So F1 community, I bet you're all quite bored with this three-week summer holiday, sitting at home waiting in anticipation for the European Grand Prix from the Valencia street circuit in the south of Spain.
It's okay for those of us who like football, too, because it all kicked off again this week, but for those who don't like football, I feel for you.
Anyway moving on to Aug. 24 and the European Grand Prix from the Circuit Urbano Valencia, what can I tell you about this place? Not much really, as there has never been a Grand Prix held at this circuit. There has been a Formula 3 race there this year, but that's it.
I've seen some onboard footage of a Ferrari GT car going round and it looks awesome. It actually reminds me of Monaco without the houses, apartments and casinos casting a shadow over the track.
This is why I'm both nervous and excited. No team has an advantage over another beyond their car's capabilities. No tyre data, no telemetry, no idea of the perfect racing line and braking points. It's safe to say that Ferrari, McLaren and BMW will be the favourites to get good results here.
I'm going to say Kimi Raikkonen has a big shout of this one (Fellow McLaren-ers, bear with me) and may take the win if fate is with him. If the car is poor, then it's going to be difficult.
Why do I feel Kimi might have his day? This Number 17 that's hanging over his head, the "Unlucky" number for Italy and Ferrari may disappear.
When Kimi won at Spain earlier this year, it put him onto that unlucky No. 17, which many drivers got to and then never won again in their careers. Can he get away fom that number on the Spanish mainland again?
It's a long shot, but fate works in crazy ways. I'll lay testiment to that, as I have seen fate play a part in my football team's past triumphs, but that's my theory on Raikkonen's side of the fence.
On Lewis Hamilton's side of the fence, though, we all know how destructive he can be on a circuit he has never raced before. He took four wins in the 2007 season at circuits he had never visited before: Canada, Indianapolis, Hungaroring, and Fuji Speedway, so I won't discount Lewis from being in with a shout just as big as Raikkonen's.
Felipe Massa? Now I don't want to upset anyone here because I rate Felipe as a big talent, but when I said Felipe will falter this season as he has in past seasons, this is where I feel it will happen.
Felipe has never been the quickest adapting to new race circuits , It's always taken him more than one attempt to win at any circuit.
I'm not saying he will have a disastrous weekend by any means. He will still score points, but I think this maybe where he loses ground to Lewis and Kimi, both of whom are exceptionally good at getting to grips with a new circuit. Kimi proved this in Turkey 2005 in a "not the best at that time" McLaren.
Others to watch out for are the usual suspects: Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfeld, Fernando Alonso, and the two Toyotas who have started bringing themselves into play. Both Trulli and Glock grabbed a podium at Magny-Cours and Hungary, respectively.
Red Bull seem to have slipped back in recent weeks, but I'm putting my money on Mark Webber to stop the rot with an eighth place finish, Coulthard will be somewhere not too far off the points I feel, It would be nice to see them back in a bit of rich form.
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