PREVIEW: Hamilton has city edge as F1 makes Valencia debut

Aug 21, 2008, 12:43 GMT

Valencia, Spain - Britain's Lewis Hamilton will be hoping his strong record on street circuits will give him the edge when Formula One makes its debut in Valencia this weekend.

Hamilton goes into the European Grand Prix leading the drivers' championships as Formula One ends a three-week break to arrive on a newly-designed circuit on the Spanish coast.

The Mediterranean and city harbour will provide a dramatic backdrop for the 5.440-kilometre circuit, an unknown quantity which is expected to be both fast and demanding for the drivers.

McLaren-Mercedes driver Hamilton heads to Spain atop the drivers' standings on 62 points, ahead of defending champion Kimi Raikkonen (57) and Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa (54).

He has been impressive on all the urban tracks this season, winning in Australia and at Monaco, and leading in Canada before crashing into Raikkonen in the pit lane.

The 23-year-old Briton said this week the priority would be to keep picking up points rather than focus absolutely on winning.

The last race in Hungary saw Massa in charge until he was grounded by engine failure three laps from the end to scotch a victory which would have given him the lead in the standings.

'That made it really clear to us all how important it is to finish races and pick up good points,' Hamilton said this week.

'So, much as I want to win in Valencia, I know the most important thing is to score well because the big picture is the championship and not just once race.'

Although a city course on the Mediterranean, Valencia will provide little comparison with a street race like Monaco. With 25 corners, many wide and sweeping, around the America's Cup marina, it is expected to offer several potential opportunities for overtaking.

Hamilton's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, who won his first F1 race in Hungary, said: '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.'

Ferrari hopes the track could be to its benefit, and despite some indifferent results recently, Massa and Raikkonen go into the 12th of the season's 18 races confident they can overhaul Hamilton.

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

'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.'

The fact that Valencia has joined the calendar, providing a second race in Spain this year after Barcelona, is in no small part down to the F1 boom triggered by two-time world champions Fernando Alonso.

The Spaniard, hoping for a first podium place this season with Renault, has been encouraged by a fourth place in Hungary.

'It's always a special feeling to race in front of my countrymen and I'm really looking forward to it,' he said.

'In Barcelona we were having a strong race when I had to retire, but I hope this time I can get a good result as the circuit will be new for all the drivers.'

The first practice sessions, which begin on Friday, will be particularly important for the teams as they come to terms with their new surroundings.