Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull has placed himself in a strong position for the European Grand Prix by winning pole position late in the final qualifying round in Valencia.

Vettel beat Fernando Alonso by almost half a second with his Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa third. Jenson Button for McLaren was in fifth with his team-mate Lewis Hamilton two places further back.

Alonso claimed it would take “a miracle” to snatch pole from Red Bull and his Ferrari team wrote on their Twitter page during final practice: “Red Bull are favourites, as usual.”

Both McLarens ended final practice more than a second behind Vettel, leading to suggestions that they were running with more fuel on board, in particular Hamilton.

Red Bull’s rivals are waiting to find out whether a new directive from the sport’s governing body, the FIA, will also help narrow their superiority over one lap.

The FIA wrote to the teams before the European Grand Prix to explain that they will no longer be able to change their engine maps, which determine how the engine governs the car’s fuel usage. between qualifying and the race.

Valencia’s street circuit presents its own challenges. Alonso, Massa and Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher all struggled with the rear stability of their cars with Schumacher spinning while the Ferrari pair managed to hold their laps together.

Valencia.City.Mobi
As Formula One fans across the world turn their focus of Valencia, City.Mobi has launched its new guide to the capital.

Valencia.City.Mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.

Sport tourism boom

Formula One will be just one of the sports on show at WSDE Sport Tourism Expo – the first global exhibition and business forum dedicated to showcasing the $600 billion a year sport tourism industry. Successfully launched last July alongside the final week of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the event attracts the key buyers, influencers and media leading the field in this dynamic sector and forging the future of sport tourism.

(Thandiwe January-Mclean, Chief Executive, South Africa Tourism, opens the inaugural WSDE in Joburg during the final week of FIFA 2010)

The next edition of WSDE Sport Tourism Expo will take place in Bangkok in 27-29 September 2011 and will mark an important year for Asia, and Thailand in particular.