• European Grand Prix

Barrichello pins hopes on fond memories and new upgrades

Rubens Barrichello won in Valencia in 2009 © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• European Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Rubens Barrichello

• Teams:
• Williams

Rubens Barrichello is hoping that a combination of fond memories and new car developments, including an updated version of its F-duct, will help his cause at this year's European Grand Prix.

Barrichello won last year's European Grand Prix to close the gap on then Brawn GP team-mate Jenson Button in the fight for the drivers' title.

"I have great memories of Valencia. I won the race there last year, it was my tenth win so it was great fun," said Barrichello. "It was also significant because it really pulled me back into contention for the championship. Cosworth is doing well to improve its consistency and the team are bringing some more upgrades to Spain so I'm looking forward to seeing where their combined efforts put us. The challenge in Valencia is to get into Q3 and score some points."

Williams team-mate Nico Hulkenberg is also no stranger to the Valencia circuit, having driven it in GP2 last season.

"Valencia is a great track, I really like it," said Hulkenberg. "I know it well from racing there in GP2 last year and I'm very much looking forward to driving it in the FW32 because it's a circuit I feel quite comfortable on. Like Monaco and Montreal, there are walls everywhere but the track's a bit wider and I like the challenge.

"We'll have more new parts for this race but we'll have to wait and see what improvements they bring to the car. We are inching a bit closer to the top ten, as we showed in qualifying in Montreal, but we have to continue pushing and gain more tenths to get into the top ten consistently."

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