Problems ahead of next month’s European GP

Valencia’s new street circuit hosted Spanish F3 and GT Open series races at the weekend, in what amounted to a dry run for next month’s F1 European Grand Prix. Everything seemed to run smoothly, although there are still many rough edges that need to be smoothed before the F1 circus rolls into town.

Encouragingly, the guinea pig drivers seemed to like the track: “On Thursday night, I really though that it would not be finished, but now I am very impressed,” GP2 driver Adrian Valles told El Mundo, “The circuit is very pretty, it is fast and seems very unlike Monaco, as the corners in the Principality are slower. It is closer to a permanent circuit than a street circuit.”

However, away from the track, things don’t look as good. Grid Crasher’s man in Valencia had this to say about the shoddy organisation of the GP:

“As race day approaches, everything is reaching boiling point. Desperate touts are charging up to €1000 a ticket, and the news is that 20,000 unsold passes have been returned by wholesalers.”

We shouldn’t be surprised at this news. With less than a month before the race, what are the organisers not telling us? The GP is apparently sold out, but we still expect to see a few empty seats come Sunday 24 August.

In other news, F1 safety supremo Charlie Whiting was in Valencia over the weekend, giving the circuit a final once-over before issuing it with the FIA seal of approval. He also directed the GP2 event, which served as a useful rehearsal for the F1 race.

More photos of the circuit: