Button expects an exciting Valencia debut

Sunday 17th August 2008

Jenson Button is expecting the new Valencia circuit to slot in between the slowest of the slow and the fastest of the fast in terms of speed.

Valencia will make it's F1 debut next weekend when the teams head to the Spanish port for the European GP. And even though the drivers have yet to run on the track, Button reckons Honda's simulator should given an accurate feel for the track.

"My first thoughts are that it's a circuit that we haven't raced at before and it's got barriers all around it!" said the Brit.

"I think the whole of Formula One is very excited about going to Valencia. It's a beautiful city and it will be great to be racing around the streets there.

"We have a simulator at our UK base, as do most teams, and spending a lot of time on that has been vital in terms of learning the circuit.

"With a simulator, you're not getting the complete feeling of the car but you are gaining understanding of the distances and the braking points, so it's very useful."

As for the track's speed, the Honda driver says it should fall somewhere in the middle of the F1 spectrum, not as fast as the likes of Monza but not as slow as Monaco.

"We have some very fast circuits like Monza, Spa and Silverstone on the calendar and then the slower circuits like Monaco and Hungary, and we're expecting Valencia to be somewhere in the middle," he said.

"It's also got the added excitement of being surrounded by barriers which really focuses your mind and demands that you give full concentration around every single lap."