• European Grand Prix

De la Rosa targets step forward

Pedro de la Rosa is keen to perform in front of his home fans © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• European Grand Prix

• Championship:
• FIA Formula One World Championship

• Drivers:
• Kamui Kobayashi
• |
• Pedro de la Rosa

• Teams:
• Alfa Romeo

For Pedro de la Rosa, the European Grand Prix marks a second home race on the Formula One calendar for the likeable Spaniard, who has never before driven the Valencia circuit.

"I'm certainly looking forward to my second home race this year, although it will be quite a busy weekend," said De la Rosa. "It is a great achievement for Spain to have two grands prix and we do have a fantastic crowd. A little bit of a downer for the spectators is the fact that on both Spanish circuits overtaking is very difficult. Usually you don't see much overtaking in Barcelona or Valencia. Turn two should be the best option for overtaking, but I have not driven the Valencia street circuit yet so there might also be others."

De la Rosa has endured a difficult season to date, with only two finishes to show for his efforts. It is a statistic he is keen to improve in Valencia.

"In the two races I have finished this year I have been fighting for the points until the last few laps of each race. We will be bringing several new parts for the car so I expect a step forward here."

Unlike his team-mate, Kamui Kobayashi is not so thrilled about the prospect of driving in Valencia.

"From what I have seen so far the Valencia street circuit doesn't seem to be the most exciting track, but I only know it from two GP2 races and racing there in Formula One will be different," said Kobayashi. "I like driving over the bridge, which makes the track quite distinctive. It might not be as hot as last year when the race was two months later, but I still expect rather high temperatures, which is fine for me.

"It is another race in Spain, and in Barcelona we had one of our better weekends in terms of performance, so I hope we can achieve a positive result."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.