Massa Dominates Again at European Grand Prix at Valencia

Felipe Massa got the job done and brought to the table his candidacy to be Formula One World Champion. The Brazilian did a tremendous job at Valencia.

His dominance started on Saturday, when he got the pole position ahead of championship leader Lewis Hamilton. Massa also dominated the race; only a pit lane mistake put minimal doubts on his victory.

Defending World Champion Kimi Raikonen retired due to an engine failure. At this point, Raikonen was sixth in a race full of problems for him.

Lewis Hamilton qualified second after an intelligent race. He tried, unsuccessfully, to follow Massa’s rhythm, but after struggling, he drove without mistakes in a comfortable second place.

Robert Kubica completed the podium. Glock and Vettel had a remarkable performance, finishing sixth and seventh.

After the first European Grand Prix in Valencia, there are many interesting questions around the championship.

Is Massa a real contender?

Will Ferrari’s engine problems continue?

Can McLaren clinch the constructor's championship?

In my opinion, Massa is absolutely a real contender. He is always underrated, but the reality is that he is very fast. He is, maybe the best qualifier in the business and his race rhythm is outstanding. Only his problems under the rain set doubts on his possibilities.

He will have a shot if Ferrari’s engine problems finish. I don’t now if they are going to find the solution, but the fact is that they have no reliability. They have back-to-back engine failures, which prevented Massa from winning the previous race and eventually had taken the leadership of the championship.

McLaren will be again expecting their failures. Hamilton is a perennial podium driver, and Kovalainen is getting solid race by race. McLaren have the best combination of speed and reliability and it’s their best weapon.

I suppose that all of you watched the race. The environment looked unbelievable and the circuit overcame his first test. Keep reading for some interesting facts from the inside of the circuit.

Alonso "one and done" and a several part of the attendance, too

Spanish star Fernando Alonso struggled in the first lap after being crashed by Nakayima. The crowd goes down, and lot of people missed his interest on the race. Perhaps you are not going to believe me, but thousands of people abandoned the circuit after Alonso’s retirement.

On Saturday, after he wasn’t able to make the Q3, at least the half of the people left the circuit without watching the pole position battle.

They had paid at least 195 euros. No matter. They are supposed to love the F1 sport. Can’t believe it.

No sold out

The first European Grand Prix at Valencia was a huge success. Nevertheless, and due to the high price of the tickets there wasn’t a sold out.

The resale neither worked well, and many people had to sale their extra tickets under the price. As an example, I had three tickets on Saturday’s morning by a total amount of 300 euros, the half of their real price.

Lewis Hamilton constantly insulted by a part of the crowd

Whenever he appeared at the screens, Lewis Hamilton was insulted and minus priced. Don’t get me wrong; I didn’t hear a single racist insult.

Hamilton is considered by Alonso’s fanatics a devil and they doesn’t respect him. I didn’t expect a different attitude from these hooligans. I saw them insulting legend Michael Schumacher couple of years ago, and I got no surprised.

Excellent environment for the Formula One

I recommend you to visit Valencia in 2009. The circuit is great, and the environment outstanding. You can enjoy the race and you can live the Formula One experience. Everything was around the Grand Prix. From special parties at city’s top discos to free busses to launch people to the circuit.