Hola Valencia

In a day that also so Germany crush England in the World Cup, 4-1, German Sebastian Vettel raced past the competition in the European Grand Prix, including second-place Lewis Hamilton of England.

The first two races at the Valencia Street Circuit were roundly derided as boring by racing fans, but did that change for the better this year? Here’s a quick round-up of reactions from around the web:

The BBC’s Andrew Benson was impressed:

For the first time in its short history, the Valencia track produced a thrilling grand prix but the irony is that in doing so a potentially even better one – in terms of the battle for the lead – was lost.

But the Bleacher Report disagrees:

[Many] will argue that the Webber crash alone made this race at least a little exciting. However, whilst I agree the incident was indeed tense (and thank God both Webber and Kovalainen walked away safely), the resulting safety car actually made the race even more boring than it otherwise would have been.

The consensus seems to be however, that this year’s race was a lot better than previous editions. But was Red Bull the winner or the loser?

The race at Valencia was a very exciting one with the Red Bulls getting back in business. Vettel proved himself once again as he converted his pole to a victory in Valencia. But his partner Webber had a disappointing race as he crashed into Kovalainen and his crew flew into the side wall.

At least one team wasn’t happy at all… take it away, Ferrari:

“A scandal, that’s the opinion of so many fans and employees who are all in agreement: there is no other way to describe what happened during the European Grand Prix. The way the race and the incidents during it were managed raise doubts that could see Formula One lose some credibility again, as it was seen around the world.”