Friday, May 09, 2008
# posted by Rich @ 7:58 AM
2008 Formula 1 Petrol Ofisi Turkish Grand Prix: Preview
Round five of the Formula 1 world championship is in Istanbul, Turkey - a city and a country with a great and varied history. Istanbul straddles both Europe and Asia - the only city to lie in two continents - and is Europe's most populous city, with a population of around 11.3 million people. Like most of the "new venues" in Formula 1, Turkey is historic, eclectic, and multi-cultural.
The Istanbul Park circuit was built in 2005 and has hosted 3 Formula 1 events, two of which were won by Felipe Massa. Like most modern Formula 1 venues, it was designed by Herman Tilke, but unlike most of his other creations this circuit has real character: it is an anti-clockwise circuit, which is against the norm; it features bends that were modelled on some of the most famous bends at other circuits; it has a long, fast back stretch; and it has the fearsome quadruple apex bend, turn 8.
Given the recent form of the Ferraris, and the fact that Felipe Massa excels as this circuit (much like at Bahrain, which he won earlier this season), Massa surely goes into the race as the favourite. However, Kimi Raikkonen has momentum in his favour, having won the previous race in Barcelona. They will be given a run for their money by the McLarens though - the McLarens were quicker than expected in Barcelona, and will hope to have closed the gap to their rivals for this weekend. The much improved Renaults should also be borne in mind - Fernando Alonso had an excellent run at his home Grand Prix before a rare engine failure (specifically distributor failure) let him down. Alonso will surely be out to prove a point this weekend.
Unfortunately, one team that will not be proving any points is the Super Aguri team. The team had be plunged into dire financial straits by the pullout of a potential buyer - the Magma consortium. The fate of the team hung by a thread, but it looked as though they might be able to pull through, and the team dispatched its motorhomes to Istanbul. However, Nick Fry of parent team Honda, informed the FIA that Super Aguri would not be competing, and that they should be barred from the paddock. The reasons why are still not clear, but it appears that Honda did not want to be "embarrassed" by Super Aguri. Formula One's minnows had no choice but to pull out of the Grand Prix and pull out of Formula 1 altogether. It is a sad end for a little team with a big heart, that stole some incredible points, not least of which were at the 2007 Canadian GP, where Sato executed a fantastic overtaking maneuvre on reigning world champion Alonso.
So, only 20 cars will line up on the grid on Sunday. The weather prospects for the weekend include possible rain on Friday and Saturday, but clear on Sunday with cool temperatures - in the mid teens (celcius). These temperatures are to be expected with the new calendar position of the Turkish Grand Prix, having been moved from it's previous late August date.
The Istanbul Park circuit was built in 2005 and has hosted 3 Formula 1 events, two of which were won by Felipe Massa. Like most modern Formula 1 venues, it was designed by Herman Tilke, but unlike most of his other creations this circuit has real character: it is an anti-clockwise circuit, which is against the norm; it features bends that were modelled on some of the most famous bends at other circuits; it has a long, fast back stretch; and it has the fearsome quadruple apex bend, turn 8.
Given the recent form of the Ferraris, and the fact that Felipe Massa excels as this circuit (much like at Bahrain, which he won earlier this season), Massa surely goes into the race as the favourite. However, Kimi Raikkonen has momentum in his favour, having won the previous race in Barcelona. They will be given a run for their money by the McLarens though - the McLarens were quicker than expected in Barcelona, and will hope to have closed the gap to their rivals for this weekend. The much improved Renaults should also be borne in mind - Fernando Alonso had an excellent run at his home Grand Prix before a rare engine failure (specifically distributor failure) let him down. Alonso will surely be out to prove a point this weekend.
Unfortunately, one team that will not be proving any points is the Super Aguri team. The team had be plunged into dire financial straits by the pullout of a potential buyer - the Magma consortium. The fate of the team hung by a thread, but it looked as though they might be able to pull through, and the team dispatched its motorhomes to Istanbul. However, Nick Fry of parent team Honda, informed the FIA that Super Aguri would not be competing, and that they should be barred from the paddock. The reasons why are still not clear, but it appears that Honda did not want to be "embarrassed" by Super Aguri. Formula One's minnows had no choice but to pull out of the Grand Prix and pull out of Formula 1 altogether. It is a sad end for a little team with a big heart, that stole some incredible points, not least of which were at the 2007 Canadian GP, where Sato executed a fantastic overtaking maneuvre on reigning world champion Alonso.
So, only 20 cars will line up on the grid on Sunday. The weather prospects for the weekend include possible rain on Friday and Saturday, but clear on Sunday with cool temperatures - in the mid teens (celcius). These temperatures are to be expected with the new calendar position of the Turkish Grand Prix, having been moved from it's previous late August date.
Labels: Formula 1, Grand Prix, Turkey
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