Friday, August 22, 2008

F1 Valencia Bridge Gap Will Cause Punctures

I must admit that for a venue in an industrial town, the Valencia Street Circuit is rather charming, and dare I say, beautiful. I was especially taken aback by the cool-looking bridge between Turns 9 and 10.

Then, I learned that this is a swivel bridge. When large ships have to pass through, the bridge separates in two. Hence, there is a one-inch gap between the halves.

Although this is rather innocuous for road cars traveling at sane speeds, it can seriously (IMHO) damage the suspension of an F1 car traveling at over 200 km/hr. Or puncture a tire. Or seriously mess with the car's balance.

Thankfully, there were no bridge-related incidents during Friday's two practice sessions. However, I believe that it is only a matter of time before someone's tire blows out as a result of that damn gap. Let's just hope no one gets hurt.

And another thing. Quick Nick was not particularly quick on Friday. He lags behind teammate Robert Kubica-- by a lot. He needs to make some drastic changes to the set-up of his BMW if he wants to have a shot of finishing ahead of the Pole. Come on, Heidfeld, you can do it!


CKY

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