8 posts tagged “turkish grand prix”
For the third time in the history of Istanbul Park Circuit, Felipe Massa finished first. He even expressed his fondness of the circuit as his favorite. Well, I actually thought he’s memorized every corner, every straight of that circuit. And did you know that he got his very first victory in Turkey? That’s actually one of the reasons why the Istanbul Park Circuit is special for him. Now, three of his wins came from his Turkish GP victories.
It’s still unclear as to whose fault was the accident that happened at the beginning of the Turkish GP. The drivers involved were Williams-Toyota’s newbie Kazuki Nakajima and Force India’s veteran driver Giancarlo Fisichella. The accident almost crushed the Formula 1 cars to pieces. Fisichella said, he’s had a great start and his brakes were all good. So, he doesn’t think it was his fault. Nakajima, on the other hand, said that he just followed the line and got suddenly hit from behind.
Whoever was at fault for the accident, I’m glad that both drivers can talk and remember a bit of the accident. The race is caught on video, so, I hope Formula 1 authorities would give their opinion about how the accident happened. What I do love about this shot is Force India car was shockingly above the Williams – such amazing shot. On this photo, both cars have probably hit each other because there are bits of debris flying. Better luck next time for both drivers and just be glad that they’re both fine and that they can still race for the next GP – the Monaco GP.
I can’t believe I screwed up on my last forecast with regards to the final result of the Turkish GP. Who topped the Turkish GP? Who else could’ve topped in Istanbul Park? Indeed, Felipe Massa remains undefeated in Istanbul. He was followed by Lewis Hamilton and then Kimi Raikkonen. It wasn’t a total sweep for the Ferrari team, but the results just showed that they’ve dominated in the Istanbul Park Circuit. Robert Kubica, who was the third on my forecast, was the fourth to finish the race.
The superb victory of Massa in Turkey puts the Ferrari team far ahead of the other teams. The team now has a 19-point lead against the ever-determined BMW team and a 21-point lead against the tough McLaren team. You bet, BMW and McLaren are very close to each other. On the driver’s table, it’s Raikkonen who tops the list. Next, is Massa is just seven points behind his teammate. And because of Hamilton’s great finish he’s now tied with Massa. Kubica is now fourth and is four points behind the McLaren’s ace driver. Kazuki Nakajima [Williams] and Giancarlo Fisichella [Force India] weren’t able to finish the race because of a terrible accident during the start of the race. The picture is really amazing and the same time scary. Just look at how the Williams flew over the Force India and smashing it into pieces. Accidents can’t be avoided on racing events that’s all about speed, agility, aerodynamics, and technology. It’s just scary sometimes but that’s one of the things that make Formula One and all the other auto racing thrilling.
It was the gearbox that almost caused Kimi Raikkonen his chance on the qualifying race. Good thing there were two practice sessions, the entire Ferrari team has time to solve their car troubles. The Friday Practice 1 results showed that Ferrari was still dominating with Felipe Massa at the top and followed by the two McLaren drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton. But on the FP2 results, Raikkonen was back on top and was followed by the ever-determined driver Hamilton. Massa was third and followed by David Coulthard. Even if these are just practice laps to prepare for the qualifying race, every lap result matters because it’s were teams will make certain adjustments on their cars to achieve a better lap time for the qualifying.
Today is the qualifying race and every team is set. This will definitely determine who’s going to have a shot on the podium. Once the race is on, everything will be in the hands of the driver.
So, it’s really final? Twenty cars will be racing tomorrow for the Turkish Grand Prix. Super Aguri will not be racing. So, what will happen to Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson? Honestly, I don’t know but this I’m sure the two drivers will not retire. Sato, himself, expressed his intention of staying to the team his been since 2006. Remember that he even pleaded for Honda to give the SAF1 a chance to race. I know it’s not the end for the SAF1 team. They’ll definitely come back. And once they’re back, I’m sure they’ll be better.
Enough of the Super Aguri talk let us talk about the upcoming Turkish GP and the chances of Ferrari getting the win. Last season’s winner was Felipe Massa, who also got the pole position. Kimi Raikkonen, on the other hand, got the fastest lap. With these results in mind, I think the Ferrari team has a great chance of winning in Istanbul. But who knows, Lewis Hamilton wakes up during race day with confidence and a mindset to win the whole race. If Hamilton gets pole position, the entire Ferrari team should be a little scared. He's just one determined lad. And the fact that Hamilton is not the only threat that awaits in Turkey should scare the team a bit. Remember to count in teammate Heikki Kovalainen who just got from an accident in Barcelona. Count in Robert Kubica, as well.
There are still 14 grand prix to go, including the Turkish GP, and it is indeed too early to think about the world champion. A lot can happen during these 14 races. Who knows another accident like that of Kovalainen could happen again or another team withdraws from F1. Maybe we should start out guessing when the season only has three more grand prix to go. But as of now, we’ll just have to go with the flow.
I really hope it is not the end of the road for the Super Aguri team. I am hopeful that they’ll be coming back next season or maybe on the next grand prix after the Turkish GP. Okay, let us take a break from the dramatic exit of Super Aguri from Formula 1. Let’s talk about the nose job that the Ferrari team won’t be using in Istanbul. Indeed, humans aren’t the only ones that get nose jobs. F1 cars get nose jobs too. And this time, I’m giving you a peek at the hole-in-the-nose design of the Ferrari team. The cars that sport this breakthrough feature were used in Barcelona. And I think this is one of the major factors for the team’s success during the Spanish GP. The reason why the team won’t be using the new nose of their cars is due to the low downforce disposition of Istanbul Park. I checked the meaning of downforce on Wikipedia and as far as my understanding goes; it is about the downward force that is the result of the aerodynamic properties of the car.
The better the aerodynamic properties, the better the downforce is. And you see, it is actually a plus factor to a racing team if their car has more downforce because it only means that their car can move faster especially on tight corners. Downforce also plays a major factor in keeping the car on track even at high speeds. So, now you know about downforce. If you didn’t understand a single word I said, you better check Wikipedia.
Luca Baldisserri, the team manager, said they will only use the new nose of their cars on circuits where it will bring them the advantage. They certainly used it to their advantage; the proof is the team’s remarkable results on the previous grand prix. Since they won’t be using their new nose in Istanbul, I fear that Ferrari won’t be as great as they were in Spain. But that’s okay, as long as they stay on top, I’m good!
It is really scary to see someone crash during a race, whether it is Formula 1 or MotoGP. I know that I prefer to crash on a race track because at least there are medical crew standing by. But the thought of crashing while you are running at high speeds is just overwhelming. The faster you go, the greater the impact will be. F1 cars are made from light-weight but highly durable materials for the safety of the drivers. And I’m impressed with how they’ve worked such magnificent safety technology because it definitely saved a lot of drivers. The latest driver to be saved was Heikki Kovalainen who crashed after a wheel rim failure. The cause of the rim’s failure is still unknown but officials are thinking of debris on the track. They probably recalled that Raikkonen, Massa, and Hamilton also had the same problem with their cars.
"Heikki is a very lucky boy. If that had happened in my day, he wouldn't have had a hope in hell of walking away from it,” said 3-time Formula 1 Champion, Jackie Stewart. Before Kovalainen goes back to racing, he has to get back in shape and do well at the FIA medical inspection. If he starts his shaping up now, he would definitely make it for the 2008 Turkish GP, which is take place at the Istanbul Park Circuit. The midseason of F1 is about to start, which means that real battle has for the world champion has just begun.
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