Jarez Mifkin

I love T8 at this track...I can't wait for Sunday!

smlporsche

^^^

I agree. In this day of homogenic tracks it is great to se a unique corner (or in this case a unique set of corners). I would love to be able to run that track someday even in a rental car.

A.Wayne

They tried this at the last race , Lewis told them to , welll , go Swevil

A.Wayne

Q. Are you excited about the weekend ahead?

Fernando Alonso: I am very excited. Always after a long break like we have just had for three weeks you really look forward to getting in the car again. This time it is Turkey after the break, which is a very exciting race, and it should be a positive weekend.

Q. Do you think you can win here this weekend?

FA: I hope so. I have never won here - I have two seconds places from the last two years so I really want to have a victory here. Hopefully this weekend will be my chance but it could be difficult. You never know what will happen in the race. There are four drivers that have a chance to win and hopefully I will be the winner.

Q. What are your thoughts on the Istanbul Park circuit?

FA: It is a very technical and difficult track. The circuit is very hilly so it is difficult to see the exit of some of the corners – so you have to guess. Turn Eight is a very special corner in the entire championship.

It is a very long left-hander, where you are pulling 4g for three to four seconds. This is something unique and makes the circuit really stand out.

Q. Is the Istanbul Park track suited to the McLaren?

FA: It is difficult to say what the performance of our car will be at this track. I guess the Ferrari will be strong, as the long tracks with long corners such as Magny-Cours and Silverstone have been better suited to them, so it could be very difficult.

But for sure we have made improvements to the car over this period and we will try very hard to beat them this weekend.

Q. How was your holiday?

FA: For me the break was a little too long, as you always want to be in the car and especially with the championship as it is you do not want too many breaks. I spent the two weeks at home with family and friends; it was a very relaxed holiday.

Q. It will be your 100th Grand Prix, is this an important number for you?

FA: If I win this weekend it will be an important number as I will always remember this race. If I do not then I will try to forget my 100th Grand Prix very quickly.

A.Wayne

I would have to agree with Coulthard, Massa has more pace than Kimi ....

http://planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3213_2681045,00.html


Thursday 23rd August 2007


David Coulthard and Felipe Massa exchanged verbal gibes in a press conference ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix.

The jousting was initiated by the Red Bull driver who questioned Ferrari's oversight in qualifying at the last race in Hungary.

Massa's car was not refuelled in the pit lane which wrecked his race as he was forced to start 14th on the grid.

And the veteran of over 200 grands prix intimated that the Italian team may have sacrificed Massa's race in favour of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

Coulthard suggested that the mistake, which saw Raikkonen overtake Massa in the Drivers' Championship, was planned.

The Scot said mischievously :"How do we know that Ferrari didn't deliberately not put fuel in Felipe's car?"

"Maybe that was a team decision to benefit Kimi. How do you forget to put fuel in a car?"

The Brazilian appeared uncomfortable by the suggestion and retorted: "Yes, but it was not on purpose. It was a misunderstanding."

"A pretty fundamental misunderstanding," replied Coulthard, who partnered Raikkonen at McLaren from 2002 to 2004.

He added: "I think it's a conspiracy to favour Kimi. Good luck."

Flying Finn

Coulthard: "...conspiracy ..." Wayne: "Massa has more pace..."
You girls been watching "Bold and Beautiful" again? I know how mcuh you like daytime soap operas but it's obviously not good for you!

BTW, here's Coulthard's old memo Hakkinen once gave me when we were having few beers and remembering the good ol' days. Poor David...

A.Wayne

Conspiracy, , Hmmm , you are right Finn, It is quite reasonable to forget to fuel Massa's car before Q3 , I mean , if the you can forget to put fuel in your car before a DE, i'm sure Ferrari F1 with 2500 employees, can be forgiven for such a mistake

Maybe KImi, might make a pass before year's end

A.Wayne

By Matt Beer Friday, August 24th 2007, 08:32 GMT

Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari dominated the first Friday practice session at Istanbul Park.

The Finn was the first major contender to emerge from the pits after a very quiet start to the session on the dusty track. He immediately went fastest and eventually improved to a 1:28.019 lap that put him eight tenths clear of the field.

Raikkonen then gained another tenth on his final run and achieved a 1:27.988.

While his teammate Felipe Massa steadily closed in before ending the session 0.403 seconds behind Raikkonen, the McLarens had no answer.

Fernando Alonso was as low as seventh for much of the morning, and although he ultimately took third, he was 1.2 seconds slower than Raikkonen.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton ended up in fourth place, but only completed 10 laps before his McLaren developed a slipping clutch and had to spend the rest of the session in the garage. The car will be repaired for the second session, however.

Heikki Kovalainen was the best of the rest for Renault, moving up to fifth in the closing minutes.

Williams' Nico Rosberg completed the top six with another late run.

Both Toyota drivers spun during the session - Jarno Trulli rotating in the final complex early on, and Ralf Schumacher going off at both Turn 1 and Turn 4 on different runs.

In between the incidents, he managed the seventh fastest time, with Trulli behind Giancarlo Fisichella and Nick Heidfeld in 10th.

David Coulthard spun at Turn 1 on his last lap, then had to stop his Red Bull after a dramatic flash fire developed under the car after he had rejoined. It was quickly attended to by the marshals.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:27.988 22
2. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:28.391 + 0.403 20
3. Alonso McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:29.222 + 1.234 20
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:29.261 + 1.273 10
5. Kovalainen Renault (B) 1:29.346 + 1.358 19
6. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:29.403 + 1.415 23
7. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) 1:29.414 + 1.426 24
8. Fisichella Renault (B) 1:29.541 + 1.553 19
9. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:29.641 + 1.653 20
10. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:29.685 + 1.697 26
11. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:29.710 + 1.722 23
12. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:30.384 + 2.396 17
13. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:30.398 + 2.410 23
14. Button Honda (B) 1:30.483 + 2.495 17
15. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:30.580 + 2.592 25
16. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:30.612 + 2.624 21
17. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:30.624 + 2.636 15
18. Wurz Williams-Toyota (B) 1:30.876 + 2.888 12
19. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:30.917 + 2.929 22
20. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:31.383 + 3.395 22
21. Sutil Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:31.445 + 3.457 31
22. Yamamoto Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:32.270 + 4.282 35

A.Wayne

By Alan Baldwin Friday, August 24th 2007, 12:31 GMT

McLaren boss Ron Dennis says there are no problems between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton after a meeting at the Turkish Grand Prix to clear the air.

McLaren said in a statement the two drivers, who had a public falling out at the previous race in Hungary, had met in Istanbul on Thursday and found a "constructive way forward".

Dennis told reporters at the Istanbul Park circuit he had spoken separately to each driver.

"We run our team in a certain way and we expect from every member of the team certain behaviour," Dennis told reporters in Turkey.

"They subsequently spoke, have an understanding between themselves, and they are completely communicating. Neither has a problem with the other."

Hamilton, the 22-year-old rookie sensation of the season, leads Spaniard Alonso by seven points in the Formula One championship with six races remaining.

The Briton won in Hungary after Alonso was stripped of pole position and demoted five places on the starting grid for impeding him in qualifying after Hamilton ignored team instructions.

Stewards also punished McLaren by barring them from scoring constructors' points, costing them 15 and allowing Ferrari to cut the gap at the top to 19. The Mercedes-powered team are appealing against the decision.

"The way we always start our discussions like this is to acknowledge our shortcomings as a team, to perhaps even demonstrate the fact we do make mistakes," said Dennis of Thursday's meeting.

"In such a complex sport with so many people it's inevitable you make mistakes but we think we recover well from those and they (the drivers) accept they are human too," he said.

"The important thing is everybody recognised what their contribution was to the difficult circumstances we had after Hungary and were committed not to allow those things to repeat themselves in the future races."

Alonso, winner of the last two titles with Renault, is competing in his 100th Grand Prix on Sunday while Hamilton is chasing his fourth win in 12 races.

"Clearly they are very competitive individuals and we believe that for the balance of the season that competitiveness will stay on the circuit. That's our objective," said Dennis.

"From the team perspective we will rigidly stick to equality. Sometimes it's difficult to achieve.

"We have a very focused effort on the remaining Grands Prix, and as and if, and we hope it's if, any situations develop then we will handle those as they develop," he added. "But at the moment we are focused and pointing in one direction."

A.Wayne

By Matt Beer Friday, August 24th 2007, 12:34 GMT

Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the disrupted second practice session for the Turkish Grand Prix.

A loose drain cover at Turn 10 caused a half hour long red flag period 20 minutes into practice, and when the session finally resumed, few managed to improve their times.

Championship leader Hamilton had set a 1:28.469 lap before the stoppage, putting him 0.293 seconds clear of morning pacesetter Kimi Raikkonen.

They were followed by the two Toyotas, as Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli intruded on the usual McLaren/Ferrari dominance of the first four positions to take third and fourth in the session.

Their presence meant that Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso ended up only fifth and sixth - although they were only four tenths of a second slower than Hamilton, as the top 12 cars all lapped within a second.

Williams got both cars into the top ten, as Nico Rosberg in seventh and Alex Wurz in ninth sandwiched Renault's Heikki Kovalainen.

The Finn's teammate Giancarlo Fisichella had inadvertently caused the red flag when the drain cover on the exit of Turn 10 became detached as he drove over it. The cover flew into the air and landed on the grass, but the session was allowed to resume after thorough checks by the officials.

Any hope that drivers might improve their times in the final minutes was then dashed when Anthony Davidson crashed at Turn 3 with three minutes remaining. The Super Aguri locked up and went straight into the barriers, meaning that yellow flags were on display throughout the final runs of the 90 minutes.

Davidson had earlier escaped an unnerving moment at Turn 8 when he came across Sebastian Vettel's slowing Toro Rosso as he committed to the corner. The Super Aguri went wide off the road and rejoined, while Vettel made it back to the pits so his mechanical problem could be rectified.

After his fuel leak, spin and fire this morning, David Coulthard missed the early part of afternoon practice while the Red Bull team changed the engine and carried out repairs. He eventually joined in time to take 11th place.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:28.469 28
2. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:28.762 + 0.293 21
3. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) 1:28.773 + 0.304 23
4. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:28.874 + 0.405 28
5. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:28.884 + 0.415 25
6. Alonso McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:28.947 + 0.478 24
7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:28.995 + 0.526 27
8. Kovalainen Renault (B) 1:29.025 + 0.556 28
9. Wurz Williams-Toyota (B) 1:29.093 + 0.624 27
10. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:29.368 + 0.899 31
11. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:29.435 + 0.966 12
12. Fisichella Renault (B) 1:29.456 + 0.987 28
13. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:29.792 + 1.323 30
14. Button Honda (B) 1:29.945 + 1.476 26
15. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:30.055 + 1.586 31
16. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:30.104 + 1.635 27
17. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:30.315 + 1.846 25
18. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:30.530 + 2.061 24
19. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:30.702 + 2.233 24
20. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:30.801 + 2.332 16
21. Sutil Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:31.153 + 2.684 32
22. Yamamoto Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:31.175 + 2.706 32

Flying Finn

Massa was behind the pace before that stop and had a flying lap after that stop when he again was behind the pace. It seems that you think he didn't get to drive a flying lap at all because Ferrari sabotaged him?
What part of Massa being slow you don't understand?

BTW, again, check up your stats, Kimi has made up much more spots during the races than Massa...
(I guess you get them from that "Wikipedia 2", Planet-F1)

A.Wayne

What does this have to do with forgetting to re-fuel the car ..

Nordschleife

Gotta love Italian race teams!

Normal service has been resumed.

Seriously though, at the America's Cup, we could always tell when the Italians were going to tack................they would throw their cigarettes overboard.

But we wouldn't want to be without them, they bring along their own restaurants, girls, cars....

But neither Piero nor Luigi wanted to refuel the car, the outfits aren't chic, the equipment makes the refueller look clumsy and their mothers wouldn't have liked it.

R+C

Flying Finn

I thought you were saying Massa's last race was screwed up (or that he was slow) because Ferrari's fuel mishap.

If not, then we are in agreement, Massa was just slow in Hungary and the fact that they had to push the car back and refuel had nothing to do with Massa's speed.

BTW, I'm doing "Kimis" and not gonna discuss about this anmore since there's nothing to discuss about. Search the Planet-F1 or ask your soap opera friend, Coulthard if you need more "info"...

A.Wayne

I'M more friends with Mika than David , so i will be more direct with my question for you Finn, DO YOU THINK THE FUEL MIS-HAP BY FERRARI IN REGARDS TO MASSA 'S CAR WAS A MIS-HAP OR DELIBERATE ?