Formula boredom at Valencia

Like most F1 races, Valencia was a processional snoozefest with drivers finishing in the order they started. Can't blame the track for being too narrow, as the GP2 race was excellent.

(GMM) Valencia's new formula one street circuit failed to deliver much excitement during the European grand prix on Sunday, the press declared.

"Ho-hum in Valencia", the International Herald Tribune headlined, panning the processional race on the streets of the Spanish port city.

Even the Spanish media did not disagree.

"A boring track," the sports daily Marca admitted, "with hardly any possibilities for overtaking."

"It was a procession, during which nothing happened, except for that which should not have happened: Alonso retiring," El Mundo Deportivo added.

All the expectation of several safety car periods never materialized, and podium-getters Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica finished in the positions they qualified without ever challenging one another.

"It was a grand prix with much glamour but no safety car," the newspaper lamented. "The most exciting place was the pitlane," El Mundo said, referring to the incidents involving Ferrari.

"A boring race," Spain's Diario Sport echoed. "At this venue, pole position is crucial."

BMW-Sauber test driver Christian Klien commented: "I was actually surprised that it was a relatively boring race in which nothing really happened.

"In the other categories racing here we saw some really good racing with spectacular overtaking," the Austrian is quoted as saying by the Credit Suisse emagazine.