Following on from the success of the first Character Cup, we are making things a little less personal by looking at the circuits themselves rather than those who drive on them. The matchups have been selected in a highly technical fashion (out of a hat) and the process can be viewed here.

From an admin point of view, there are 16 circuits, each from the 2009 calendar. We have dropped Abu Dhabi, as it hasn't yet been built, let alone had a chance to display what character it has. In this first round of matchups we will feature two battles - a total of four circuits. Each round will be up for 24 hours, with the poll being closed in time for the next round to appear - and that should be at 9pm BST each evening.

We'll be whittling the circuits down to crown the one with the most character, and you can follow the progress on the wiki. (Props to RG for creating the page almost seconds after the initial video was released.) Without further ado, let the voting commence.

Monza vs. Shanghai

This first matchup is a case of old versus new, as Monza has been a mainstay on the F1 calendar since the very beginning, whilst Shanghai appeared only in recent years. Whilst Monza may not have the facilities of the supposed state-of-the-art Chinese venue, there is a lot to be said for making your fans feel at home.

Interlagos vs. Valencia

It's impossible to write this little blurb about Valencia and Brazil whilst still remaining impartial. I am 100% certain which way the vote will swing on this one, and that would be the case even if the 2008 races at both venues weren't still reverberating around our minds.