The title race at the inaugural European Grand Prix in Valencia may be decided by how teams react to safety car periods.

According to Mercedes-Benz racing chief Norbert Haug, there will be more safety car periods than usual that will be included in preparations for Sunday's GP.

Not only are engineers and drivers unfamiliar with the new venue, the layout also boasts a higher than usual average top speed for a concrete barrier-lined street circuit.

Haug added the team's drivers have been instructed to ease their way up to speed at Valencia this weekend. “They need to keep the car on the track and collect as much data as possible,” the German told Auto Motor und Sport.

He also revealed that team strategists need to factor the special circumstances of the new Valencia event into their plans for the race. “Of course, we must think about the safety car for our tactics more than we usually do,” he admitted.

Safety car periods at street circuits can also be generally longer than at more regular venues, given the difficulty in recovering stricken cars behind concrete walls.