Fernando Alonso has become the latest Renault-powered driver to attribute Toro Rosso’s performance edge at Valencia to the grunt of its engine, hinting that Renault and engine customers Red Bull Racing are being disadvantaged.

The inaugural European Grand Prix at Valencia took place against the backdrop of the Madrid plane crash. On Friday a three-minute silence was held as a tribute to the victims of the crash, and on Saturday Fernando Alonso handed out stickers for the drivers to sport as a mark of respect.

In October 1991, Nigel Mansell was on the brink of losing the World Championship having had a comfortable lead and certain victory thrown away by another pit lane drama in the Portugese Grand Prix at Estoril. He lost one of his wheels after what appeared to be a smooth and tidy pitstop and was later given the black flag. The next stop after Portugal was Spain, but this time the venue was not Jerez. The F1 circus was about to visit a brand new purpose built circuit near Barcelona, the Circuit de Catalunya.

For the second time this season, Spanish hearts were scuttled by the sight of home hero Fernando Alonso dropping out of the fray.

Valencians turned up in their droves to see their man conjure up something special for the first ever grand prix at Spain’s cultural capital.

Fernando Alonso was visibly disappointed with his showing in front of his home fans after crashing out of Q2 at Valencia.

The Spaniard had a set a searing pace in the opening knock-out session and was looking in good shape to take the fight to the front runners, but a costly mistake on the exit of the swing bridge was enough to drop him to P12 for the race.

“I’m not worried,” was the message that Honda’s Jenson Button fired to Fernando Alonso both on and off the track at Valencia.

Speculation about Alonso’s future reached fever pitch in the F1 paddock at Valencia after Rubens Barrichello confirmed on Thursday that Honda are stepping up their efforts to lure the double world champion to the team for 2009.

Multi-million dollar Valencia street circuit a stark reminder that Alonso is still F1’s star attraction.

It was a welcoming gift fit for a king: five and half kilometres of sweeping high speed race track, carving its way through Valencia’s vibrant, sprawling cultural metropolis.

The image of Formula One’s elite squatting outside a motorhome, whiling away the last hours of daylight over a deck of cards seems almost out of sorts with the glitzy celebrity-driven milieu of the paddock.

According to the latest rumours, Fernando Alonso may be heading to Honda next year for a one year stint. British newspaper The Guardian has said that the Spanish driver is reportedly considering a $15 million deal to drive for Honda next season. However the stay is predicted to be short-lived with many believing that Alonso will head to Ferrari in 2010. Rubens Barrichello’s contract with Honda is up at the end of this season and it is believed that if Alonso agrees to the new deal, it will be Barrichello who will be out of a race-seat in the team.

Ron Dennis has rubbished Fernando Alonso’s claims that he would have been denied the chance to win the world championship had he stayed at McLaren this year.

Alonso left the Woking squad at the end of the year after his very public fall-out over perceived driver favouritism and the team’s involvement in the spy scandal.