Zoom Raikkonen has proved every point can count

This weekend's European Grand Prix marks the return to the race track after the short summer break and while the Formula One cars might not have turned a wheel since Sunday in Budapest, the Ferrari factory in Maranello has been operating normally, with staff all hard at work preparing, not just for the race in Valencia, but also for the final part of the season in general.

As a brand new venue, preparation for this weekend is slightly different to normal, because the track itself is an unknown quantity, even if the route from Maranello to Valencia is a well trodden one, as the permanent circuit outside the city is a popular testing venue.

Preparation for a new track relies heavily on the use of track simulation programmes, using the Centro Ricerche Fiat simulator, to provide a solid baseline from which the team can begin work with the first free practice session on Friday morning.

The simulator is an aid to the drivers, as it gives them an idea of what to expect and in its simplest form means they can learn where the corners are. It also helps the engineers produce a basic set-up for all functions and settings on the F2008 cars.

Simulators are growing ever more sophisticated, however, one area where there is no real substitute for track time experience concerns the tyres: the choice of Bridgestone tyres is already known as drivers will run on the 'soft' and 'super-soft' compounds which they have already used twice this year. However, how the tyres will perform on the track surface cannot be predicted with total accuracy at this stage.

"The track looks very interesting, combining a variety of different corner types, as well as some sections with a high top speed, maybe slightly lower than those seen at the Montreal circuit in Canada," explained Technical Director Aldo Costa. "We can expect high temperatures this weekend, which should not present us with any problems. After the high downforce configuration we ran at the last race in Budapest, we now return to a medium to low downforce configuration with some updates to the package that were already tested at Jerez in the week prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix."

Kimi Raikkonen
"It's time to concentrate again on my work now. Formula One is a sport, which never stops. The team has worked hard to be ready for the race at Valencia, the first of the last part of the season. From now on every single race will be extremely important and every single point will have a great value: the less there are the more important they become."