Teams plan for crucial SC periods

The high-speed road layout has been likened to Montreal and some teams and drivers predict that the race around Valencia's port could be decided by a safety car period.

The current regulations, which punish drivers who are forced to pit while the safety car is on track, have affected several races, including this year's Canadian Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton ran into the back of Kimi Raikkonen in the pit lane during a safety car period.

The close proximity of the walls lining the Valencia track increase the chances of accidents and, with it not yet known how long it will take to clear away damaged cars, teams will attempt to work long safety car periods into their race strategies.

Force India's technical director Mike Gascoyne says he will be looking to take advantage of any such situation.

"Certainly, for a team like us, we would be looking at that," he told autosport.com. "You've got the walls and the difficult of getting cars away, so there's going to be a lot of safety cars.

"We may look at strategies that will put us out of sync with the others so we can take advantage of it.

"With strategy, you've got to see what the circuit is like and how the tyres perform, because that might dictate far more what we do. But it's something we will factor into our race strategy."

But for the teams fighting for places at the front of the grid, safety car interruptions are just as likely to ruin races as they are to improve them.

Mark Webber, who is fighting for fourth place in the constructors' championship for Red Bull, is concerned about the effect the safety car could have on his race with the current regulations.

"Unfortunately these days, with the safety car rule that street races can sometimes be affected by, performance isn't shown," he told autosport.com. "But if you're having a shit weekend it could help you.

"That's the biggest concern going into these sort of races, that if you're having a good weekend the safety car can completely screw you.

"Street races were always more vulnerable to safety cars, but with the rule we have now, all your efforts can be washed down the toilet."