This is the ninth in the series of articles to help provide a taste of the world of Formula One for those new to it and for those that have been fans all their lives. It is about the racing venue cities, in this case Valencia, Spain. The venue’s travel info, a bit of history, culture, and its wine and food to wet your appetite to travel to the regions of the world covered. Perhaps take a liking to Formula One racing, pick up some knowledge of the area’s wine and food, and hopefully learn something new. All articles are in the same order: (1) recap and stats of prior race, (2) opinion and news on upcoming race, (3) overview of history, culture, economy, and travel information of region the racing venue is in, (4) the wine of the region where the race is held, (5) the food of the region the race is held. There will also be links to other websites of interest and video playlists.
What I mainly write about is wine and food and as this article is an overview of several topics around the Formula One racing circuit, including the wine and food, I will come back with more extensive articles on wine and food regions of the world at a later time.
This article is condensed as I have already covered Spain, with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona only a few articles ago. I will also provide a few more links throughout this article back to that one.
Recap and Thoughts of Last Race: Montreal, Canada
(Link to Canadian Grand Prix article)
1st Place: Lewis Hamilton (GBR), Fastest Lap: 1:17.806, Team: McLaren Mercedes (GBR), Start Position: 1
2nd Place: Jenson Button (GBR), Fastest Lap: 1:18.144, Team: McLaren Mercedes (GBR), Start Position: 4th
3rd Place: Fernando Alonso (ESP), Fastest Lap: 1:18.207, Team: Scuderia Ferrari (ITA), Start Position: 3rd
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren Team_© Chung Jin Mac | Dreamstime.com
This race had a lot going on. From the start there was a run in between Vitantonio Liuzzi in his Force India and Felipe Massa in his Ferrari, both needed pit stops for repairs and went to the back of the pack. Next on the 2nd lap a collision with a wall caused an early retirement for Kamui Kobayashi and his Sauber-Ferrari. Mark Webber in his Red Bull Renault starting from 7th, instead of the 2nd spot because of the penalty for a new gear box, overtook Jensen Button for 4th place around lap 4. With Lewis Hamilton leading for McLaren, Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull Renault was breathing down his neck and Vettel took the lead for awhile and with Webber in 2nd position when Hamilton took his pit stop, along with Fernando Alonso in his Ferrari. Actually while Hamilton was in pit lane, Michael Schumacher for Mercedes GP moved into third with Vitaly Petrov for Renault 4th. However, Vettel, Webber, Schumacher, or Petrov did not make their pit stops yet at that point. Hamilton out of pit lane was battling Alonso for 5th (they had an earlier run in coming out of the pits). Both Red Bulls pitted in the 15th lap and this seemed to change momentum.
After this, there were several changes in 1st and 2nd, 3rd and 4th, and so on until it reached a bit of stabilization. The Red Bull team had several problems with tires and had to pit more than they hoped; in fact, at one point you could see the rubber coming off Webber’s tires as he needed to slow down allowing other cars to pass. It was not long after all cars made their pits once, some twice, that Hamilton was once again in the lead, followed by his teammate Button in 2nd. The race then was for third with Alonso, Vettel, and Webber. Third place was eventually won by Alonso, with Vettel 4th and Webber 5th. Liuzzi had his best finish all season so far coming in 5th (this was a brilliant piece of racing too), and with all the mishaps for Massa (from what I could tell none were his fault) he came in 6th with some brilliant racing too.
This was Hamilton’s 2nd consecutive win for the season and was Button’s second consecutive 2nd place, making this 1-2 for McLaren the 3rd time this season. Hamilton also seems to like the Montreal course as this was his third career pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix and his 18th career pole position.
All I can say is this was great racing. It keeps getting better and better with each race as some drivers and teams are getting into their groove, so to speak.
NOTES AND RUMORS:
1. Karun Chandhok (IND), for HRT F1 Team (ESP) could be at risk of not returning next season. Like rainmakers are for business and law firms, bringing with them clients and income to the firms they are hired, a race car driver can often play this role as well providing backers for needed funding, especially for a team still in start up. In this case, Chandhok had commitments of over $5 million from various Indian corporate backers and they have not been able to deliver so far. He has not faired very well this season either. Chandhok is also the only driver now racing that has family living in Texas, the home of the new F1 racing circuit for 2012 in Austin.
2. This was the first race this season where Red Bull Renault did not have a driver in pole position. However, Mark Webber qualified 2nd putting him in the first row with Sebastian Vettel, his teammate, in third in the second row. This was the 8th straight race were Red Bull Renault had a driver starting in the first row. Even with the penalty mentioned above, putting Webber back in the fourth row because the team had to switch out the gear box (cannot make changes to the cars after they are qualified without penalty), Vettel was moved up to 2nd position in the first row.
Please follow this link Championship Standings, for the latest points to date for drivers and constructors.
Below please find a playlist of two videos found on YouTube that I though you would enjoy: Valencia Race Course Simulator with Red Bull Renault Driver Mark Webber and a Tribute to Lewis Hamilton done in 2008 after he won the World Driver’s Championship.
Grand Prix of Europe, Valencia, Spain
The Race
The race is held at the Valencia Street Circuit and is a massive 25 turn circuit with only a few straights. Although this is a road course like Monaco, it is nothing like it at all. It is held in the rather industrial port area around Juan Carlos 1 Marina, where there will be a few yachts, many of them hired for viewing of the race, it is also an area of rapid redevelopment. The race will be 57 laps over 3.67 miles and the drivers will fly across a swing bridge that connects the north and south marina. This circuit is relatively new, the first race was held in 2008 under a seven year contract.
This race has not been kind to Red Bull, neither Mark Webber or Sebastian Vettel have ever made it to the podium, yet. In the last race in Montreal, Mark Webber was penalized five grid positions because the team needed to change the gear box before the race. There are rumors going around that this could also happen to Vettel with this race as there were reports of the gear box not working well on his car as well, we will see.
Red Bull’s drivers will be ready for bear as they seem to be faltering a bit, not only from driving mishaps, but from mechanical issues. This course, the way it is designed, is rather difficult to pass in many areas so it will be vital to have a good starting position in this race.
The first race at this circuit was won by Felipe Massa for Ferrari and last year it was won by Rubens Barrichello, racing then for Brawn-Mercedes, now races for Williams-Cosworth. The track record is held by Timo Glock in 2009, then racing for Toyota, now racing for Virgin-Cosworth.
Because of Spain’s economy this race, like in Barcelona, is not usually sold out. However, ticket sales seem to be doing well this year. With native son Fernando Alonso for Ferrari doing well and two other locals Pedro de la Rosa for Sauber and Jaime Alguersuari racing for STR Ferrari, this also helps bring out more people. On top of this, the new team of Hispania Racing Team (HRT Cosworth) also adds something for the locals to cheer on.
There is not much of a gap in championship points for drivers or constructors, because of this, the race should be very competitive.
TUNE-IN:
Friday, June 25, 2010 – Practice. Practice runs are mainly to fine tune the cars and drivers by testing the track, crew, and the cars. If in the United States, this will be live on Speed Channel at 8:00 am ET/5:00 am PT.
Saturday, June 26, 2010 – Qualifying. This will determine the starting grid for the race and will determine pole position (inside 1st row) in the final round. The starting grid this year will have twelve rows of two cars each. There are three qualifying rounds. The first round eliminates seven drivers/teams from moving forward to the next round. The second qualifying round will do the same, taking out the bottom seven drivers/teams, leaving the fastest ten. The third and final qualifying round will take the final ten drivers/teams and will determine the first five rows of the starting grid. It is a little more complicated than just fastest lap speed and there are situations where it is possible that a driver with a faster lap could end up in the back seven rows. In the United States, this will be live on Speed Channel at 8:00 am ET/5:00 am PT.
Updated 6-26-10 First 5 Rows – Starting Grid:
1st Row: Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull Renault (Pole Position), Fastest Lap – 1.37.662; and Mark Webber for Red Bull Renault, Fastest Lap - 1.37.969
2nd Row: Lewis Hamilton for Mc Laren, Fastest Lap – 1.37.969; and Fernando Alonso for Ferrari, Fastest Lap – 1.38.075
3rd Row: Felipe Massa for Ferrari, Fastest Lap – 1.38.127; and Robert Kubica for Renault, Fastest Lap – 1.38.137
4th Row: Jenson Button for Mc Laren, Fastest Lap – 1.38.210; and Nico Hulkenberg for Williams, Fastest Lap – 1.38.428
5th Row: Rubens Barrichello for Williams, Fastest Lap – 1.38.428; and Vitaly Petrov for Renault, Fastest Lap – 1.38.523
NOTES:
1. This is the 4th 1-2 start position for the Red Bull Team this season.
2. This is the 9th time (all races) this season that Red Bull has had a driver in the 1st row start position.
3. Neither Mercedes GP drivers, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, made it to the final qualifications. They were both out after the second round.
4. New exhaust systems were placed lower in back which should have helped performance on the Mercedes GP, Ferrari, and Renault.
5. Just learned that Vitaly Petrov (Russia) lives in Valencia, Spain, so besides the Spanish drivers and team mentioned above, there is an actual local that calls this his home.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 – RACE DAY. In the US, Speed Channel will not be covering this, will be aired instead live on the Fox Broadcast networks, check your local listings, I think it is 12:00 pm ET/9:00 am PT.
Updated 6/28/2010 12:00 p.m. PT – Race Results:
1st Place – Sebastian Vettel (Germany) for Red Bull Renault. This is Vettel’s 2nd win for this season and led every lap of the race from starting in pole position. It is his 4th podium finish of the season. Good going!
2nd Place – Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) for McLaren Mercedes. This is Hamilton’s 5th podium finish of the season.
3rd Place – Jenson Button (Great Britain) for McLaren Mercedes. This is Button’s 5th podium finish of the season.
You should go to the special page I set up called Formula 1: Intro, Wine, and Food for more detailed information on F1, race schedule, Race Stats and Opinion for F1 2010 Season (updated 6/27/10), 2010 Formula 1 World Championship Standings (updated 6/27/10), links to all teams, drivers, racing circuits, and organizations that have websites to further your knowledge and enjoyment of the sport. You will also find a real-time television schedule of air time for the races on Speed Channel. This page will supplement the individual articles that I write and will also serve as an archive when the racing season ends and for the series of articles.
NEXT UP: British Grand Prix on July 11, 2010 (race day) at 12:00 pm ET. My article will be published on or before July 10, 2010.
Brief Background on History, Culture, Customs
Valencia, Spain
Valencia City is the largest city in the province of Valencia. It is the best of both worlds, very modern and contemporary while maintaining its rich history filled with forts, cathedrals, and old town, and yes, has what is believed to be the Holy Grail (no, not the Monty Python movie).
The city of Valencia has everything you could want, restaurants, nightlife, shopping, culture, entertainment, historical landmarks, sports, parks, museums, and more are in abundance. Although it does not have the running of the bulls, it does have bull fighting like most areas in Spain, regardless of how one feels about this it is deeply rooted in their culture and is still very popular. Opera, the symphony, dance, music of all types is there for your enjoyment. I encourage you to view the prior article that I did on Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix for information on Flamenco a well. There are also a lot of water sports and beaches in Valencia to enjoy and was the site for the 32nd America’s Cup.
As mentioned there are plenty of restaurants, tapas bars, wine bars, nightclubs, and bars for all tastes both informal and formal. You will find many popular restaurants around the beach where you can dine al fresco and watch the sunset. Fine dining is in most areas with plenty of choices in the area that borders the Old Quarter called the Canovas area and also in the Barrio del Carmen neighborhood where you will find many nightclubs as well.
If you are planning a trip to Valencia, try this link to get started, Valencia-City Guide.
The Wine
I covered a lot in my overview of the Spanish wine market in the article on the Spanish Grand Prix that included the wine region around Barcelona. It also mentioned how their Denominations of Origin/Denominacion de Origen (D.O.) work. However, this race is in Valencia and it has its own wine region, slightly different from Barcelona.
Quick facts:
1. Valencia is Spain’s number one exporter of wine.
2. It has over 87 vineyards (Bodegas)
3. Its D.O. recognizes 80 wineries as of this writing
4. It is known for its bulk wine production, but some wineries in this region are now perfecting their wines to enter the fine wine market.
5. Although the Valencia wine region itself is made up of three sub-regions: Valencia, Alicante, and Utiel-Requena, for this article I will be concentrating on the Valencia sub-region of which has four wine producing areas (see below).
6. The sub-region of Valencia has been known for their rich and sweet wines mainly made from the Moscatel grape.
7. Some of the white wine grapes grown in this sub-region: Chardonnay, Moscatel, Verdil, Gewürtztraminer, Riesling, Semillion, Viognier, Planta Nova, Sauvignon Blanc, Meseguera, Malvasia, among others.
8. Some of the red wine grapes grown in this region: Merlot, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bobal, Monastrell, Macabeo, Tintorera, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Bonicaire, among others.
9. Although it makes red and white wines, the region also produces a deep colored Rose wine than is finding its own market.
Below are the four wine producing areas within the Valencia sub-region. I have provided links to a few wineries in each area if a website was found. Unfortunately, I found very few websites that were in English or that could be translated easily. Please use Google Translate or another if they do not have an English version, I chose those that can be translated fairly well:
1. Alto Turia. This is in the northwest section of Valencia in the high altitude mountains of over 3,600 feet. This area grows mainly white wine grapes because of this.
A few of its wineries:
2. Valentino. This is the hub of Valencia that is low to mid altitude. It does have some mountain areas of up to 1900+ feet. A lot of the Tempranillo, Semillion, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay grapes are grown here.
A few of its wineries:
La Cooperative de Alcublas – San Antonio Abad
3. Moscatel de Valencia. This a low altitude area that grows the Moscatel grape that the entire region has been known for with its sweet dessert wine because of its hot climate. Many now drink this wine with appetizers as well.
A few of its wineries:
4. Clariano. This is at the southern section of Valencia and is divided into two sections, one being the mountains producing mainly the red wines and the other section being the sea/coastal area producing mainly the white wines.
A few of its wineries:
Besides Sangria, that is everywhere in Spain, there is another favorite wine cocktail (or should I say punch?) made with Cava, the Spanish champagne. It is called Agua de Valencia. It is served ice cold, often in pitchers, and it is made up of cava, vodka, orange juice, and gin. Some can replace an orange liqueur for the gin and/or vodka. As with most things, it can vary depending on where you have it. It can be served blended, frothy, or straight up over ice. Sugar can be added or not depending on how sweet the Cava or orange juice is already.
The Food
Valencia being on the Mediterranean coast has similar favorites like in Barcelona. There are a few dishes that set Valencian cuisine apart. As I covered paella in the prior article on Barcelona, Valencia claims to be home to paella and you will find variations of it almost everywhere you go. Second, there is a vast agricultural area called La Huerta that surrounds Valencia. Because of this, there is plenty of rice, vegetables, citrus, grapes, olive trees, and much more. Third, it is also on the Mediterranean like Barcelona and therefore has plenty of fresh fish such as sardines, prawns, octopus, mussels, and the like. It also has many salads to choose from using grapes, tomatoes, and other vegetables, almost always in an olive oil based dressing. Of course there are the true and original Valencia oranges that are super sweet and often served as juice.
Some favorites you will find in Valancia:
Arroz Dishes (AKA: the other rice dish). Several dishes are in this category, among them: Arroz con costar which is baked in an egg crust and Arroz al horno which is baked with sausage (usually pork), potatoes, beans, vegetables, herbs, and spices. There are also some Arroz dishes with seafood.
Paella Dishes. There is one that is, to me, like a Cioppino with rice. Spanish Rice of course is used, but some dishes can have a brown or white rice depending on how continental the restaurant is. It has almost every shellfish they can find such as prawns, lobster, clams, and other in an olive oil garlic sauce, tomatoes, herbs and spices, notably saffron, and cooked with the rice. I have heard this called Sailor’s Paella, Mediterranean Paella, or Marinara Paella. Another one, although I have seen it called other names too, is Paella Valencia which is cooked with chicken (I have seen pork as well), peppers, green beans (and/or peas), tomatoes, saffron and other herbs and spices, some can add artichokes as well, all cooked in olive oil. Then of course you have your classic seafood paella dishes.
Stews. There is a pork stew often called Olleta and a seafood stew with eel and other fish, potatoes often called Suquet de peix.
Fideau. Is paella without rice, it is cooked with noodles instead.
Calamares. Is deep fried squid served with dipping sauce. These can also be marinated in tomato and wine sauce.
Chorizo. This is a sausage (usually pork) that can be rather spicy.
Ensaladilla. Potatoes, vegetables, egg, and alioli.
Tiger Nut Milk. Is a refreshing ice cold drink made with mashed tiger nuts (also known as Horchata de chufas).
There is also one major food staple that is cherished throughout Spain that was not mentioned in my prior article and was saved for this one.
Spanish Ham (Jamon). Like wine, these hams have quality standards that must be met by a Denominations of Origins (D.O.), although there will be other ham made that is very good without this designation.
There are basically two types of Spanish ham with many variations per pig used, what they are fed, how they are raised, and so on per the quality standards of the D.O.:
1. Jamon Serrano (mountain ham). This is a dry cured ham cherished throughout Spain. It is usually served at room temperature and is cured for at least seven – twelve months (16+ months for the better ones), in open air. Although sea salt is used predominately to cure the ham, it is less salty than most cured ham from other countries. By custom, and still followed in many rural areas of Spain, it is usually mounted on special carving stands where it is kept on display for all guests to slice thinly themselves. It is often served with olives, cheese, and/or other meats as a tapas. In many of the markets you will find these hams hanging from the walls at butchers and shops throughout Spain, but Jamon Serrano is a known delicacy during the holidays. The special white pigs used (there are mainly three types with the Landrace pig used most often) to make this ham are provided a special diet of grains or cereals that makes this ham truly unique in taste and in texture. There are two main areas recognized by a D.O. for this type of ham, one being Trevelez of which is known as a more sweet tasting ham and is recognized, as of this writing, by another D.O., and the other from the D.O. area of Teruel.
2. Jamon Iberico. This is a quality ham that is usually very expensive. Depending on where you live it could be over $80 per pound (for the best Bellota) – more if you have it sliced. Usually served in thin slices, it can be cured up to 36 months and comes from a special black pig called, Iberian. This pig is mainly in the Southwestern regions of Spain. There are three forms of quality for this ham, based mainly around how the pigs are fed, (1) Cebo (Cebo Campo) – can be fed commercial feed, (2) Recebo – can also be fed commercial feed, however they are usually fed acorns for the last few months of their lives, and (3) the most famous and best quality is Bellota with these pigs fed mostly on acorns for all of their lives. Most of these pigs roam free. Among the recognized regions of the D.O. are: Los Pedroches, Guijuelo, Jamon de Huelva/Jabugo, and Dehesa de Extremadura.
Below please find a video playlist about Valencia, Spain and its cuisine, culture, food, and wine that I pulled together from YouTube:
Cheers then Enjoy!
Videos and links are third party sites and do not belong to me. They can be revised, terminated, or have down time beyond this website’s control. If there are any problems with links or videos appearing in this article, now or in the future, please report it using the Contact Form above. It will be reviewed for replacement, termination, or new code.
Also, information contained in this article is based on my research as of the date of publication and is subject to change.
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Copyright 2010 WineFoodChat
Valencia wants out of F1 deal?-There was already a nice circuit with great facilities near valencia, the cheste circuit where official F1 tests in pre-season are conducted, and the FIA GTs and the MotoGPs race there… I’ve been to the track several times and it is waaaay better than the harbour circuit. Even if you could not overtake the same as in the urban track, it would be much better and cheaper to race there instead of in the harbour. Just because Bernie wanted a picture of a F1 going through the bridge it doesn’t mean that we have to pay zillions of euros for it …