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The track is 5.419 kilometres (3.367 mi) long and incorporates a total of 25 turns – 11 right-handers and 14 left-handers. It is estimated that the track has a top speed of around 323 kilometres per hour (201 mph), with a lap record of 1:38.683, held by Timo Glock, which he set during the 2009 European Grand Prix. Valencia is not as tight as Circuit de Monaco but overtaking opportunities are still relatively few, due to the straights not being straight and the dust off line. Nico Hülkenberg noticed quite a bit of space for a street circuit and some corners have a lot of run-off area. Robert Kubica suggested that good traction and good braking stability are crucial to win at this circuit because there is a lot of long straight lines ending with heavy braking.
The circuit has been criticised by the drivers for its lack of overtaking opportunites. Changes in Formula One in 2011, including the introduction of the Drag reduction system and the switch to Pirelli tyres, partially improved that with 27 passes recorded in that year's race, 22 of which were accredited to the assistance of DRS. However, the five 'normal' overtakes still represented the year's second lowest total, although the adoption of two DRS zones for that year's race limited the potential for non-DRS assisted passes. Despite this, the 2012 Race was shown to have many different overtakes and became one of the most thrilling races of the season. It also had a lot more retirements. (4 compared to 2011's 0)
Read more about this topic: Valencia Street Circuit