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The Turkish Formula 1 GP faces a tough battle to stay on the Formula 1 calendar, but this weekend is the fourth round of a 2011 championship that has been nothing short of spectacular.
Any talk about Turkey and Formula 1 in the same sentence almost always conjures images of Turn 8. Consisting of four apexes, the left-hander has become the highlight of the circuit and is known to be notoriously tough on tyres - something that has been the central focal point of the season so far.
If you had to compare Istanbul Speed Park to the previous two tracks in the championship, you would conclude that it’s more akin to Malaysia than it is to Shanghai, both in terms of track layout - albeit anti-clockwise - and, more importantly, in terms of the track surface. The Sepang circuit in Malaysia is known to be tough on tyres and this year’s race proved no different. In Turkey, overall tyre wear will be higher than in Malaysia as a result of Istanbul’s more abrasive surface.
Designed by F1 circuit architect Herman Tilke, Turkey provides a unique challenge in terms of set-up. Several elevation changes with slow, medium and one very fast turn eight make for the perfect modern Formula 1 track.
FELIPE MASSA & FERRARI
By taking his outstanding record in Istanbul into consideration (three victories) it sets up Felipe Massa as the perfect potential dark horse for this weekend. Add to that the fact that he will have gained plenty of confidence from his performance in the Chinese GP - where Massa beat his more illustrious team mate - and it surely would have given his self-belief a nice boost.
2010 was anything but a shining endorsement of Massa's talents. Less than spectacular performances, generally uninspiring pace and that sickening moment in Germany (the infamous “Fernando is faster than you” incident) leaves little to no doubt that these are defining times in Felipe Massa’s Formula 1 career.
With rumours that Nico Rosberg is being lined up for his Ferrari seat, it is time now for the Brazilian to step up. Preferably at a track he knows and loves and once famously claimed to "own". It will go a long way towards answering those critics who are already calling time on his career.
Massa won’t be able to attempt that with a race-winning car, though. At least not yet. The Ferrari team claims that the failure of its 2011 car is as a result of a much too conservative design approach. Ferrari’s launch at the beginning of 2011 raised quite a few eyebrows; notably for the design of the car which very closely resembled the F10.
Further problems have cropped up at Ferrari’s wind tunnel and they have now been forced to make use of the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne. It’s pretty clear that all is not well at the Italian squad at this stage of the season, but writing them off completely would be a mistake.
They are taking the first step towards recovery this weekend by bringing several upgrades in the form of a new rear wing, front wing and brake ducts to the track; something which may not push them straight to the front of the grid but hopefully get them moving in the right direction.
DÉJÀ VU
Mercedes maintain that its pace in China was real. Both drivers performed well in Shanghai but, despite this, Mercedes’ latest remarks in the media feels a little like déjà vu. On more than one occasion, the team has talked up its chances before a race weekend only for these chances never to materialise. But let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. With said benefit it is still difficult to see how they can snatch a podium finish if it comes down to pace.
As we saw brilliantly in China, though, having the fastest car does not assure straightforward victory. Tyre management and strategy are likely to be the key to success this weekend. Several different strategy approaches won’t be uncommon either. Though a four-stop strategy will likely not be one of the choices drivers would want to opt for. Saving a lovely new set of options tyres, though, will be every driver’s ambition in Saturday’s qualifying session.
KERS, along with DRS, is sure to play its part as it will in any other race. However, the long straights on the Istanbul Speed Park are all preceded by slow corners which, as if it perfectly scripted, are the best platforms imaginable for KERS. At this stage it is quite clear that McLaren is in possession of a superior system, especially in terms of reliability. Red Bull, which has never been a big fan of the system, has made KERS reliability its top priority and expressed satisfaction that the problems have been solved.
The weather expected this race weekend is likely to be cooler than what was experienced in China with intermittent showers being predicted on Friday. Seems a predictable forecast then - for the weather, at least.
Stay with Wheels24 for the F1 weekend.
Any talk about Turkey and Formula 1 in the same sentence almost always conjures images of Turn 8. Consisting of four apexes, the left-hander has become the highlight of the circuit and is known to be notoriously tough on tyres - something that has been the central focal point of the season so far.
If you had to compare Istanbul Speed Park to the previous two tracks in the championship, you would conclude that it’s more akin to Malaysia than it is to Shanghai, both in terms of track layout - albeit anti-clockwise - and, more importantly, in terms of the track surface. The Sepang circuit in Malaysia is known to be tough on tyres and this year’s race proved no different. In Turkey, overall tyre wear will be higher than in Malaysia as a result of Istanbul’s more abrasive surface.
Designed by F1 circuit architect Herman Tilke, Turkey provides a unique challenge in terms of set-up. Several elevation changes with slow, medium and one very fast turn eight make for the perfect modern Formula 1 track.
FELIPE MASSA & FERRARI
By taking his outstanding record in Istanbul into consideration (three victories) it sets up Felipe Massa as the perfect potential dark horse for this weekend. Add to that the fact that he will have gained plenty of confidence from his performance in the Chinese GP - where Massa beat his more illustrious team mate - and it surely would have given his self-belief a nice boost.
2010 was anything but a shining endorsement of Massa's talents. Less than spectacular performances, generally uninspiring pace and that sickening moment in Germany (the infamous “Fernando is faster than you” incident) leaves little to no doubt that these are defining times in Felipe Massa’s Formula 1 career.
With rumours that Nico Rosberg is being lined up for his Ferrari seat, it is time now for the Brazilian to step up. Preferably at a track he knows and loves and once famously claimed to "own". It will go a long way towards answering those critics who are already calling time on his career.
Massa won’t be able to attempt that with a race-winning car, though. At least not yet. The Ferrari team claims that the failure of its 2011 car is as a result of a much too conservative design approach. Ferrari’s launch at the beginning of 2011 raised quite a few eyebrows; notably for the design of the car which very closely resembled the F10.
Further problems have cropped up at Ferrari’s wind tunnel and they have now been forced to make use of the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne. It’s pretty clear that all is not well at the Italian squad at this stage of the season, but writing them off completely would be a mistake.
They are taking the first step towards recovery this weekend by bringing several upgrades in the form of a new rear wing, front wing and brake ducts to the track; something which may not push them straight to the front of the grid but hopefully get them moving in the right direction.
DÉJÀ VU
Mercedes maintain that its pace in China was real. Both drivers performed well in Shanghai but, despite this, Mercedes’ latest remarks in the media feels a little like déjà vu. On more than one occasion, the team has talked up its chances before a race weekend only for these chances never to materialise. But let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. With said benefit it is still difficult to see how they can snatch a podium finish if it comes down to pace.
As we saw brilliantly in China, though, having the fastest car does not assure straightforward victory. Tyre management and strategy are likely to be the key to success this weekend. Several different strategy approaches won’t be uncommon either. Though a four-stop strategy will likely not be one of the choices drivers would want to opt for. Saving a lovely new set of options tyres, though, will be every driver’s ambition in Saturday’s qualifying session.
KERS, along with DRS, is sure to play its part as it will in any other race. However, the long straights on the Istanbul Speed Park are all preceded by slow corners which, as if it perfectly scripted, are the best platforms imaginable for KERS. At this stage it is quite clear that McLaren is in possession of a superior system, especially in terms of reliability. Red Bull, which has never been a big fan of the system, has made KERS reliability its top priority and expressed satisfaction that the problems have been solved.
The weather expected this race weekend is likely to be cooler than what was experienced in China with intermittent showers being predicted on Friday. Seems a predictable forecast then - for the weather, at least.
Stay with Wheels24 for the F1 weekend.