Zoom The 'swing bridge' a concern for Vasselon

The European Grand Prix this weekend around the streets of Valencia is a new challenge for the Formula One teams. Toyota chassis manager Pascal Vasselon talks of the task ahead and the team's recent upwards turn in form.

What is the key to preparation for Valencia, an unknown new circuit?
"In a way it is business as usual in terms of the way we prepare for a new track. We started from the information provided by the FIA to put forward some speed profiles and this time we got some additional information because there was a race for F3 and GT cars before the Grand Prix. That gave us the opportunity to collect some data. We sent a couple of people to look at the logistics and to gain technical data with regard to driving lines. So we are probably a little better prepared than for other new tracks."

What are your first impressions?
"For a street circuit it looks quite impressive in terms of run-off areas and the width of the track. The circuit is very, very wide and reasonably fast. We expect it to be in the mid range of downforce and quite severe on brakes. At the beginning we expect that the grip will be quite low but that should improve throughout the weekend. The downforce level will be very different compared to Hungary because the average speed is relatively high and so everyone will try to drop downforce while being mindful that the grip level appears to be very low. "

Some F3 drivers mentioned kerbs being a potential issue. Do you have concerns?
"These are the kind of details that will have been sorted out before the Grand Prix weekend. We were especially concerned by the swing bridge. Because normally it moves to allow boats into the harbour, there is a 3cm gap in width and a couple of millimeters gap in height. It seems it has caused a few issues in F3, so we will monitor the situation very closely."

How important is the surface in terms of looking after the tyres?
"That's extremely important. The tyre choice is already done but it will be the decisive factor in whether we use primarily the soft or the super soft tyre from Bridgestone's range and it will also influence downforce levels."

Will free practice on Friday therefore take on added significance in Valencia?
"I think we can expect quite a lot of running but probably not at the beginning of the session when the track will be very dusty. But for sure we need to collect a lot of data and I think we will see significantly more running than on a well-known track."