infectious nature of his attitude and the chemistry with Eddie 'the guru' Jordan is brilliant.
So, Silverstone coming up..... Can't wait for that. Hopefully the conditions will be less than 'perfect', but not to the extreme of Canada. I'll refer back to my previous post on that race and reiterate the seemingly pointless nature of the wet tyre used. What was the point of having a tyre to be used in wet conditions if, under a safety car restart, the green flags don't come out until it's time to use the intermediate tyre.... And everyone just flew into the pits and changed them.... Pointless!!
So, a bit of rain at Silverstone would be nice, and some more ruffling of feathers after the race wouldn't hurt too!

A twitter related suggestion for Jake and the BBC . . .

It is @jakehumphreyf1 so maybe the BBC should only post Jake's F1 related tweets on the BBC F1 webpages ? easy to do if Jake adds the #f1 hashtag to all F1 related tweets. Anything without #f1 would not be copied to the BBC F1 webpages.

I can't believe how some people are complaining about the BBC coverage of Formula one!!!! It is quite possibly the best line up of presenters and pundits that F1 has ever had. Its fun, its interesting and they keep you watching. Where else is Formula one going to go, ITV again, putting up with adverts every 10 - 15 minutes, just as something important was about to happen, giving it to sky sports so that we have to pay for it. If Formula wants to keep its veiwing figures high they must stay on the BBC and keep the line up they have got. People should really think about what they are posting on here before they do it!!!!!

@80 yep, don't mind what he tweets on his own twitter page, but on the F1 news page, we shouldn't get his usual dribble(football,wife,stupid observations) just F1 related stuff, all the other reporters/presenters do great on this front.

Yes PLEASE lets only have F1 related tweets ! , Why would we want to read anything else on an F1 page , I have never understood why they appear ( small point but very annoying ) . .

I would like to know why comments regarding the BBC bias against Lewis Hamilton are being moderated out?

This kind of censorship surely goes against everything the BBC stands for.

"75.
At 00:57 28th Jun 2011, RON wrote:

If Sebastian Vettel sticks the wrong finger up next time he may well be in trouble as a racing driver and Red Bull pulling the strings this was another trouble free Grand Prix.I have been to Valencia twice the backdrop is great and the beach stretches for miles with a Mediterranean lapping up the coastline. Great place for an early tan but I am afraid the race was a tad bit dull another processional Seb look at me try and catch me feeling unlike the Canadian GP which has planted itself in the fans psyche as one of the best races to date! I have to agree with Eddie where did you get that shirt from Jordan qualifying has to be alot closer considering this season Vettel is king of the poles and with Hamilton and Button predicting the upgrades are not good enough Silverstone looks to be a British free zone. Anyway did anybody see Lewis's lookalike playing at Glastonbury check out the guitar player with Plan B!"

---

Personally I'd like to stick that finger somewhere the next time he raises it...

And I simply cannot understand why people think the race at Montreal was so good. Because it wasn't, we had 2+ hrs of non-racing, we had a number of safety car periods, most of them longer than they should have been, and up until the final safety car Vettel looked like he would run away with the race, as he has done on most occasions so far this season. After the last safety car it was like a mini sprint race and whilst that was reasonably entertaining (between Button/Schumacher/Webber and Vettel) the rest of the race was like watching paint dry - or wildlife if you're DC and MB. Lol.

Valencia as a track has been seen as a poor track for spectators to watch F1 racing at, right from race 1 at the venue, so I would hope that it is ditched in favour of an already established track, but unfortunately I don't think that will be the case as Bernie tends to chase the money, and few existing tracks that have previously held F1 races which are not currently on the calendar can afford the fees Bernie demands.

However the support series races seem to be able to put on a good show (GP2 springs to mind), so perhaps the problem is not the track itself?

As for people's comments on the coverage the BBC provide - I can find only one fault, one that Lyla has mentioned, and for a change I agree with him/her - some of the BBC coverage is like watching a programme on CBBC, but then I guess that's what you get when you employ an ex-childrens TV presenter as your main anchor.

People support Jenson because he doesn't whine and support Andy Murray because he tries his best. Can't say the same for Lewis at the moment I'm afraid.

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Just wanted to chip in with a comment here. I'm a fan of both the McLaren drivers, but it does always confuse me when I read people say that Jenson Button doesn't moan and whine.

If you take a step back from the Button/Hamilton debate, you'll see that Button spends quite a lot of his time moaning when he isn't having a great time. Sure, after Canada he was all smiles, but his team radio messages, his post qualifying interviews, and post race interviews, are very moany. As I'd expect them to be - if stuff isn't going his way, what else is he to say.

Like I say, I'm a big fan of both drivers, and perhaps that is why I can see that some of the fans on either side of the debate have Jenson (or Hamilton) tinted glasses on.

Oh, and Jake - I honestly think you need to find a way to make sure Martin Brundle does the gridwalks. I know I know, he needs to be in the commentary box ready for the parade lap, but really he is the only person who brings value to it. He is respected enough by the drivers to get a quick word in with them, knows everyone on the grid, and is very good at identifying when people can and can't talk. It simply didn't work with yourself and Eddie, and made for poor viewing I'm afraid.

Given the size of some run-offs at Valencia, surely they can "do an Abu Dabi" (as they intend to) and reprofile the circuit's lay-out to feature fewer arcing winding straights followed by walled fiddly bits, and introduce flik-flaks at the end of a straight, or fiddly exits to force errors? Bringing the wall in closer on the exit of slow turns rather than vast expanses of tarmac would also introduce a likelihood of cars collecting minor damage from mistakes and battles, and perhaps even a safety car.

In particular, tighten turns 4 and 5 to become 110 degree esses rather than 90 degree corners. Push the apex of turn 12 20 metres later to create a hairpin with its exit arcing to the bridge. Likewise 18, 19, 20, either smooth them out since they're full throttle anyway and the apexes simply force a train to form rather than multiple lines, or use the run-off to introduce a nadgery chicane with Canada style kerbs (a-la end chicane) to force errors and punish mistakes.

The purpose being to make the braking zones more critical, that are more than just slowing enough to flick a change of direction, and more about forcing the cars into big stops and getting the power down well, with overtaking possible in and out.

I quite enjoy Jake's non f1 related tweets. As long as he's not saying something like 'on the toilet trying to squeeze one the size of the eurostar out #thisisgoingtosting' then it's all fine and dandy for me.

Then join him on twitter, McFerrari, & muse at his bowel movements to your hearts content.
But quite what this should have to do with a F1 website run by the BBC is a little beyond myself & substantial amount of other sentient beings.

Agree with #1! Jake goading DC, jordan, anyone to go in but himself, then 3 times refers to Martin and Eddie getting them into trouble and how his sweet talking saved the day-after sending them in the 1st place. Not very edifying

@88 as 89 says, then you follow him directly on twitter, but all that stuff on the F1 news page just serves to put me off F1. #fartoometrosexualforme

Brundle is very critical of Lewis Hamilton but his carreer and achievements are completely dwarfed by what Lewis has achieved.

This is a fair and accurate statement, why is this being moderated out?

Beeb you should not be moderating out factual statements just because you don't like them.

Just wanted to throw a few quick thoughts in...

The Jenson/Lewis debate... Aren't we bored of this yet? They seem to get on well so leave them to it. They both moan when its not going well; wouldn't you? I would (and indeed do) and I reckon that's a natural human reaction isn't it? Jenson had some clumsy accidents in 2007 and 2008 whilst trying to outdrive his pig of a Honda, so its not always been super smooth for the Frome Flyer. Lewis is in the same boat now trying to chase down a vastly superior car. I'll be honest - I didn't think much of Lewis' public persona when he first arrived in F1 ("Monkeys at the back" hehe) but he's grown on me and he and Jenson make a good team. Now they just need a car that can out-qualify the RB7... and the haters on both sides to grow up, shut up, or watch something other than F1.

On BBC coverage - I've been loving it since it switched back to the Beeb but some awkwardness has crept in since DC joined Martin in the commentary box. I agree with the sentiments expressed about Martin needing to be the one doing the grid walk - its an F1 tradtition and he's got the right balance of boldness and patience. I'm afraid to say that EJ just came across as brash, rude and uninformed on Sunday. It was all a little uncomfortable.

On that note - what's with EJ? At first his opinions seemed quite challenging and his questioning and ability to grab an interview were amusing and refreshing. Now he doesn't seem able to settle on one opinion, does u-turns on alot of what he's said, and boldness has become rudeness in many instances. In fact I dare say alot of what he spouts now sounds almost idiotic...

Jake, watch some re-runs of 2009's shows and a few from last year - sometimes a step back is a step forward eh?

Oh and I had a good chuckle the other night watching a very young Jake Humphrey falling off a stool on CBBC (Oops TV) - a bit more of that would be acceptable.

Who cares what you think, and what you've been doing! Just concentrate on your day job: sports presenter!

I wish these blasted tweets were removed from the BBC F1 website - I have no interest in such drivel.

@94 - No-one is forcing you to read them. They don't dominate the page, they aren't in flashing pop-up boxes. You seem to be labouring under the assumption that your opinion is important though, don't you?

I think the new regulations with DRS, high wear tires and KERS have transformed several of the less interesting races compared to previous seasons. Valencia however was not one of them - even with the full bag of tricks on display. I'm not convinced this track can be fixed.

F1 this season is not as exciting as last season. This is mostly due to the new tyres and the lack of competition provided by Webber.

Last season the leader board moved from Button to Hamilton to Webber to Alonso, with Vettel ending up as champion. Since losing the title to Vettel, Webber's performance seems lack lustre only managing to beat Vettel to pole once this season and has not managed to beat Vettle during a race. Whether Webber as not been able to adapt to the new tyres or as lost the desire to win the championship as resulted in runaway victories for Vettlel.

Too much importance is now placed on the tyres. The race for pole on Saturday no longer happens as it is more important to preserve tyres, ready for the race on Sunday.
With a few exceptions overtaking for the top teams is done by undercutting your opponent therefore in the pit lane by changing your tyres first.

I feel they need to get back to a position where tyres will last the race. The most exciting races so far has been China, Spain Lewis looking to overtake Vettle, Monaco Button looking to overtake Alonso and Vettel with Button winning in Canada.

OK the German GP alternates between Hockeheim (old layout way better, a travesty that they changed it) and the Nurburgring.. Surely any F1 fan shold know this, its been like that for a few years now!?

Valencia as a RACE track sucks, how they created it from scratch and made it soooo boring I'll never know!!

But if they and I mean Bernie wants it to be kept then he should alternate it with Barcelona for the Spanish GP, that way freeing up a slot for a future race, which seem to be cropping up every other month at the moment!

On the US race, im hoping it gets through all the redtape as frankly it seem slike they know what they are doing and are creating a really good track with plenty of elevation changes and overtaking opportunuites.

@95 as important as yours ? , Anyone is entitled to an opinion .
Personally if you are interested in Jake's personal life then please by all means do follow his personal feed , But why post them on an F1 site ? , Where is the relevance ? . .

93. At 11:42 29th Jun 2011, Vagabond wrote:

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Good post!