Will Ant wish he was here?

Given Valencia is so notorious for its lack of overtaking, some might wonder if Anthony Davidson is better off staring at his ceiling this weekend. Sky Sports F1's David Croft isn't so sure. With this year's Pirellis, anything could happen - including an eighth winner in eight races...

Before our look ahead to the European Grand Prix this week I want to wish my mate and Sky Sports F1 colleague Anthony Davidson all the best as he continues his recovery from his accident at Le Mans. It had been a superb weekend for both Ant and the Toyota team right up until the moment that he crashed out of the race. What they and Ant himself achieved with such a short build-up time to Le Mans was incredible and his ability to get that car third on the grid was a fantastic effort. Back at home, Ant has already tweeted his exciting view of his bedroom ceiling as he lays flat on his back and continues his recovery. It could be worse of course, he could be watching the Valencia street race instead! Thought Iʼd get that gag in before anybody else... It has to be said that this has hardly been a Grand Prix to stir the emotions in the past. Itʼs not as dull as staring at the bedroom wall but it could do with being a touch more lively. Thanks to Mercedes, I can reveal that there were a total of 27 overtakes last year, 22 of which were thanks to the DRS Zone. Without a doubt, DRS has given the drivers at least a bit of hope that they can pass the car in front. Before its introduction, the task was almost impossible. In the first year of the race we had just the one overtake, when Robert Kubica went past his team-mate Nick Heidfeld. But donʼt think Iʼm giving you any excuse to avoid the race this weekend. Whatever your thoughts on whether tyres are dominating the 2012 season too much, one thing that canʼt be argued is that it's producing variety and some very exciting moments in the races themselves. Weʼve had a magnificent seven different winners from the first seven races, now the fans are asking, "Wouldnʼt it be great to have eight from eight?" So plenty of attention will fall on the two Lotus drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean, both of whom have been on the podium twice without standing on the top step, and Michael Schumacher who has failed to reach the Chequered Flag in five out of the seven grands prix run so far. It's not always been his own fault and he has had the most horrendous luck when it comes to reliability. He could go well here in Valencia - but then the same was said before Canada and that didnʼt exactly work out well for him. Lotus could also have a great chance if we get the expected high temperatures. Itʼs not so much that their car comes into its own when the tarmac temperature heats up, itʼs just that they tend to suffer less. Not that we saw the expected heat in FP1. It got windy and cloudy and the track temperature was about 18 degrees down on what we are expecting for the race. And Iʼll be watching the race from directly opposite the Red Bull garage, with the team going for a hat-trick of wins and poles here. The conditions and demands of the circuit could be very good for them too and if we are going to get a first double winner of the season, the initial indication is that it could come from either Sebastian Vettel or Mark Webber. But there will be plenty queueing up to prove me wrong there and in the closing laps thereʼs the prospect of some drivers chasing down others whose tyres have lost the will to grip. As Romain Grosjean pointed out to me on Thursday, "These tyres have a long memory. Every slip and slide early on in the stint, you pay for at the end." Now hereʼs a man in Canada that managed 49 laps on a single set, and Iʼm told could easily have completed a few more. Who is to say that when it gets hot in the city, Romain wonʼt be the talk of the town come Sunday afternoon? DC