There is no other way to describe the maiden Grand Prix on the Valencia Street Circuit than as a yawn-fest, and it is to be sincerely hoped that today's race is not a repeat.

In full PR mode most of the driver welcome this new addition to the calendar and claim that it is a great track, maybe it is, however, for most of us it is a typical US-style street track devoid of character and spectacle.

In this morning's GP2 race the Safety Car made no less than three appearances. However, it is not entirely clear whether this was down to the general lack of grip or the over enthusiasm of the drivers, perhaps a mixture of both. That said, is track is unusually dusty, which could cause problems during the early stages of the Grand Prix, especially as there are some very determined drivers out there.

Then again, taking another look at the grid and the fuel loads, one cannot help but think that Bert Maylander will be called in to action this afternoon, having Nakajima and Trulli that far back is surely an accident waiting to happen.

To paraphrase the legendary Jimmy Greaves, it's been a funny old weekend, and, at the risk of repeating ourselves, each session has appeared to pose more questions than it has answered.

That said, a couple of things seem clear. Firstly, McLaren has made a significant step forward, demonstrating that the Hungary win was no 'flash in the pan'. Furthermore, while other teams are now focussing on 2010, having given up on this season, the Woking outfit is still developing the MP4-24 at the sort of pace witnessed last season when it was battling for both titles. The British team's determination to turn its season around is truly breathtaking.

Impressive also is the apparent return to form of Brawn, which to all intents and purposes appeared to be slipping backwards at an alarming rate. Whether the team has made some genuine improvements or the conditions here merely suit the BGP 001 package remain to be seen. But for the first time in several races the Brackley team appears capable of fighting for the win and holding off the threat from Red Bull.

Despite Sebastian Vettel's fine fourth place in qualifying, the Milton Keynes outfit is clearly struggling here, and in many ways this afternoon will be about damage limitation, especially in light of Brawn's resurgence. More worrying however, is Vettel's engine failure in free practice yesterday, for it isn't long before the German will need to exceed his allocation and thereby suffer the grid penalty that goes with it. The German has already got through six of his allotted units and, like teammate Mark Webber, it is something that will be playing on his mind.

With Ferrari effectively limited to one car, no disrespect to Luca Badoer, Kimi Raikkonen will have his hand full if he is to hold off Alonso and Rosberg this afternoon, not to mention Kubica and a couple of other drivers eagerly seeking berths for next season.

While Toyota has been disappointing here this weekend, Force India has been an absolute revelation, and we remain convinced that Adrian Sutil end up heading to Spa with a point or two to his tally.

Once again, only Ferrari and McLaren are using KERS, Hamilton and Kovalainen sure to make full of the controversial systems on their cars, while the tyre options are soft and super-soft. There has been an issue transverse graining this weekend, particularly with the super-softs, which is sure to add to the fun.