Nico Rosberg believes drivers face a “big challenge” to quickly get up to speed on the new Valencia street circuit next week – creating the possibility of a more unpredictable weekend.
Formula 1 drivers will get a first look at the eagerly anticipated new harbourside venue next Thursday when they walk the 3.4-mile track with their engineers, before driving it the next day in practice.
Rosberg thinks the unknown elements should therefore ensure everything is set up for an exciting inaugural grand prix.
"That is going to be a really interesting race for sure,” he said in Williams’s latest podcast.
“Everybody is starting from zero more or less with the track, the set-up and everything so it is going to be really cool I think.
“It is going to be a big challenge for everybody to get the best out of it as quickly as possible in the limited time that you have on such a race weekend.
“So it should be good fun.”
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Some teams like Williams have been able to simulate the 25-corner track on its in-house simulator to gives its drivers a feel for the characteristics of the circuit.
Still, Rosberg says the learning experience will really begin in Friday practice and that staying out of the walls in these sessions will be crucial if you are to enjoy a strong weekend.
“On a street circuit the problem is there is no grip at the beginning,” he said.
“On a normal circuit you learn it in 15 or 10 laps even, but on a street circuit it is going to take you longer than that, so maybe 20 laps, to get the hang of it.
“It is going to be very important to keep the car on the track, because if you crash you are going to lose a lot of time on track.”
He added that while he would study TV footage from some of the first races at the circuit, some of the initial set-up work would be a stab in the dark.
“I’m going to watch the on-board from some of the GT racing and things like that to get a good idea of the track, but it is then really taking a guess on the set-up and comparing to other street circuits like Monaco,” Rosberg said.
“Then from there you just have to take it step by step through the weekend.”
Williams’s chief operations engineer Rod Nelson added that the virtual simulations had allowed the team to make some initial set-up decisions, which will be built on as the weekend progresses.
“We started doing some initial mapping of the circuit several months ago, from architect plans and FIA information that we were given,” he told the podcast.
“So we do a rough map of the circuit and then we run our simulation around it to see things like aero levels and look at the potential for high brake wear or what kind of demands the circuit will put on the tyres.
“So in the case of aero levels for instance, we can make new parts to suit that particular circuit.
“And then as you come nearer the time you can get more information from the organisers and the FIA and you just build up the picture, improve and refine the simulation to refine the actual area that you think you can work on to optimise your performance.”