European Grand Prix 2012: Single DRS zone for Valencia

The European Grand Prix will have a single DRS zone after the FIA opted to drop the second area towards the Turn 17 hairpin at the Valencia Street Circuit.

The FIA introduced two zones last year in an attempt to encourage overtaking – one from just before Turn 11 and the second just after the exit of Turn 14 down to Turn 17.

But this year there will be only a single DRS zone located on the back stretch, with the activation area expected to start after Turn 10.

Pirelli tyre motorsport director Paul Hembrey admits he is expecting a “straightforward” race in Spain, with overtaking set to prove difficult.

“Valencia could not present a bigger contrast to the street circuits that have come before it: the track is faster and the temperatures higher, with plenty of energy going through the tyres,” said Hembery.

“What it has in common with the others is the difficulty of overtaking, which will put the emphasis on qualifying. So we are expecting a fairly straightforward race, with either two or three stops depending on which tactics the teams use – although one team tried a one-stopper last year as well.

“The weather should be consistently warm throughout the weekend, which should lead to fewer variables in terms of temperature, so there probably won’t be many big surprises to emerge.

“We’ve used the combination of soft and medium tyres more than any other line-up so far this year, as it has shown itself to be a perfect compromise between performance and durability, allowing drivers to show their speed when they need to but also benefit from longer stints in the race.”

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