Valencia form card

So after Lewis and McLaren finally announced their arrival on the 2009 scene with a surprisingly dominant victory in Hungary, how will the title contenders respond in Valencia as the drivers return to the track for the first time since the month-long summer break?

ITV.com/F1's James Galloway assesses the chances of all 20 drivers, including new boys Luca Badoer and Romain Grosjean, as the season's final sprint kicks off down on the Mediterranean coast.


1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) - McLaren

Championship position: 8th, 19 points

Given he was probably beginning to forget what scoring a point felt like let alone the top step of the podium, it was no real surprise the reigning champion pounced on his Hungaroring opportunity once he got a sniff of the win - especially after not making the most of previous chances at Monaco and the Nurburgring. Lewis will now hope the so-called ‘character building’ phase to his season is over and with more car updates for Valencia, he will continue to run near the front this weekend before the improving MP4-24 gets a real aero workout at Spa.


2. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) - McLaren

Championship position: 12th, 9 points

Having performed brilliantly to score a point in Germany with his MP4-24 kitted out in its pre-miracle breakthrough package, Heikki again did a commendable job in Hungary to qualify close to his team-mate on the fuel-corrected times and then claim a strong fifth in the race. But, having often shown well in relation to Hamilton in the team’s difficult times, the Finn will hope that, like the majority of last year, the Briton doesn’t start to get away from him again now the car is coming back on song as he tries to earn a contract renewal for 2010.


3. Luca Badoer (I) - Ferrari

Championship position: N/A

If the prospect of a former F1 journeyman racing for Ferrari wasn’t exactly something that would have excited the masses in any scenario, the fact that veteran tester Luca Badoer’s debut for the team comes instead of a much-hyped Michael Schumacher return has been greeted in such an underwhelming fashion shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Nevertheless, given he has sacrificed the last 10 years of his racing career for service to the Scuderia, it’s hard to argue that this chance hasn’t been fully earned. Now he needs a first F1 point or two to try and live the dream for more than three days.


4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) - Ferrari

Championship position: 9th, 18 points

While even Schumacher’s previous detractors have expressed dismay that the legend won’t be on the Valencia grid, it’s hard to imagine Raikkonen being overly upset about being denied the prospect of testing himself against his retired predecessor. But while Badoer’s presence is unlikely to cause him any headaches, the onus and expectation will fall on the Finn more than ever to deliver the car’s maximum at each race. He responded brilliantly to the challenge following Massa’s accident in Hungary with his best drive of the year to second, now Ferrari will demand more of the same.


5. Robert Kubica (POL) - BMW Sauber

Championship position: 15th, 2 points
Unlike the several-hundred strong workforce at the team’s Hinwil base, the highly-regarded Kubica has little to fear about his F1 future with several rival teams likely to be keen to lure the Pole for 2010 now he will be a free agent following BMW’s exit decision. But while potential suitors will be attracted by his undoubted huge potential, Kubica may feel he now has to up his game and start beating the far less rated Heidfeld consistently again between now and the end of the season, irrespective of the team’s form, to give himself the best bargaining position in negotiations.


6. Nick Heidfeld (D) - BMW Sauber

Championship position: 13th, 6 points

Even before BMW’s shock withdrawal decision, if speculation was to be believed Heidfeld was already likely to be looking for alternative employment for 2010 with the team in talks with countryman Nico Rosberg – so little has changed in this regard for one the grid’s most underrated drivers. In any case, the low-profile German continues to do a solid job in the bafflingly slow F1.09, again outqualifying Kubica and racing the car to its probable limits in Hungary. He will hope BMW’s final series of developments can propel him back into points contention so he can do his grafting more in the spotlight once more.


7. Fernando Alonso (E) - Renault

Championship position: 11th, 13 points

To the relief of his nation – and race organisers in particular – the Spanish superstar will be racing in Valencia this weekend after Renault won its appeal against its one-race ban after a wheel came off Alonso’s car in Hungary. While his pole position in Budapest may have been on the back of one of the lightest-fuelled Q3 runs you are ever likely to see, the updates to the R29 have certainly proved a big difference and a fired up Alonso on home soil could be an outside bet for a podium.


8. Romain Grosjean (F) - Renault

Championship position: N/A

After Flavio Briatore persevered with Piquet for longer than anyone expected, 23-year-old Frenchman Grosjean has finally been given his chance to prove himself as Renault’s next true protégé. While he hasn’t yet driven the R29 and a mid-season baptism is never easy, he is far from race rusty thanks to competing in the GP2 Series – although being caught up in several incidents this year hasn’t exactly raised his stock. But the team has faith he will deliver the goods, however, and an early point – something his predecessor couldn’t achieve in 10 races – and a tidy weekend would certainly be a good start.


9. Jarno Trulli (I) - Toyota

Championship position: 6th, 22.5 points

Toyota’s recent inconsistency was best illustrated by its Hungarian Grand Prix weekend: the team expected to perform strongly on the twisty track, only to miss Q3 completely before salvaging a two-car points finish after strong long first stints from both drivers. The TF109’s form is difficult to read for both Trulli and the team at the moment, but both are expecting the car to go well on the unusually fast and open Valencia street layout. A repeat of his fifth place from last year would be just the ticket.


10. Timo Glock (D) - Toyota

Championship position: 10th, 16 points

F1 2009's undoubted king of the comeback did it again in Hungary to turn a disappointing 13th place grid slot into a competitive sixth place on the back of a long first stint. Glock acknowledges he needs to start qualifying in the top-10 on a more regular basis once more, but should he do so then he will need to turn end a strange phenomenon which has seen him score just two points the last three times he has made Q3. An expected decent car in Valencia may give him that opportunity.


11. Jaime Alguersuari (E) - Toro Rosso

Championship position: 21st, 0 points

After hardly receiving the warmest welcome from his F1 peers in Hungary, the Spanish teenager confounded expectations that he would bin the STR4 into the nearest wall by performing impressively all weekend and finishing the race ahead of his marginally more experienced team-mate Buemi in 15th place. The four-week break has allowed him to complete further fitness work and claim a first victory in the F3 Euroseries, meaning he should head into his first home race even more prepared and looking to build an initial fan base in his homeland.


12. Sebastien Buemi (CH) - Toro Rosso

Championship position: 14th, 3 points

With all the attention on his new team-mate’s debut at the Hungaroring, Buemi quietly went about his work in the heavily upgraded STR4 and nearly pulled off a surprise by returning the team to Q3. A disastrous start and then a later error at turn two ensured his race turned into rather more mundane affair, but the promise of the updated package was undoubtedly shown and the Swiss now has more reason to look forward to the end of his rookie season after a dismal few months for the team.


14. Mark Webber (AUS) - Red Bull

Championship position: 2nd, 51.5 points

RBR may have been surprised and mildly annoyed to finish behind both McLaren and Ferrari in Hungary given it started 2-3 on the grid, but for Webber another convincing beating of Brawn and the demise of team-mate Vettel means he is now the team’s lead title contender and getting ever closer to Button. Four straight podium finishes proves no one is stronger than the Aussie right now and, although his 18.5 point deficit in the drivers’ standings means he still can’t afford many slip ups over the final seven rounds, he’s in the form to keep chiselling away.


15. Sebastian Vettel (D) - Red Bull

Championship position: 3rd, 47 points

Vettel look nailed on to take a big chunk out of Button’s points lead following qualifying in Hungary after claiming a front-row slot alongside a ridiculously-light Alonso, which was six places ahead of the struggling championship leader. So his retirement on lap 30, triggered by contact with Raikkonen on lap one after another poor start, was a hammer blow to his title chances. With team-mate Webber now ahead on points, the German desperately needs a win in Valencia to remain a realistic contender.


16. Nico Rosberg (D) - Williams

Championship position: 5th, 25.5 points

Another race, another healthy haul of points for Nico Rosberg and Williams at the Hungaroring. The combination has strung together six consecutive top eight finishes and is getting ever closer to that elusive 2009 podium finish. Rosberg has previously shone on the streets of Monaco and Singapore in the past, so Valencia may prove the best chance of a top-three result yet. Such results could sway him to stick at Grove for another year.


17. Kazuki Nakajima (J) - Williams

Championship position: 18th, 0 points

The wait for a first point of the season frustratingly continued for the Japanese before F1’s summer break. In Hungary he was left to rue a costly first stunt stuck behind Button’s Brawn after losing eighth place to Trulli by a mere 0.6s – although maybe he only had himself to blame after getting passed by Button at the start of the second lap having jumped the Briton off the line. Continued improvement from both him and the team, however, suggests points surely can’t be far away.


20. Adrian Sutil (D) - Force India

Championship position: 19th, 0 points

After mixing it with the Ferraris, and his nemesis Raikkonen, in Germany, Sutil had a far more forgettable Hungarian weekend – the business end of which was compromised by a heavy crash in final practice. From there, he failed to make Q2 and then his VJM02 overcame to soaring water temperatures at the start of the race. Another big aero update for Valencia should get the team back on its impressive upward path towards those elusive points, however.


21. Giancarlo Fisichella (I) - Force India

Championship position: 17th, 0 points

The Italian veteran couldn’t haul his Force India any higher than 14th last time out as the team struggled for grip on the dusty Hungaroring surface all weekend. Fisichella however believes that with the once clear tailenders introducing another major upgrade, and several of his favourite tracks on the horizon, he can finally break his points duck at the team at some stage over the final seven races.


22. Jenson Button (GB) - Brawn GP

Championship position: 1st, 70 points

“How can this car be so bad?” It was a legitimate question for Jenson to ask over the radio as he battled to stay in the points positions at the Hungaroring, considering the team had confidently predicted the warm conditions would bring its car’s tyres back on song. The only good news from a third straight tough weekend of course was that his two RBR title rivals failed to take advantage of his continuing plight – but Button knows this can’t continue if he is to end the year as world champion. He needs Brawn to have found an answer to its problems over the break.


23. Rubens Barrichello (BR) - Brawn GP

Championship position: 4th, 44 points

Hungary was a difficult weekend all round for Barrichello. The Brazilian was already consigned to a first Q2 exit of the season after his rear damper collapsed, and then saw his close friend Massa suffer life-threatening injuries after a spring that had detached himself from his car hit his compatriot on the helmet. After a poor start in the race dropped him from 12th to the back, Barrichello could have thrown in the towel but a spirited drive nearly bought him a points finish. While his title hopes are a distant dream now, he will hope Brawn at least returns to race-winning form quickly so he can finally taste the kind of success he has been striving for since Melbourne.



ITV F1's top tips for Valencia

Winner: Vettel

If Red Bull returns to being the team to beat in Valencia, then this is a must-win weekend for the 22-year-old German’s title hopes. Losing further ground to Button, or perhaps more importantly team-mate Webber, here isn’t an option, so expect the hotshot to respond to the challenge.

Star performer: Rosberg

Nico has arguably been one of the star performers of the entire season so far, so yet another stellar drive in Valencia wouldn’t exactly look out of place. Yet, after getting closer and closer to the podium, further improvements to the FW31 could just see him crack it here.

Disappointment: Alguersuari

Given he performed with such assurance on his debut weekend in an all-new car and series, F1’s youngest ever driver may find things tougher second time around particularly as the track is less forgiving to the inevitable mistakes he will make at some stage. The fact it’s his maiden home race too might just increase the pressure somewhat.

Source: ITV