[SPOILER] Turkish Grand Prix 2008

[Mattk]

Pole positions at Turkish Grands Prix have all led to victories, and yesterday was no exception. Felipe Massa had shown superior speed throughout the weekend and was pretty much untouched, powering his way to a third consecutive Turkish Grand Prix victory. Lewis Hamilton also showed pace, but tyre worries necessitated an extra stop, and Massa's victory never seemed in great doubt. Kimi Raikonnen overcame a bad start to finish a mere half a second behind Hamilton. The pair of BMW Saubers, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld, finished fourth and fifth respectively, marginally widening their second place in the constructors' championship to two points. The biggest loser in the race was Heikki Kovalainen. Having qualified second, a slowly deflating left rear tyre necessitated an unscheduled pit stop. He never recovered, and finished twelfth.

Massa has now surged to become equal-second in the championship, with Hamilton, on 28 points, but Raikonnen still maintains a healthy seven point advantage on 35 points. Kubica lies four behind Massa and Hamilton on 24. Massa's dominant performance makes him a firm contender for the championship, a far cry from his unsuccesful outings in the first two Grands Prix of the season.

BMW seems to have taken the fight to McLaren and Ferrari this year. Their race pace is not always on the level of Ferrari and McLaren, but they have remained competitive. Consistent performances have meant that both BMW drivers are well-placed in the driver's championship (4th and 5th), ahead of Kovalainen.

http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2008/791/6508/

[styla21]

You are constantly 30 seconds infront of me in posting Matt! *Shakes fist

I was posting that it was really quiet around MW these days in the F1 department - no-one had even mentioned the GP this weekend. ..Glad to see I was wrong.

The race was awesome - it's enjoyable to see the removal of traction control and the employment of vastly different tactics to create an enjoyable race - not just a parade as has been commented in the past. Bring on Monte Carlo.

[torrentjunkie]

i was praying for rain lol

[SHIZL]

tyres spoiled what race we could of seen, but still a fun race to watch

[styla21]

Originally Posted by SHIZL tyres spoiled what race we could of seen, but still a fun race to watch

Spoiled?.. Or added to?

They are down to one tyre manufacturer now - and the choice between tyres is limited to either soft or hard tyres. Smart strategy implementation doesn't spoil a race - if everyone is afforded the same opportunity does it?

[Mattk]

I agree. McLaren cars may have pace, but they can't seem to get tyre wear down to a minimum. They sacrifice their tyres more than others for pace.