Alain Menu claimed his first victory of the season after an action packed race that saw him surviving clashes with Tom Coronel and Stefano DAste who completed the podium in the order.
After a few skirmishes with his Italian competitor, Menu managed to outbrake him with a great manoeuvre at Turn 2. Then he spent the final laps defending the lead from a rushing Coronel.
For most of the race Menu, Coronel and DAste were involved in an exciting fight with Norbert Michelisz, Franz Engstler, Rob Huff, Pepe Oriola and Yvan Muller. The outcome of the battle was affected by an oil stain on the track that sent a few drivers wide on the gravel. They all rejoined, but some of them lost their positions. However, Michelisz and Engstler were able to finish in fourth and fifth respectively, while Muller could not achieve any better than eighth. James Nash was very unlucky; on his way to claim Fords best result, he retired from 11th on lap 9 for the consequences of a collision.
Yvan Muller took a comfortable win in the first race at Valencia. The reigning world champion sprinted from pole position to lead the field into the first corner, and then pushed to create a gap.
Behind him Gabriele Tarquini and Tom Coronel had a close fight for second place, which left Muller to easily manage his leading margin. Mullers team-mates, Rob Huff and Alain Menu, had to settle with fourth and fifth, as they were not able to find a gap to attack the Tarquini-Coronel duo. Pepe Oriola took the chequered flag in sixth place, winning the Yokohama Trophy from Norbert Michelisz. Franz Engstler, Tiago Monteiro and Darryl OYoung filled the remaining point-scoring positions, while Stefano DAste emerged victorious from the battle for 11th that involved James Nash (12th at the end the best result so far for Ford) and Alberto Cerqui. Mehdi Bennani completed a brilliant recovery, climbing to 14th after dropping to 24th because of a first lap incident. (fiawtcc.com)
Chevrolet with Menu and Muller on top in Valencia
- Published on 02 Apr 2012 08:25
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
Nike reportedly working on F1 return after two decadesNike is exploring a return to Formula 1 after more than two decades away from the paddock, with early-stage talks cen...
01 Sep 2026 16:25 -
How Liam Lawson's Zandvoort drive may have rescued his F1 futureLiam Lawson may have salvaged his Formula 1 career with a composed performance at the Dutch Grand Prix, according to ...
01 Sep 2026 15:23 -
Sainz baffled by Verstappen's thoughts on early F1 retirementCarlos Sainz has expressed genuine confusion at Max Verstappen's repeated consideration of early retirement from ...
01 Sep 2026 14:21 -
Why Lando Norris' New McLaren Role Could Pressure PiastriLando Norris has signalled his intention to become McLaren's undisputed leader, citing growing influence over tea...
01 Sep 2026 13:20 -
Betting on the F1 season: reading the odds and building a race-day strategyFollowing an entire Formula 1 season means constantly reassessing the competitive order. A car that excels through Mo...
01 Sep 2026 14:23
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
4 - Sep 6
Italy
Monza
11 - Sep 13
Spain
Madring
Replies (0)
Login to reply