07 Turkish GP , Review and Results ....
08-25-2007, 03:47 PM
#48
Formula One Spin Doctor
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Post-qualifying press conference - Turkey
Saturday, August 25th 2007, 16:17 GMT
TV Unilaterals
Q. Felipe, an intense, dramatic last few minutes in Q3, everybody out there right at the end, what a brilliant lap from you.
Felipe Massa: Yeah, it was tough. Qualifying was very tight. You could see that every single Q1, Q2, Q3 was always a big fight between all four drivers, and in the last one, I managed to put together a great lap and I'm very proud, especially after a very bad result in Hungary.
I think we deserve it. I'm very proud about the lap, about the team's job and it's very good to start on pole position here, especially as the race tomorrow will be very tough, so it's always a good start.
Q. Especially a year after your first pole, also here, in Turkey; a fantastic lap here, talk a little bit about turn eight and getting that lap perfect as you did.
FM: Well, turn eight is fantastic. I just managed to do it very well in qualifying. Actually, I love the corner. All weekend I've been doing very good speeds through turn eight with a good balance to the car as well so I really love the corner. I think the whole track is really nice, it's very technical to drive, difficult to find the right balance for every single part.
Q. Lewis, you were on pole again for a milli-second there but Felipe just got you at the end. Nice looking qualifying session for you; not a brilliant first run but very quick on that second run.
Lewis Hamilton: No, it was good for me. I was quite pleased with that. In testing we've been quick but then going into qualifying - Q1 and Q2 – I didn't really seem to have the pace and just wasn't able to put a good lap together. The first timed lap in Q3 was OK but again, I was fourth and just wasn't really sure if I was going to be able to do it but I just hung it out and kept on pushing.
I lost a little bit of time out of the last corner but me and Felipe were just saying, it's a very tricky corner and you know you're up on your time and you don't want to lose any and you don't want to try again too much, but still, it's been good for us, good for the team in the top four.
Q. When you say you've had a little bit of a difficult time, how does the car feel here relative to recent races, in terms of its competitiveness tomorrow?
LH: The car feels very good. I think, again, we've had two and a half weeks or three weeks to improve the car and the team has been working extremely hard. Not everyone's had holidays and I know that the team doesn't rest. They've been pushing quite a lot to come here again with another step. I think we have a very strong package. I think for tomorrow we stand in good stead for a competitive race with the Ferraris.
Q. No dramas in qualifying; it looked as if you reverted back to the McLaren practice of having independent pit crews there for this session.
LH: Yeah, that was a decision the team took before qualifying. Once again, we made sure that if we have any problems, the decision has to be made before qualifying, not during qualifying and they decided it was easier to have two pit crews and it worked out quite well.
Q. Kimi, you also looked like a pole man for quite a while there. What was qualifying like for you?
Kimi Raikkonen: I think the first qualifying (sessions) were good. I made a mistake in the second one in corner nine but the car felt good and just in the last qualifying, the last lap, I had a bit of oversteer in the last two corners, but nevertheless, I think third is OK. For sure, I would rather be in first place but I think we have a good race car here. It's going to be a long race so hopefully we can fight back.
Q. We talk a lot about the dramatic fast corners here particularly turn eight but then it's interesting to hear you and other drivers talking about the last few corners of the lap, which are relatively slow and appear to be quite easy corners.
KR: Yeah, they're slow but you lose much more time in slow corners than in fast corners. They're very important corners and it's very tricky to get them right. They seem to be very slippery. You can easily destroy the lap there so that's what happened, but I think we are still in a good position for tomorrow and we will see what we can do in the race.
Q. Felipe, your thoughts on the Ferrari - McLaren Mercedes battle tomorrow.
FM: Yeah, it will be very tough. I think we have a good race car tomorrow, as we also showed in practice, but they are going to be very competitive as well. I think it's going to be a difficult race for us, a nice race for the spectators.
Press Conference
Q. Felipe, you're becoming a little bit of a Turkish specialist, I think.
FM: I miss this place, to be in the middle of the people, you know. It was a great lap, I'm very happy about that. It was very tight during the whole qualifying with all four drivers but I knew I had a good car and I just knew that if I put everything together I can be very very quick.
I didn't have a very very good lap in Q1 and Q2, I just couldn't put the lap together but I was paying attention to where I was making mistakes to get it right when it counts. I was able to put everything together in the last run, both tries in Q3. It was a good lap, so I'm very happy to be here especially after a very bad result in Hungary.
Q. How important is it to know that you can win here, that you have won here?
FM: First of all, if you know you have a good car, if you know the balance is right, and if you know that if you're maybe having a problem in one corner but you were already able to do the corner right during the weekend, you know that you are competitive.
I was pretty competitive during the weekend, even if maybe I was not first but I was competitive, the balance was right and I just managed to put it together at the time that it counted. I think that's the most important thing. For sure, to be concentrated, to do everything perfect is very difficult but I managed to do that.
Q. And we've seen a lot of drivers making mistakes over the last couple of days, how do you feel about your own performance?
FM: I think it's pretty normal to make mistakes. I made some as well. When you need to try to find the limit, it's normal to make small mistakes and that's what happens with most people. Fortunately it didn't happen at the crucial time, so that's good.
Q. Lewis, happy with second on the grid?
LH: Yeah, absolutely, especially knowing that the gap was so close. Going into qualifying, I knew that we had the pace, obviously throughout testing we seemed to be perhaps either with Ferrari or slightly faster, so I was quite confident going into it. Q1 and Q2 were a bit of a surprise to me.
The car didn't feel great and I couldn't really get a clean, smooth lap, and I was fourth, I think, for both of them. Going into the two qualifying laps that I had in Q3, the first one was not too bad, I knew where I lost time and I knew that I could improve on it but I didn't think it would be half a second, six tenths.
But going into the last lap, I really put everything together and I knew it was a good lap. I lost a bit of time at the last corner, but I think it's the same for everyone. It's a very very tricky corner, but I'm very very happy: second, I can't complain.
FM: He hasn't been to the toilet today, that's why he's second.
LH: Yeah, but you have, so... If I did, maybe it would be a bit closer.
Q. Obviously last year you had a phenomenal GP2 race here; how does that affect you looking towards the race tomorrow?
LH: Well, obviously having the experience in GP2 and knowing that you can overtake here definitely eases your mind, just showing that there are opportunities. On some tracks you just can't get close enough but here, it's still tricky, I think, but it's definitely possible so… we just have to see. I think it's going to be a good race, we've got a good car, good strategy and I'm looking forward to having a race with these guys.
Q. Are you surprised to see Ferrari as competitive again as they were on these sort of circuits rather than the tighter ones like Hungary?
LH: No, not really. I think I would have thought it would be the other way round. I actually thought that through the slower, tighter sort of circuits, we thought that they were perhaps slower than us and in the longer circuits, with longer straights, they seemed to be a little bit quicker. So we sort of anticipated that they would be quick here this weekend, but it doesn't mean they have a better car, it just means they are with us!
Q. Kimi, a bit disappointed to be third after yesterday for instance?
KR: Yeah, for sure we want to be in first place but the first two qualifying runs were OK, the car was good. I made small mistakes in the second qualifying but I just had maybe not as a good car as I was expecting in the last run, but a small mistake in the last two corners was enough to put me third. But I think we have a very good car in the race, so we should be able to fight and it's a long race. We will see what we can do.
Q. You seem to be talking a lot about the third sector. Is it a case of you can lose a lot of time there but you can't gain a lot?
KR: I think you can win as much as you can lose if you get it right but the fact is that you can lose more time in the slow corners because you spend more time in them. It's just a tricky place with very tight corners and you try to be quick in a straight line, so you don't want too much downforce but it is also slippery.
Questions From The Floor
Q. (Spyros Pettas - Auto Motor und Sport Greece) The World Motor Sport Council decided that McLaren had Ferrari technical information and broke Article 151c, but were not penalized. Then came Hungary where McLaren and Fernando Alonso were severely penalized because he just stood in the pits for 30 seconds for whatever reason. Is this type of justice flattering to the sport and the F1 fans?
FM: I am not going to comment on that.
LH: And neither am I.
KR: The same.
Q. (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, yesterday you said you would prefer P3 to P2 if you were not on pole. Do you still agree?
KR: I think so, if you look at past years the clean side of the circuit seems to be the better place to start. I think it might make a difference here but we will see what happens tomorrow.
Q. (Ian Stafford - The Mail on Sunday) A question for both Kimi and Felipe: There are 50 points still to play for, so both of you could still be world champion, but realistically what have you got to do now to stop Lewis and Fernando? I think that you need to be beating Lewis by three and a half points per race between now and the end of the season, so what do you have to do?
FM: We will try to do exactly that! Q. Can you elaborate on that?
FM: We will try to put both Ferraris ahead of both McLarens in every race. The championship is not easy, 21 points is not comfortable but is it possible? We are going to try.
KR: We will do our best and hopefully win races and you never know what is going to happen in the last six races. We will keep pushing for as long as we still think we have a chance. The next three races are important but we need to wait and see.
Q. (Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) For Lewis, how disturbing was it to not be at the circuit on Thursday to prepare for the weekend?
LH: As you can see we are still second in the qualifying session, so it has not really had any effect on our preparation. We were still able to prepare and I met up with my engineers earlier in the week, so it made no difference to me.
Q. (Steve Cooper - Autosport) Felipe, there was a report in the German media earlier this week that you had received information about the McLaren Hungary penalty before it had been officially released. Is that true?
FM: That is crazy.
Q. (Ian Stafford - The Mail on Sunday) Lewis, obviously you have to keep an eye on the Ferrari boys but Fernando is your nearest challenger in the world championship so, with that in mind, how happy are you about qualifying second when Fernando is fourth?
LH: It is obviously a positive. Going into qualifying I knew that Fernando had been improving all the way through to qualifying and I seemed to lack the pace initially, but I am very relieved that I was able to pull out the time on my last lap and qualify ahead of him. Obviously tomorrow is another day and I will just have to try to get as many points as possible and finish ahead of him. But it will be good for both of us to finish ahead of the Ferraris.
Q. (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) For Massa, you did a fantastic T3 and Kimi said it is easy to make a mistake there, so can you explain how that was so good?
FM: It was very difficult especially since from the morning practice to qualifying the wind direction changed a little bit and affected these corners. I didn't have the same grip again in the last corner compared to before but I was able to do a good T3, not pushing as hard in the corner as before. I just tried not to be too aggressive and managed to do a good T3.
Q. (Juha Paatalo – Financial Times Germany) You said you didn't have as good a car in Q3 as in Q1 and Q2, so can you just describe what happened with the balance of the car?
KR: It was nothing specific, I just think that when you put more fuel in the car it is always going to be different. You are always guessing a bit how it is going to be and although it was still good I could not quite put a lap together as well as I was hoping. But I think for long runs in the race the car should be good. I am not too disappointed although for sure it makes it easier if you start in first place, so we will just have to see what happens.
Q. (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Felipe, which one was more difficult to get, pole this year or last year?
FM: I think both. Pole position is always difficult. Last year was tight and this year we have also had many tight qualifying sessions. I was able to do a good lap here and in Malaysia as well it was very good. Even Bahrain was tight. It is always difficult.
Q. (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Kimi, can you describe how it felt when you made a mistake, I think between T12 and T13? Did you analyse in that moment that you had lost pole position?
KR: I didn't know. I knew that I lost time because I was a bit off the line. I don't know how much I lost but for sure it would have been a lot closer. It just sometimes happens when you push to gain time and you overdo it. It is part of the game.
TV Unilaterals
Q. Felipe, an intense, dramatic last few minutes in Q3, everybody out there right at the end, what a brilliant lap from you.
Felipe Massa: Yeah, it was tough. Qualifying was very tight. You could see that every single Q1, Q2, Q3 was always a big fight between all four drivers, and in the last one, I managed to put together a great lap and I'm very proud, especially after a very bad result in Hungary.
I think we deserve it. I'm very proud about the lap, about the team's job and it's very good to start on pole position here, especially as the race tomorrow will be very tough, so it's always a good start.
Q. Especially a year after your first pole, also here, in Turkey; a fantastic lap here, talk a little bit about turn eight and getting that lap perfect as you did.
FM: Well, turn eight is fantastic. I just managed to do it very well in qualifying. Actually, I love the corner. All weekend I've been doing very good speeds through turn eight with a good balance to the car as well so I really love the corner. I think the whole track is really nice, it's very technical to drive, difficult to find the right balance for every single part.
Q. Lewis, you were on pole again for a milli-second there but Felipe just got you at the end. Nice looking qualifying session for you; not a brilliant first run but very quick on that second run.
Lewis Hamilton: No, it was good for me. I was quite pleased with that. In testing we've been quick but then going into qualifying - Q1 and Q2 – I didn't really seem to have the pace and just wasn't able to put a good lap together. The first timed lap in Q3 was OK but again, I was fourth and just wasn't really sure if I was going to be able to do it but I just hung it out and kept on pushing.
I lost a little bit of time out of the last corner but me and Felipe were just saying, it's a very tricky corner and you know you're up on your time and you don't want to lose any and you don't want to try again too much, but still, it's been good for us, good for the team in the top four.
Q. When you say you've had a little bit of a difficult time, how does the car feel here relative to recent races, in terms of its competitiveness tomorrow?
LH: The car feels very good. I think, again, we've had two and a half weeks or three weeks to improve the car and the team has been working extremely hard. Not everyone's had holidays and I know that the team doesn't rest. They've been pushing quite a lot to come here again with another step. I think we have a very strong package. I think for tomorrow we stand in good stead for a competitive race with the Ferraris.
Q. No dramas in qualifying; it looked as if you reverted back to the McLaren practice of having independent pit crews there for this session.
LH: Yeah, that was a decision the team took before qualifying. Once again, we made sure that if we have any problems, the decision has to be made before qualifying, not during qualifying and they decided it was easier to have two pit crews and it worked out quite well.
Q. Kimi, you also looked like a pole man for quite a while there. What was qualifying like for you?
Kimi Raikkonen: I think the first qualifying (sessions) were good. I made a mistake in the second one in corner nine but the car felt good and just in the last qualifying, the last lap, I had a bit of oversteer in the last two corners, but nevertheless, I think third is OK. For sure, I would rather be in first place but I think we have a good race car here. It's going to be a long race so hopefully we can fight back.
Q. We talk a lot about the dramatic fast corners here particularly turn eight but then it's interesting to hear you and other drivers talking about the last few corners of the lap, which are relatively slow and appear to be quite easy corners.
KR: Yeah, they're slow but you lose much more time in slow corners than in fast corners. They're very important corners and it's very tricky to get them right. They seem to be very slippery. You can easily destroy the lap there so that's what happened, but I think we are still in a good position for tomorrow and we will see what we can do in the race.
Q. Felipe, your thoughts on the Ferrari - McLaren Mercedes battle tomorrow.
FM: Yeah, it will be very tough. I think we have a good race car tomorrow, as we also showed in practice, but they are going to be very competitive as well. I think it's going to be a difficult race for us, a nice race for the spectators.
Press Conference
Q. Felipe, you're becoming a little bit of a Turkish specialist, I think.
FM: I miss this place, to be in the middle of the people, you know. It was a great lap, I'm very happy about that. It was very tight during the whole qualifying with all four drivers but I knew I had a good car and I just knew that if I put everything together I can be very very quick.
I didn't have a very very good lap in Q1 and Q2, I just couldn't put the lap together but I was paying attention to where I was making mistakes to get it right when it counts. I was able to put everything together in the last run, both tries in Q3. It was a good lap, so I'm very happy to be here especially after a very bad result in Hungary.
Q. How important is it to know that you can win here, that you have won here?
FM: First of all, if you know you have a good car, if you know the balance is right, and if you know that if you're maybe having a problem in one corner but you were already able to do the corner right during the weekend, you know that you are competitive.
I was pretty competitive during the weekend, even if maybe I was not first but I was competitive, the balance was right and I just managed to put it together at the time that it counted. I think that's the most important thing. For sure, to be concentrated, to do everything perfect is very difficult but I managed to do that.
Q. And we've seen a lot of drivers making mistakes over the last couple of days, how do you feel about your own performance?
FM: I think it's pretty normal to make mistakes. I made some as well. When you need to try to find the limit, it's normal to make small mistakes and that's what happens with most people. Fortunately it didn't happen at the crucial time, so that's good.
Q. Lewis, happy with second on the grid?
LH: Yeah, absolutely, especially knowing that the gap was so close. Going into qualifying, I knew that we had the pace, obviously throughout testing we seemed to be perhaps either with Ferrari or slightly faster, so I was quite confident going into it. Q1 and Q2 were a bit of a surprise to me.
The car didn't feel great and I couldn't really get a clean, smooth lap, and I was fourth, I think, for both of them. Going into the two qualifying laps that I had in Q3, the first one was not too bad, I knew where I lost time and I knew that I could improve on it but I didn't think it would be half a second, six tenths.
But going into the last lap, I really put everything together and I knew it was a good lap. I lost a bit of time at the last corner, but I think it's the same for everyone. It's a very very tricky corner, but I'm very very happy: second, I can't complain.
FM: He hasn't been to the toilet today, that's why he's second.
LH: Yeah, but you have, so... If I did, maybe it would be a bit closer.
Q. Obviously last year you had a phenomenal GP2 race here; how does that affect you looking towards the race tomorrow?
LH: Well, obviously having the experience in GP2 and knowing that you can overtake here definitely eases your mind, just showing that there are opportunities. On some tracks you just can't get close enough but here, it's still tricky, I think, but it's definitely possible so… we just have to see. I think it's going to be a good race, we've got a good car, good strategy and I'm looking forward to having a race with these guys.
Q. Are you surprised to see Ferrari as competitive again as they were on these sort of circuits rather than the tighter ones like Hungary?
LH: No, not really. I think I would have thought it would be the other way round. I actually thought that through the slower, tighter sort of circuits, we thought that they were perhaps slower than us and in the longer circuits, with longer straights, they seemed to be a little bit quicker. So we sort of anticipated that they would be quick here this weekend, but it doesn't mean they have a better car, it just means they are with us!
Q. Kimi, a bit disappointed to be third after yesterday for instance?
KR: Yeah, for sure we want to be in first place but the first two qualifying runs were OK, the car was good. I made small mistakes in the second qualifying but I just had maybe not as a good car as I was expecting in the last run, but a small mistake in the last two corners was enough to put me third. But I think we have a very good car in the race, so we should be able to fight and it's a long race. We will see what we can do.
Q. You seem to be talking a lot about the third sector. Is it a case of you can lose a lot of time there but you can't gain a lot?
KR: I think you can win as much as you can lose if you get it right but the fact is that you can lose more time in the slow corners because you spend more time in them. It's just a tricky place with very tight corners and you try to be quick in a straight line, so you don't want too much downforce but it is also slippery.
Questions From The Floor
Q. (Spyros Pettas - Auto Motor und Sport Greece) The World Motor Sport Council decided that McLaren had Ferrari technical information and broke Article 151c, but were not penalized. Then came Hungary where McLaren and Fernando Alonso were severely penalized because he just stood in the pits for 30 seconds for whatever reason. Is this type of justice flattering to the sport and the F1 fans?
FM: I am not going to comment on that.
LH: And neither am I.
KR: The same.
Q. (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, yesterday you said you would prefer P3 to P2 if you were not on pole. Do you still agree?
KR: I think so, if you look at past years the clean side of the circuit seems to be the better place to start. I think it might make a difference here but we will see what happens tomorrow.
Q. (Ian Stafford - The Mail on Sunday) A question for both Kimi and Felipe: There are 50 points still to play for, so both of you could still be world champion, but realistically what have you got to do now to stop Lewis and Fernando? I think that you need to be beating Lewis by three and a half points per race between now and the end of the season, so what do you have to do?
FM: We will try to do exactly that! Q. Can you elaborate on that?
FM: We will try to put both Ferraris ahead of both McLarens in every race. The championship is not easy, 21 points is not comfortable but is it possible? We are going to try.
KR: We will do our best and hopefully win races and you never know what is going to happen in the last six races. We will keep pushing for as long as we still think we have a chance. The next three races are important but we need to wait and see.
Q. (Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) For Lewis, how disturbing was it to not be at the circuit on Thursday to prepare for the weekend?
LH: As you can see we are still second in the qualifying session, so it has not really had any effect on our preparation. We were still able to prepare and I met up with my engineers earlier in the week, so it made no difference to me.
Q. (Steve Cooper - Autosport) Felipe, there was a report in the German media earlier this week that you had received information about the McLaren Hungary penalty before it had been officially released. Is that true?
FM: That is crazy.
Q. (Ian Stafford - The Mail on Sunday) Lewis, obviously you have to keep an eye on the Ferrari boys but Fernando is your nearest challenger in the world championship so, with that in mind, how happy are you about qualifying second when Fernando is fourth?
LH: It is obviously a positive. Going into qualifying I knew that Fernando had been improving all the way through to qualifying and I seemed to lack the pace initially, but I am very relieved that I was able to pull out the time on my last lap and qualify ahead of him. Obviously tomorrow is another day and I will just have to try to get as many points as possible and finish ahead of him. But it will be good for both of us to finish ahead of the Ferraris.
Q. (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) For Massa, you did a fantastic T3 and Kimi said it is easy to make a mistake there, so can you explain how that was so good?
FM: It was very difficult especially since from the morning practice to qualifying the wind direction changed a little bit and affected these corners. I didn't have the same grip again in the last corner compared to before but I was able to do a good T3, not pushing as hard in the corner as before. I just tried not to be too aggressive and managed to do a good T3.
Q. (Juha Paatalo – Financial Times Germany) You said you didn't have as good a car in Q3 as in Q1 and Q2, so can you just describe what happened with the balance of the car?
KR: It was nothing specific, I just think that when you put more fuel in the car it is always going to be different. You are always guessing a bit how it is going to be and although it was still good I could not quite put a lap together as well as I was hoping. But I think for long runs in the race the car should be good. I am not too disappointed although for sure it makes it easier if you start in first place, so we will just have to see what happens.
Q. (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Felipe, which one was more difficult to get, pole this year or last year?
FM: I think both. Pole position is always difficult. Last year was tight and this year we have also had many tight qualifying sessions. I was able to do a good lap here and in Malaysia as well it was very good. Even Bahrain was tight. It is always difficult.
Q. (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Kimi, can you describe how it felt when you made a mistake, I think between T12 and T13? Did you analyse in that moment that you had lost pole position?
KR: I didn't know. I knew that I lost time because I was a bit off the line. I don't know how much I lost but for sure it would have been a lot closer. It just sometimes happens when you push to gain time and you overdo it. It is part of the game.
08-26-2007, 11:03 AM
#50
Formula One Spin Doctor
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Thread Starter
Massa leads Ferrari 1-2 in Turkey
By Matt Beer Sunday, August 26th 2007, 13:33 GMT
Felipe Massa resisted race-long pressure from Kimi Raikkonen to lead a Ferrari one-two in the Turkish Grand Prix, on a day when championship leader Lewis Hamilton could only finish fifth after suffering a puncture.
Hamilton had been on course for third, close behind the Ferraris, until his right-front tyre failed shortly before his second pitstop.
The consequent delay dropped him behind his McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso - who had lost ground with a poor start - and BMW's Nick Heidfeld.
Neither McLaren got away well at the start of the race, with Hamilton immediately losing second to Raikkonen and Alonso dropping to sixth behind the two BMWs.
Although the world champion managed to re-pass both Robert Kubica and Heidfeld during the first pit sequence, Alonso had already fallen 14 seconds adrift of the leaders by this time.
He proceeded to match Hamilton's pace, but could not gain any ground and would not have bettered fourth place if his teammate's race had run trouble-free.
The Ferraris ran in very close company throughout the race, with Raikkonen often appearing to have more pace than Massa. But the Finn stopped one lap earlier at each pit top, and the additional lap on low fuel made all the difference, as Massa managed to stay ahead of Raikkonen at both stops.
The closest they came to a change of position was when Massa locked up and ran wide into the final complex as Raikkonen put him under heavy pressure just before the final stops, but the Brazilian was able to regain his momentum before Raikkonen could pounce.
Having emerged behind Massa again after his last stop, Raikkonen then backed off in the closing stages, before proving a point by setting the fastest lap with two laps to go. It was to no avail, as Massa repeated his 2006 Istanbul victory with a 2.2 second winning margin.
Hamilton closed in on the Ferraris by running longer in his first stint, and was set to do likewise at the second stops. But the puncture cost him two places, and with the flailing rubber having damaged the McLaren's front wing, all Hamilton could do was nurse the car home in fifth behind Alonso and Heidfeld.
The result brings Alonso to within five points of Hamilton in the standings, with Massa still 17 points behind.
Renault's Heikki Kovalainen drove a strong race to sixth place, and even led briefly thanks to a late first pitstop. He closed in on Hamilton in the final laps, but could not get near enough to try a pass.
Kubica's strategy of making early pitstops cost the BMW driver dear, as he fell behind Alonso, Heidfeld and Kovalainen in the first sequence, and then lost out to Williams' Nico Rosberg at the final stops. He chased the Williams to the flag, but Rosberg managed to fend him off and secure seventh.
Giancarlo Fisichella tapped Jarno Trulli into a spin at the first corner of the race and then lost time avoiding the rotating Toyota. He recovered to ninth, ahead of David Coulthard. Mark Webber was running in company with his Red Bull teammate early on, before suffering another hydraulic failure.
The delayed Trulli could only make it back up to 16th, while his teammate Ralf Schumacher came through from 17th on the grid to 12th, behind Alex Wurz.
Jenson Button made better progress than his Honda teammate and back row partner Rubens Barrichello, as they finished 13th and 16th respectively, split by Vitantonio Liuzzi and Anthony Davidson.
Liuzzi had run as high as ninth after a fine start and by avoiding the first corner incident but later fell back, while Davidson lost ground off the line and could not turn his superb qualifying result into a top ten finish.
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS
The Turkish Grand Prix
Istanbul, Turkey;
58 laps; 309.396km;
Weather: Sunny.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Massa Ferrari (B) 1h26:42.161
2. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 2.275
3. Alonso McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 26.181
4. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 39.674
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 45.085
6. Kovalainen Renault (B) + 46.169
7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 55.778
8. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 56.707
9. Fisichella Renault (B) + 59.491
10. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1:11.009
11. Wurz Williams-Toyota (B) + 1:19.628
12. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) + 1 lap
13. Button Honda (B) + 1 lap
14. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) + 1 lap
15. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
16. Trulli Toyota (B) + 1 lap
17. Barrichello Honda (B) + 1 lap
18. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) + 1 lap
19. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
20. Yamamoto Spyker-Ferrari (B) + 2 laps
21. Sutil Spyker-Ferrari (B) + 4 laps
Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:27.295
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 10
World Championship standings, round 12:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. Hamilton 84 1. McLaren-Mercedes 148
2. Alonso 79 2. Ferrari 137
3. Massa 69 3. BMW Sauber 77
4. Raikkonen 68 4. Renault 36
5. Heidfeld 47 5. Williams-Toyota 22
6. Kubica 29 6. Red Bull-Renault 16
7. Kovalainen 19 7. Toyota 12
8. Fisichella 17 8. Super Aguri-Honda 4
9. Wurz 13 9. Honda 1
10. Rosberg 9
11. Coulthard 8
12. Webber 8
13. Trulli 7
14. R.Schumacher 5
15. Sato 4
16. Vettel 1
17. Button 1
All timing unofficial
Felipe Massa resisted race-long pressure from Kimi Raikkonen to lead a Ferrari one-two in the Turkish Grand Prix, on a day when championship leader Lewis Hamilton could only finish fifth after suffering a puncture.
Hamilton had been on course for third, close behind the Ferraris, until his right-front tyre failed shortly before his second pitstop.
The consequent delay dropped him behind his McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso - who had lost ground with a poor start - and BMW's Nick Heidfeld.
Neither McLaren got away well at the start of the race, with Hamilton immediately losing second to Raikkonen and Alonso dropping to sixth behind the two BMWs.
Although the world champion managed to re-pass both Robert Kubica and Heidfeld during the first pit sequence, Alonso had already fallen 14 seconds adrift of the leaders by this time.
He proceeded to match Hamilton's pace, but could not gain any ground and would not have bettered fourth place if his teammate's race had run trouble-free.
The Ferraris ran in very close company throughout the race, with Raikkonen often appearing to have more pace than Massa. But the Finn stopped one lap earlier at each pit top, and the additional lap on low fuel made all the difference, as Massa managed to stay ahead of Raikkonen at both stops.
The closest they came to a change of position was when Massa locked up and ran wide into the final complex as Raikkonen put him under heavy pressure just before the final stops, but the Brazilian was able to regain his momentum before Raikkonen could pounce.
Having emerged behind Massa again after his last stop, Raikkonen then backed off in the closing stages, before proving a point by setting the fastest lap with two laps to go. It was to no avail, as Massa repeated his 2006 Istanbul victory with a 2.2 second winning margin.
Hamilton closed in on the Ferraris by running longer in his first stint, and was set to do likewise at the second stops. But the puncture cost him two places, and with the flailing rubber having damaged the McLaren's front wing, all Hamilton could do was nurse the car home in fifth behind Alonso and Heidfeld.
The result brings Alonso to within five points of Hamilton in the standings, with Massa still 17 points behind.
Renault's Heikki Kovalainen drove a strong race to sixth place, and even led briefly thanks to a late first pitstop. He closed in on Hamilton in the final laps, but could not get near enough to try a pass.
Kubica's strategy of making early pitstops cost the BMW driver dear, as he fell behind Alonso, Heidfeld and Kovalainen in the first sequence, and then lost out to Williams' Nico Rosberg at the final stops. He chased the Williams to the flag, but Rosberg managed to fend him off and secure seventh.
Giancarlo Fisichella tapped Jarno Trulli into a spin at the first corner of the race and then lost time avoiding the rotating Toyota. He recovered to ninth, ahead of David Coulthard. Mark Webber was running in company with his Red Bull teammate early on, before suffering another hydraulic failure.
The delayed Trulli could only make it back up to 16th, while his teammate Ralf Schumacher came through from 17th on the grid to 12th, behind Alex Wurz.
Jenson Button made better progress than his Honda teammate and back row partner Rubens Barrichello, as they finished 13th and 16th respectively, split by Vitantonio Liuzzi and Anthony Davidson.
Liuzzi had run as high as ninth after a fine start and by avoiding the first corner incident but later fell back, while Davidson lost ground off the line and could not turn his superb qualifying result into a top ten finish.
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS
The Turkish Grand Prix
Istanbul, Turkey;
58 laps; 309.396km;
Weather: Sunny.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Massa Ferrari (B) 1h26:42.161
2. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 2.275
3. Alonso McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 26.181
4. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 39.674
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 45.085
6. Kovalainen Renault (B) + 46.169
7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 55.778
8. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 56.707
9. Fisichella Renault (B) + 59.491
10. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1:11.009
11. Wurz Williams-Toyota (B) + 1:19.628
12. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) + 1 lap
13. Button Honda (B) + 1 lap
14. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) + 1 lap
15. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
16. Trulli Toyota (B) + 1 lap
17. Barrichello Honda (B) + 1 lap
18. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) + 1 lap
19. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
20. Yamamoto Spyker-Ferrari (B) + 2 laps
21. Sutil Spyker-Ferrari (B) + 4 laps
Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:27.295
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 10
World Championship standings, round 12:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. Hamilton 84 1. McLaren-Mercedes 148
2. Alonso 79 2. Ferrari 137
3. Massa 69 3. BMW Sauber 77
4. Raikkonen 68 4. Renault 36
5. Heidfeld 47 5. Williams-Toyota 22
6. Kubica 29 6. Red Bull-Renault 16
7. Kovalainen 19 7. Toyota 12
8. Fisichella 17 8. Super Aguri-Honda 4
9. Wurz 13 9. Honda 1
10. Rosberg 9
11. Coulthard 8
12. Webber 8
13. Trulli 7
14. R.Schumacher 5
15. Sato 4
16. Vettel 1
17. Button 1
All timing unofficial
Last edited by A.Wayne; 08-26-2007 at 11:34 AM.
08-26-2007, 11:04 AM
#51
Formula One Spin Doctor
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08-26-2007, 11:14 AM
#52
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Raikkonen: qualifying decided race result
......It would Appear , all F1 babies cry , now we are 4 for 4 with the top 4 ... crying
By Pablo Elizalde Sunday, August 26th 2007, 14:03 GMT
Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa in TurkeyKimi Raikkonen said the Turkish Grand Prix result had been decided on Saturday's qualifying after having to settle for second place in the race.
The Ferrari driver finished behind teammate Felipe Massa, who led from pole position, despite putting the Brazilian under pressure for several laps.
Raikkonen had started from third position but made a good start to move ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
"I had a very good car but at this stage in F1 is difficult to get past," said Raikkonen, now in fourth place in the standings behind Massa.
"The race was really decided yesterday. I tried to do something at the pitstops but when two teammates are fighting usually whoever is first is going to stay there.
"The car was good but there was nothing I could do."
Raikkonen, 16 points behind McLaren's Hamilton with five races remaining, set the fastest lap of the race with two laps to go.
The Finn admitted he had done it out of boredom.
"It is boring driving behind other cars," he said. "In F1 these days the races are pretty much decided after qualifying, but I just wanted to push like the other cars. It gives you something to do."
By Pablo Elizalde Sunday, August 26th 2007, 14:03 GMT
Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa in TurkeyKimi Raikkonen said the Turkish Grand Prix result had been decided on Saturday's qualifying after having to settle for second place in the race.
The Ferrari driver finished behind teammate Felipe Massa, who led from pole position, despite putting the Brazilian under pressure for several laps.
Raikkonen had started from third position but made a good start to move ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
"I had a very good car but at this stage in F1 is difficult to get past," said Raikkonen, now in fourth place in the standings behind Massa.
"The race was really decided yesterday. I tried to do something at the pitstops but when two teammates are fighting usually whoever is first is going to stay there.
"The car was good but there was nothing I could do."
Raikkonen, 16 points behind McLaren's Hamilton with five races remaining, set the fastest lap of the race with two laps to go.
The Finn admitted he had done it out of boredom.
"It is boring driving behind other cars," he said. "In F1 these days the races are pretty much decided after qualifying, but I just wanted to push like the other cars. It gives you something to do."
Last edited by A.Wayne; 08-26-2007 at 11:32 AM.
08-26-2007, 11:19 AM
#53
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Q & A with Ron Dennis
By Jonathan Noble Sunday, August 26th 2007, 10:06 GMT
Ron Dennis at Istanbul, after his summer holidayDespite the three-week break since the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Formula One paddock was still buzzing with talk about the impact of the internal McLaren spat when the season resumed in Turkey this weekend.
And the frenzy seemed heightened on Thursday when Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton skipped heading to the Istanbul Park track so they could take part in clear-the-air talks with the team.
But, however difficult the last few weeks have been for the individuals involved, team boss Ron Dennis was good humoured, upbeat and reflective when he met the press for his regular media gathering on Saturday afternoon at Istanbul. This is what he had to say.
Q: You had two different pit boxes in qualifying here to avoid the shenanigans we saw in Hungary. Obviously the long pitlane allows that here, but is that something you are hoping to achieve everywhere else that is similarly well endowed? And what will you do when we go somewhere that doesn't have a big pitlane?
Ron Dennis: "We will do it where we can. We have done it before and we will do it again. It is a bit more of a logistical challenge, but when we can't do it, then we will adapt and run as a disciplined team."
Q: Fernando has talked about improving the car immensely, six or seven tenths of a second over the winter as he brought his experience as a double world champion to the fore. He says he does not feel he has been rewarded enough for that input that has made such a difference to the car's performance. What is your reaction?
Dennis: "It is a good question, but inaccurate. I think what Fernando said was that he laid everything out in a long meeting. It started at 2:00 pm and finished at 8:30 pm in the evening. It wasn't with both drivers all the time; it was different elements of the meeting, some with management and some with them.
"It was a complete run through of the relationship from beginning to end. [Alonso's assessment] was absolutely true had it been possible - whether it is six, four or eight tenths is not material - to identify who had contributed what to how fast our racing car goes.
"The simple fact is that our racing car is something like two seconds a lap faster now than it was at the beginning of the season, and probably a significant greater step now than it was at the end of the last season. That has to take into account the different tyres from last year to this year.
"So you are focusing on one particular piece of data that was presented by Fernando, which was a piece of information that he was using to demonstrate his value to the team. And it is taken as a single piece of data and out of context of all the other bits of information and data that was discussed.
"There is clearly a fiercely competitive environment in this organisation, and it is not just the domain of the two drivers. It is between everybody in the team. We act as a unified team against the outside world, but then in a positive way there is a left and a right hand side of the garage.
Part of the requirements of any team principal and those people who sit between the cars and me is to orchestrate that in such a way that it is a productive competitiveness and not a counter-productive competitiveness. Clearly when it becomes counter-productive, it becomes destructive.
But that isn't what took place in Hungary. It hasn't occurred in the team to date and won't occur in the team in the future if we continue to run with discipline. But don't hang on so much on one piece of information presented accurately by Fernando but out of context of the bigger picture."
Q: Has this been the worst August for you from the last years? How do you feel now compared to the Saturday of Hungary? And the third question, are there still things you can improve in the management of the team?
Dennis: "My vacation? I just had a more expensive office! Instead of being sat in my office in Woking, I was sat in a sailing boat in Italy. It was pretty much the same after that, other than it was sea and sunshine and I was with my family. So it was quite a bit of communication but that is by choice.
"If we have an issue, I want to be involved in it. There are lots of things that we are working on at the moment, most of which are positive, which require contact between the office and me. So it wasn't the level of relaxation that I would like, but it was certainly a tonic, let's put it that way.
"As regards, can I improve as a manager? I would hope there is no one at the team that you could ask that question of that would not say 'yes, we can be better', because that is our ambition. We all want to be better.
"And while I have been doing it a long time, you still constantly live the emotion where, with the benefit of hindsight, you say if we had done this then this would not have happened.
"But hindsight is a commodity that is only relevant when reflecting on the past. Hindsight doesn't give you any vision of the future. That is the nature of the beast.
"Yes, we could have done it differently and yes, we could have created a situation that would have avoided last weekend (Hungary).
"But we all make mistakes. The important thing is identify them, accept them for what they are, and take the responsibility in those areas where responsibility needs to be taken. Then draw a line on it and point forward and come to Turkey and do a good job. And I think we have done a really good job so far."
Q: Today, are you feeling better than on the Saturday of Hungary?
Dennis: "Very much so, unless someone comes through the door and calls me to the stewards! But I don't think they will."
Q: We know you had a meeting on Thursday with the management and the drivers. Can you give us some clarity of what you did? Is it greater transparency, new procedures, or quelling grievances? What have you put in place to move forward?
Dennis: "I could, but it would be inappropriate. I am sure you have salary reviews but you are discussing your weaknesses. You are discussing elements within the organisation that you are not particularly proud of. I don't think we will be laying those in front of you and saying this is what we discussed.
"We went in with the clear intention of coming out of that meeting with everyone pointing in the right direction, and brought into that process.
"Inevitably with competitive strong characters and focused individuals pointing in the right direction it does not necessarily mean totally aligned, because we have all got objectives.
"But we are all pointing in the same direction and we really want the same thing, which is to win. We exist to win. That was the satisfying result of that meeting.
"Having said that, the people who have clearly demonstrated to us beyond any shadow of a doubt their professionalism are the two drivers.
"You cannot puppet people with such levels of competitiveness and such strong characters. So you can see that they are committed as professionals to beating each other and beating the rest of the field.
"That is the best we can hope for coming out of a very difficult situation. But it is behind us and let's keep it there."
Q: Clearly all the attention that is new to Lewis, he is realising now the bear pit he is in. From your point of view, you want him to produce the results for your team. Does it concern you at all now the attention he is getting?
Dennis: "I had to laugh over so many things that I was reading. The best one was seeing Mansour (Ojjeh) being referred to as an executive of Tag Heuer. It was a really amusing thing considering he is a principal shareholder and we sold it a few years ago! There are so many things that were just ridiculous.
"One of the great things coming out of my partnership with Mansour is the fact that we grew up together. When we first met neither of us were married, neither of us had kids. We have seen our children grow up and seen kids play together, and I know for a fact that all of the activities Lewis was involved in were just having fun with Mansour's family.
"That invitation was extended in Monte Carlo and it was because of Lewis's friendship with the kids, friendship with his kids, as my daughter is a friend of Lewis' - they text each other, they are in the same age group, they are of the same era.
"I never intended to go on Mansour's boat, I was on my chartered boat in Italy, which was interesting, positively interesting.
"He spent some of his time with Mansour having fun, and he spent the rest of the time in Portugal with his family. It was a completely normal experience, and to see people superimposed on photographs just makes a joke.
"Lewis's private life is private, but it is disturbing to see when it is so heavily distorted because that is just not fair. But he handles it and that is part of growing up.
"From a professional standpoint I make mistakes, probably most days. He or Fernando or Norbert or anyone else in our organisation, we are all human and we all make mistakes. As long as you recognise them, put them in the past and get on with life that is fine.
"You learn from your mistakes and that is what we have done out of Hungary. We will not make the same mistakes again."
Q: You have talked a lot over the years about controlling the situations and micro-managing it - and you are known for it. Have you moved over the last period of time more in the direction of saying, 'right, let's just let these two guys get on with it and race each other?'
Dennis: "We never stopped the racing drivers racing each other. We always said race each other.
"Micro management? I think people think I am a control freak. My daughter is here, she will tell me I am a control freak and my wife will tell you that as well, but of course I am not!
"At the end of the day, I try to do what I think is right and I don't always get it right. I am certainly more relaxed now at 60 than I was at 25. But the advice - and it is advice most of the time, not instruction - the advice that I give is just that: advice based on experience.
"It is not controlling advice, it is not an instruction, and most of the time it proves to be good advice. It is only given if it is asked for. It is as simple as that."
Q: Can you clarify once and for all the situation with Fernando? Will he be a McLaren driver next year? He is contracted to you, so there is no other possibility?
Dennis: "You just asked the question and answered it. He is a contracted driver and that is the way things stand at the moment - as with Lewis, as with Pedro (de la Rosa), as with Gary Paffett.
"The fact is, we have got contracts and there is no dialogue to vary any aspect of that."
Ron Dennis at Istanbul, after his summer holidayDespite the three-week break since the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Formula One paddock was still buzzing with talk about the impact of the internal McLaren spat when the season resumed in Turkey this weekend.
And the frenzy seemed heightened on Thursday when Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton skipped heading to the Istanbul Park track so they could take part in clear-the-air talks with the team.
But, however difficult the last few weeks have been for the individuals involved, team boss Ron Dennis was good humoured, upbeat and reflective when he met the press for his regular media gathering on Saturday afternoon at Istanbul. This is what he had to say.
Q: You had two different pit boxes in qualifying here to avoid the shenanigans we saw in Hungary. Obviously the long pitlane allows that here, but is that something you are hoping to achieve everywhere else that is similarly well endowed? And what will you do when we go somewhere that doesn't have a big pitlane?
Ron Dennis: "We will do it where we can. We have done it before and we will do it again. It is a bit more of a logistical challenge, but when we can't do it, then we will adapt and run as a disciplined team."
Q: Fernando has talked about improving the car immensely, six or seven tenths of a second over the winter as he brought his experience as a double world champion to the fore. He says he does not feel he has been rewarded enough for that input that has made such a difference to the car's performance. What is your reaction?
Dennis: "It is a good question, but inaccurate. I think what Fernando said was that he laid everything out in a long meeting. It started at 2:00 pm and finished at 8:30 pm in the evening. It wasn't with both drivers all the time; it was different elements of the meeting, some with management and some with them.
"It was a complete run through of the relationship from beginning to end. [Alonso's assessment] was absolutely true had it been possible - whether it is six, four or eight tenths is not material - to identify who had contributed what to how fast our racing car goes.
"The simple fact is that our racing car is something like two seconds a lap faster now than it was at the beginning of the season, and probably a significant greater step now than it was at the end of the last season. That has to take into account the different tyres from last year to this year.
"So you are focusing on one particular piece of data that was presented by Fernando, which was a piece of information that he was using to demonstrate his value to the team. And it is taken as a single piece of data and out of context of all the other bits of information and data that was discussed.
"There is clearly a fiercely competitive environment in this organisation, and it is not just the domain of the two drivers. It is between everybody in the team. We act as a unified team against the outside world, but then in a positive way there is a left and a right hand side of the garage.
Part of the requirements of any team principal and those people who sit between the cars and me is to orchestrate that in such a way that it is a productive competitiveness and not a counter-productive competitiveness. Clearly when it becomes counter-productive, it becomes destructive.
But that isn't what took place in Hungary. It hasn't occurred in the team to date and won't occur in the team in the future if we continue to run with discipline. But don't hang on so much on one piece of information presented accurately by Fernando but out of context of the bigger picture."
Q: Has this been the worst August for you from the last years? How do you feel now compared to the Saturday of Hungary? And the third question, are there still things you can improve in the management of the team?
Dennis: "My vacation? I just had a more expensive office! Instead of being sat in my office in Woking, I was sat in a sailing boat in Italy. It was pretty much the same after that, other than it was sea and sunshine and I was with my family. So it was quite a bit of communication but that is by choice.
"If we have an issue, I want to be involved in it. There are lots of things that we are working on at the moment, most of which are positive, which require contact between the office and me. So it wasn't the level of relaxation that I would like, but it was certainly a tonic, let's put it that way.
"As regards, can I improve as a manager? I would hope there is no one at the team that you could ask that question of that would not say 'yes, we can be better', because that is our ambition. We all want to be better.
"And while I have been doing it a long time, you still constantly live the emotion where, with the benefit of hindsight, you say if we had done this then this would not have happened.
"But hindsight is a commodity that is only relevant when reflecting on the past. Hindsight doesn't give you any vision of the future. That is the nature of the beast.
"Yes, we could have done it differently and yes, we could have created a situation that would have avoided last weekend (Hungary).
"But we all make mistakes. The important thing is identify them, accept them for what they are, and take the responsibility in those areas where responsibility needs to be taken. Then draw a line on it and point forward and come to Turkey and do a good job. And I think we have done a really good job so far."
Q: Today, are you feeling better than on the Saturday of Hungary?
Dennis: "Very much so, unless someone comes through the door and calls me to the stewards! But I don't think they will."
Q: We know you had a meeting on Thursday with the management and the drivers. Can you give us some clarity of what you did? Is it greater transparency, new procedures, or quelling grievances? What have you put in place to move forward?
Dennis: "I could, but it would be inappropriate. I am sure you have salary reviews but you are discussing your weaknesses. You are discussing elements within the organisation that you are not particularly proud of. I don't think we will be laying those in front of you and saying this is what we discussed.
"We went in with the clear intention of coming out of that meeting with everyone pointing in the right direction, and brought into that process.
"Inevitably with competitive strong characters and focused individuals pointing in the right direction it does not necessarily mean totally aligned, because we have all got objectives.
"But we are all pointing in the same direction and we really want the same thing, which is to win. We exist to win. That was the satisfying result of that meeting.
"Having said that, the people who have clearly demonstrated to us beyond any shadow of a doubt their professionalism are the two drivers.
"You cannot puppet people with such levels of competitiveness and such strong characters. So you can see that they are committed as professionals to beating each other and beating the rest of the field.
"That is the best we can hope for coming out of a very difficult situation. But it is behind us and let's keep it there."
Q: Clearly all the attention that is new to Lewis, he is realising now the bear pit he is in. From your point of view, you want him to produce the results for your team. Does it concern you at all now the attention he is getting?
Dennis: "I had to laugh over so many things that I was reading. The best one was seeing Mansour (Ojjeh) being referred to as an executive of Tag Heuer. It was a really amusing thing considering he is a principal shareholder and we sold it a few years ago! There are so many things that were just ridiculous.
"One of the great things coming out of my partnership with Mansour is the fact that we grew up together. When we first met neither of us were married, neither of us had kids. We have seen our children grow up and seen kids play together, and I know for a fact that all of the activities Lewis was involved in were just having fun with Mansour's family.
"That invitation was extended in Monte Carlo and it was because of Lewis's friendship with the kids, friendship with his kids, as my daughter is a friend of Lewis' - they text each other, they are in the same age group, they are of the same era.
"I never intended to go on Mansour's boat, I was on my chartered boat in Italy, which was interesting, positively interesting.
"He spent some of his time with Mansour having fun, and he spent the rest of the time in Portugal with his family. It was a completely normal experience, and to see people superimposed on photographs just makes a joke.
"Lewis's private life is private, but it is disturbing to see when it is so heavily distorted because that is just not fair. But he handles it and that is part of growing up.
"From a professional standpoint I make mistakes, probably most days. He or Fernando or Norbert or anyone else in our organisation, we are all human and we all make mistakes. As long as you recognise them, put them in the past and get on with life that is fine.
"You learn from your mistakes and that is what we have done out of Hungary. We will not make the same mistakes again."
Q: You have talked a lot over the years about controlling the situations and micro-managing it - and you are known for it. Have you moved over the last period of time more in the direction of saying, 'right, let's just let these two guys get on with it and race each other?'
Dennis: "We never stopped the racing drivers racing each other. We always said race each other.
"Micro management? I think people think I am a control freak. My daughter is here, she will tell me I am a control freak and my wife will tell you that as well, but of course I am not!
"At the end of the day, I try to do what I think is right and I don't always get it right. I am certainly more relaxed now at 60 than I was at 25. But the advice - and it is advice most of the time, not instruction - the advice that I give is just that: advice based on experience.
"It is not controlling advice, it is not an instruction, and most of the time it proves to be good advice. It is only given if it is asked for. It is as simple as that."
Q: Can you clarify once and for all the situation with Fernando? Will he be a McLaren driver next year? He is contracted to you, so there is no other possibility?
Dennis: "You just asked the question and answered it. He is a contracted driver and that is the way things stand at the moment - as with Lewis, as with Pedro (de la Rosa), as with Gary Paffett.
"The fact is, we have got contracts and there is no dialogue to vary any aspect of that."
Last edited by A.Wayne; 08-26-2007 at 09:46 PM.
08-26-2007, 11:40 PM
#54
Formula One Spin Doctor
Rennlist Member
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Thread Starter
Tyre strategies - Turkish GP
Sunday, August 26th 2007, 16:31 GMT
The 2007 Formula One regulations state drivers must use both types of tyre compounds during every race.
Below is the order in which each driver used his tyre compounds in the Turkish Grand Prix, as recorded by Bridgestone:
Team Tyre Choice by Stint:
Renault
Giancarlo Fisichella Hard - Hard - Medium
Heikki Kovalainen Hard - Hard - Medium
Ferrari
Felipe Massa Medium - Medium - Hard
Kimi Raikkonen Medium - Medium - Hard
McLaren
Fernando Alonso Hard - Hard - Medium
Lewis Hamilton Hard - Hard - Medium
Honda
Jenson Button Hard - Hard - Medium
Rubens Barrichello Hard - Medium - Medium
BMW Sauber
Nick Heidfeld Hard - Hard - Medium
Robert Kubica Medium - Hard - Medium
Toyota
Ralf Schumacher Hard - Medium
Jarno Trulli Hard - Hard - Medium
Red Bull Racing
David Coulthard Medium - Medium - Hard
Mark Webber Medium - DNF
Williams
Nico Rosberg Hard - Hard - Medium
Alex Wurz Hard - Hard - Medium
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Vitantonio Liuzzi Medium - Medium - Hard
Sebastian Vettel Hard - Medium - Medium
Spyker
Adrian Sutil Medium - Medium - Hard - DNF
Sakon Yamamoto Medium - Medium - Hard
Super Aguri
Takuma Sato Hard - Medium
Anthony Davidson Hard - Medium - Medium
The 2007 Formula One regulations state drivers must use both types of tyre compounds during every race.
Below is the order in which each driver used his tyre compounds in the Turkish Grand Prix, as recorded by Bridgestone:
Team Tyre Choice by Stint:
Renault
Giancarlo Fisichella Hard - Hard - Medium
Heikki Kovalainen Hard - Hard - Medium
Ferrari
Felipe Massa Medium - Medium - Hard
Kimi Raikkonen Medium - Medium - Hard
McLaren
Fernando Alonso Hard - Hard - Medium
Lewis Hamilton Hard - Hard - Medium
Honda
Jenson Button Hard - Hard - Medium
Rubens Barrichello Hard - Medium - Medium
BMW Sauber
Nick Heidfeld Hard - Hard - Medium
Robert Kubica Medium - Hard - Medium
Toyota
Ralf Schumacher Hard - Medium
Jarno Trulli Hard - Hard - Medium
Red Bull Racing
David Coulthard Medium - Medium - Hard
Mark Webber Medium - DNF
Williams
Nico Rosberg Hard - Hard - Medium
Alex Wurz Hard - Hard - Medium
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Vitantonio Liuzzi Medium - Medium - Hard
Sebastian Vettel Hard - Medium - Medium
Spyker
Adrian Sutil Medium - Medium - Hard - DNF
Sakon Yamamoto Medium - Medium - Hard
Super Aguri
Takuma Sato Hard - Medium
Anthony Davidson Hard - Medium - Medium
08-27-2007, 12:37 AM
#55
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My boy Massa did well again today.
I want to predict that before the season is over that Alonso will take out Hamilton in some dumbass move.
I want to predict that before the season is over that Alonso will take out Hamilton in some dumbass move.
08-27-2007, 07:34 AM
#56
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Alonso will not take out Ham and lose points unless it benefits him .......Karma, kicked in for ham last sunday, ferrari gave Massa a car with fuel and tires, everything is back to normal, i'm happy , the tension builds and carries to the next race......
08-27-2007, 09:48 AM
#57
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Q & A with Lewis Hamilton
By Jonathan Noble Monday, August 27th 2007, 11:06 GMT
Q. What happened in the race?
Lewis Hamilton: "I had no warning. I exited the fast left-hander at Turn Eight and saw some bits fly off the tyre. And as soon as I braked into Turn Nine it just exploded. I went off and almost hit the barrier. The wheel just locked up and I was very lucky to get the car stopped.
"From then on I was just trying to nurse it to the pits. The tyre was flapping around, there was quite a big chunk missing from the front wing and I was worried that I might incur other problems. We didn't change the wing because we just decided to get back out and try to keep the points I had.
"I was just surprised. I was trying to close the gap to the Ferraris: they were battling and losing time to each other and I knew I was running five to six laps longer than them and knew I had a chance to jump at least one of them at my final pit stop, but the tyre went and that was that.
"As soon as the tyre went I braked and it looked as though I was going off into the gravel and into the wall. But I locked up all the wheels to get it stopped. I tried to keep going but the tyre got worse and worse. I reached Turn 12 and the car wouldn't steer. I got to the pit lane and almost hit the wall. It was a real fight and I was relieved to get it back."
Q. Do you feel lucky or unlucky?
Hamilton: "I was unfortunate. I don't count myself unlucky because I'm the only one who's suffered a delaminated tyre, but that's just racing. I feel confident that we have a good package for Monza, and we'll be able to evaluate it during this week's test. But there are five races to go and it's not over yet. I'm still five points clear, which is good."
Q. How do you rate your title chances?
Hamilton: "It's a pity to lose a few points, but I'll figure a way to get them back elsewhere."
Q. The last big memory we have of a tyre flapping on a title contender's car is Nigel Mansell at Adelaide in 1986. Did you see that?
Hamilton: "No. I was one!"
Q. Was it a question of damage limitation after Kimi Raikkonen passed you at the start?
Hamilton: "I never think damage limitation. I always want to do the best I can and I always have my eye on the win. I tried to stick with the Ferrari and thought I might be able to jump them if I ran an extra lap, but I struggled to stay with them. You overheat your tyres if you get too close and they've had very good pace all weekend."
Q. This is your first big problem in a race...
Hamilton: "We've had one technical problem and one tyre problem - nothing to do with the team, it just overheated. It's just one of those things."
Q. Did you think back to what happened at the Nurburgring when the tyre went down?
Hamilton: "No, that was quite a bit different."
Q. Do you get the sense that the title fight will go all the way to Brazil?
Hamilton: "It's possible, but I hope not. I'd like to get it earlier. At the end of the day, though, it doesn't matter whether I clinch it before the end of the season or in Brazil. The important thing is that I get it."
Q. What happened in the race?
Lewis Hamilton: "I had no warning. I exited the fast left-hander at Turn Eight and saw some bits fly off the tyre. And as soon as I braked into Turn Nine it just exploded. I went off and almost hit the barrier. The wheel just locked up and I was very lucky to get the car stopped.
"From then on I was just trying to nurse it to the pits. The tyre was flapping around, there was quite a big chunk missing from the front wing and I was worried that I might incur other problems. We didn't change the wing because we just decided to get back out and try to keep the points I had.
"I was just surprised. I was trying to close the gap to the Ferraris: they were battling and losing time to each other and I knew I was running five to six laps longer than them and knew I had a chance to jump at least one of them at my final pit stop, but the tyre went and that was that.
"As soon as the tyre went I braked and it looked as though I was going off into the gravel and into the wall. But I locked up all the wheels to get it stopped. I tried to keep going but the tyre got worse and worse. I reached Turn 12 and the car wouldn't steer. I got to the pit lane and almost hit the wall. It was a real fight and I was relieved to get it back."
Q. Do you feel lucky or unlucky?
Hamilton: "I was unfortunate. I don't count myself unlucky because I'm the only one who's suffered a delaminated tyre, but that's just racing. I feel confident that we have a good package for Monza, and we'll be able to evaluate it during this week's test. But there are five races to go and it's not over yet. I'm still five points clear, which is good."
Q. How do you rate your title chances?
Hamilton: "It's a pity to lose a few points, but I'll figure a way to get them back elsewhere."
Q. The last big memory we have of a tyre flapping on a title contender's car is Nigel Mansell at Adelaide in 1986. Did you see that?
Hamilton: "No. I was one!"
Q. Was it a question of damage limitation after Kimi Raikkonen passed you at the start?
Hamilton: "I never think damage limitation. I always want to do the best I can and I always have my eye on the win. I tried to stick with the Ferrari and thought I might be able to jump them if I ran an extra lap, but I struggled to stay with them. You overheat your tyres if you get too close and they've had very good pace all weekend."
Q. This is your first big problem in a race...
Hamilton: "We've had one technical problem and one tyre problem - nothing to do with the team, it just overheated. It's just one of those things."
Q. Did you think back to what happened at the Nurburgring when the tyre went down?
Hamilton: "No, that was quite a bit different."
Q. Do you get the sense that the title fight will go all the way to Brazil?
Hamilton: "It's possible, but I hope not. I'd like to get it earlier. At the end of the day, though, it doesn't matter whether I clinch it before the end of the season or in Brazil. The important thing is that I get it."
08-27-2007, 10:15 AM
#58
Formula One Spin Doctor
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Ten Conclusions From The Turkish GP
Sunday 26th August 2007
http://planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3265_2687909,00.html
It may not have much eye candy but the 2007 season is one to savour...
2007 Is, Regrettably, The Year Of The Fathers
In a bygone era that the P-F1 office has repeatedly hankered after in recent months, television producers would embellish race coverage by providing a few shots of the drivers' various female companions concentrating dutifully on proceedings. Suffice to say of their considerable attractions, these glimpses were often the highlight of the race.
Sadly, this under-appreciated ritual has apparently fallen foul of that ultimate killjoy: political correctness. Either that or television producers are so ignorant of their audience that they believe viewers would prefer to see the beaming smiles and tedious thumbs-up of Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton's fathers - the less said about the appearance of Kimi Raikkonen's grandmother at the Nurburgring the better - rather than enjoy another reminder of the feminine delights that money can attract.
The 2007 Title Fight Is Ample Consolation, However
The easiest job in the world at the moment must be promoting F1. The World Championship is brilliantly poised and the result of the Turkish GP was the neutral's dream. With each of his nearest three rivals finishing ahead of the McLaren rookie, Lewis Hamilton's lead took a meaningful dent.
With just five races to go, four drivers still believe they can win the title; it couldn't be better.
Fernando Alonso Enjoyed His Lucky Escape
There was a different Fernando Alonso on the podium at Istanbul. Suddenly, a chirpy, cheerful World Champion was stood in as a replacement for the sulky, miserable-looking Fernando. No prizes for guessing which driver cheered the loudest as he passed Lewis' three-wheeler on Sunday afternoon.
"If someone told me on lap two that I would be on the podium it would not have been easy to believe and I would be very happy and I would sign anywhere if someone told me that," he admitted in the post-race press conference.
Hamilton's puncture effected a three-point swing in the Spaniard's favour, a significant change given that Hamilton's advantage would have otherwise increased to the extent that Fernando required a race win and a calamity for his team-mate in order to head the standings.
The McLaren Team Boss May Actually Have A Sense Of Humour
It may be the figment of someone's imagination, but the story goes that upon presenting Fernando Alonso with a miniature of the 1954 Mercedes F1 car this weekend to commemorate his century of F1 races, Ron Dennis declared: ""Here's something heavy for you to throw at us as well."
Felipe Is A Formidable Frontrunner (Part Two)
As this column has reflected previously, Felipe Massa is a formidable frontrunner - each of his five grand prix victories have occurred in races that he started from pole position.
In 2003, Massa spent a season on the fringes of F1 as a test driver - a year when his evident appreciation of clean air and a clear track was probably developed.
Raikkonen Makes Too Many Mistakes
Kimi said he did it because he was "bored" and had nothing else to do. The alternative explanation for Raikkonen recording a pointless fastest lap on the very final lap of the Turkish GP was that the Finn wanted to make a point of the 'Felipe-may have-won-but-I-was-the-faster-driver' kind. Alas, Raikkonen's gesture was futile and simply underlined that the Turkish GP was a race he lost due to a mistake in qualifying.
In a two-way fight, superior pace - which Raikkonen can probably justifiably boast over all of his principals rivals - will generally prove decisive. But in a contest featuring four credible contenders, speed ceases to be the salient factor. The World Championship will surely be won by the driver who makes the least number of mistakes - and Raikkonen has already made too many this year.
P-F1 Needs To Employ A Lip Reader
Oh to know the content of the whispered exchange between Felipe and Kimi during the press conference as an oblivious Fernando Alonso reflected on his third place...
Nico Rosberg Should Be In Demand
So how good is Nico Rosberg? According to Rod Nelson, the Chief Operations at Engineer at Williams who was Fernando Alonso's race engineer during both of his championship-winning seasons, "he's bloody good."
Rosberg has had scant opportunity to display his talents at the sharp-end of the grid this year in an undistinguished car, but Nelson has already seen enough to rank the youngster as "a great driver". Heady praise.
Rosberg was particularly impressive at Hungary, qualifying fourth, and surpassed his own expectations at Turkey by finishing ahead of Robert Kubica, considered to be the star-in-waiting of F1. A direct comparison of the two F1 newcomers' respective talents is impossible because of the unequal standard of machinery at their disposal, yet, even at first glance, it is obvious that Rosberg has at least one feature in his favour. The purists will not appreciate the argument but, in the modern climate of F1, good looks do count. And whereas the amiable Rosberg is photogenic, Kubica is balding with a protruding nose and the demeanour of a world-weary undertaker.
In a recent edition of F1 Racing Magazine, Kubica was taken to task for refusing to pose for photographs. It was a warning he should heed: team bosses, aware that F1 is nowadays as much an advertisement as a sport, will regard such behaviour with considerable wariness.
In any case, Kubica has tied himself to BMW for 2008. But Rosberg's position is vague. Williams would, of course, have the inclination to rebuff any approach for their star driver but do they possess the financial clout to deliver a resounding 'no'? Toyota, the team's engine suppliers, have money to burn and a pressing requirement to ditch the PR disaster who is Ralf Schumacher.
Improved Heikki Is Writing Fisi's F1 Obituary
There was a pleasant symmetry in Heikki Kovalainen lauding Renault's development after his excellent sixth-placed finish in Turkey because Heikki is the most improved driver of the season.
After the horror of his nightmare debut in Australia, the Finn has scored in five of the last six races and trounced Giancarlo Fisichella this weekend. Only another unexpected reversal of fortunes inside the Renault garage can save Fisi from being replaced by Nelson Piquet Jr for 2008.
But Renault Can't Believe That Their Drivers Are Trying Very Hard
Else why would every radio transmission from the Renault pitwall apparently consist of either Fisi or Heikki being urged to "push"?
As is the reputed case in maternity wards across the globe, the temptation to respond "what the f**k do you think I am doing right now?" must be considerable.
Pete Gill
http://planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3265_2687909,00.html
It may not have much eye candy but the 2007 season is one to savour...
2007 Is, Regrettably, The Year Of The Fathers
In a bygone era that the P-F1 office has repeatedly hankered after in recent months, television producers would embellish race coverage by providing a few shots of the drivers' various female companions concentrating dutifully on proceedings. Suffice to say of their considerable attractions, these glimpses were often the highlight of the race.
Sadly, this under-appreciated ritual has apparently fallen foul of that ultimate killjoy: political correctness. Either that or television producers are so ignorant of their audience that they believe viewers would prefer to see the beaming smiles and tedious thumbs-up of Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton's fathers - the less said about the appearance of Kimi Raikkonen's grandmother at the Nurburgring the better - rather than enjoy another reminder of the feminine delights that money can attract.
The 2007 Title Fight Is Ample Consolation, However
The easiest job in the world at the moment must be promoting F1. The World Championship is brilliantly poised and the result of the Turkish GP was the neutral's dream. With each of his nearest three rivals finishing ahead of the McLaren rookie, Lewis Hamilton's lead took a meaningful dent.
With just five races to go, four drivers still believe they can win the title; it couldn't be better.
Fernando Alonso Enjoyed His Lucky Escape
There was a different Fernando Alonso on the podium at Istanbul. Suddenly, a chirpy, cheerful World Champion was stood in as a replacement for the sulky, miserable-looking Fernando. No prizes for guessing which driver cheered the loudest as he passed Lewis' three-wheeler on Sunday afternoon.
"If someone told me on lap two that I would be on the podium it would not have been easy to believe and I would be very happy and I would sign anywhere if someone told me that," he admitted in the post-race press conference.
Hamilton's puncture effected a three-point swing in the Spaniard's favour, a significant change given that Hamilton's advantage would have otherwise increased to the extent that Fernando required a race win and a calamity for his team-mate in order to head the standings.
The McLaren Team Boss May Actually Have A Sense Of Humour
It may be the figment of someone's imagination, but the story goes that upon presenting Fernando Alonso with a miniature of the 1954 Mercedes F1 car this weekend to commemorate his century of F1 races, Ron Dennis declared: ""Here's something heavy for you to throw at us as well."
Felipe Is A Formidable Frontrunner (Part Two)
As this column has reflected previously, Felipe Massa is a formidable frontrunner - each of his five grand prix victories have occurred in races that he started from pole position.
In 2003, Massa spent a season on the fringes of F1 as a test driver - a year when his evident appreciation of clean air and a clear track was probably developed.
Raikkonen Makes Too Many Mistakes
Kimi said he did it because he was "bored" and had nothing else to do. The alternative explanation for Raikkonen recording a pointless fastest lap on the very final lap of the Turkish GP was that the Finn wanted to make a point of the 'Felipe-may have-won-but-I-was-the-faster-driver' kind. Alas, Raikkonen's gesture was futile and simply underlined that the Turkish GP was a race he lost due to a mistake in qualifying.
In a two-way fight, superior pace - which Raikkonen can probably justifiably boast over all of his principals rivals - will generally prove decisive. But in a contest featuring four credible contenders, speed ceases to be the salient factor. The World Championship will surely be won by the driver who makes the least number of mistakes - and Raikkonen has already made too many this year.
P-F1 Needs To Employ A Lip Reader
Oh to know the content of the whispered exchange between Felipe and Kimi during the press conference as an oblivious Fernando Alonso reflected on his third place...
Nico Rosberg Should Be In Demand
So how good is Nico Rosberg? According to Rod Nelson, the Chief Operations at Engineer at Williams who was Fernando Alonso's race engineer during both of his championship-winning seasons, "he's bloody good."
Rosberg has had scant opportunity to display his talents at the sharp-end of the grid this year in an undistinguished car, but Nelson has already seen enough to rank the youngster as "a great driver". Heady praise.
Rosberg was particularly impressive at Hungary, qualifying fourth, and surpassed his own expectations at Turkey by finishing ahead of Robert Kubica, considered to be the star-in-waiting of F1. A direct comparison of the two F1 newcomers' respective talents is impossible because of the unequal standard of machinery at their disposal, yet, even at first glance, it is obvious that Rosberg has at least one feature in his favour. The purists will not appreciate the argument but, in the modern climate of F1, good looks do count. And whereas the amiable Rosberg is photogenic, Kubica is balding with a protruding nose and the demeanour of a world-weary undertaker.
In a recent edition of F1 Racing Magazine, Kubica was taken to task for refusing to pose for photographs. It was a warning he should heed: team bosses, aware that F1 is nowadays as much an advertisement as a sport, will regard such behaviour with considerable wariness.
In any case, Kubica has tied himself to BMW for 2008. But Rosberg's position is vague. Williams would, of course, have the inclination to rebuff any approach for their star driver but do they possess the financial clout to deliver a resounding 'no'? Toyota, the team's engine suppliers, have money to burn and a pressing requirement to ditch the PR disaster who is Ralf Schumacher.
Improved Heikki Is Writing Fisi's F1 Obituary
There was a pleasant symmetry in Heikki Kovalainen lauding Renault's development after his excellent sixth-placed finish in Turkey because Heikki is the most improved driver of the season.
After the horror of his nightmare debut in Australia, the Finn has scored in five of the last six races and trounced Giancarlo Fisichella this weekend. Only another unexpected reversal of fortunes inside the Renault garage can save Fisi from being replaced by Nelson Piquet Jr for 2008.
But Renault Can't Believe That Their Drivers Are Trying Very Hard
Else why would every radio transmission from the Renault pitwall apparently consist of either Fisi or Heikki being urged to "push"?
As is the reputed case in maternity wards across the globe, the temptation to respond "what the f**k do you think I am doing right now?" must be considerable.
Pete Gill
08-27-2007, 10:22 AM
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I want to know when the Speed team will stop focusing so much on Hamilton. In the 3rd qualy, they were gushing so much about Hamilton, they didn't notice that Massa had taken pole! Then in the race they were gushing again about how Hamilton was so smart to keep the car straight (when the tire went down) and not damage the car! Come on, I'm getting really tired of this.
08-27-2007, 10:37 AM
#60
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Unfortunately you just can't pass so easily in F1 (your favourite, Alonso mentioned that too although I'm sure you think he had such a great drive.
) especially if you have your team mate in front of him. I have no question in my mind you know that too. Kimi screwed up the quali (as he admitted, didn't blame the team, team principal or the world etc. like some other drivers tend to do, just blamed himself) which still seems to be weak part of him at Ferrari. It has gotten better though and race pace has been way better than Massa's for a while now.
Shame that Lewis' bad luck only resulted him being 5th, if he had dropped out of the points completely, Massa, Kimi & Fernando would've been a lot closer.
Kimi is easily the no. 4 of the top 4?
I know you're probably saying that just to **** me off but in the process you're totally losing your credibility.