Turkish GP: Preview and weekend times

Seventh seasonal appointment with the Formula 1 circus at the Istanbul Otodrom for the Turkish Grand Prix now in its sixth edition. The route is located just east of the Bosphorus city in a hilly area, specially chosen.

Even the young Turkish circuit, like the other new generation tracks, was designed by the German architect Hermann Tilke, always much criticized by enthusiasts for his works, who, however, must be given credit for this, with the Istanbul Otodrom did a really great job. The track is the right mix of fast and slow points, with large corners that enhance the aerodynamic characteristics of the cars and strong braking sections that allow overtaking.

Without a doubt, the most characteristic corner of this circuit is number 8. A single long left-hand bend to be taken straight ahead with four apexes to be tackled one after the other at a speed of around 250 km/h. . It is a very difficult curve not only due to the length of its radius but also because turning counterclockwise puts a strain on the riders' necks.

Another aspect that makes this curve difficult is the disturbance that can be caused to the cars following in order to "dirty" their aerodynamics and prevent them from being overtaken at the end of the next straight. Fernando Alonso applied this tactic very well in the 2006 edition who, to defend himself from Michael Schumacher's attacks, slowed down slightly in the center of the corner in order to ruin the German's aerodynamics and thus cause him to lose grip.

The Istanbul Otodrom is also highly appreciated for the efficient safety measures it is equipped with: long escape routes in very high-grip asphalt, protective walls installed according to the most modern technologies and an excellent drainage system.

On the other hand, there is the fact that it is a Grand Prix that doesn't "pull" much. Apart from the first year in which it was sold out, the number of spectators has gradually decreased: last year's show was desolate with entire stands practically empty. Several times the race's continued existence on the calendar seemed at risk, but in the end Bernie Ecclestone has always guaranteed the long-term future of the track, which incidentally is his property!

We arrive in Turkey after a Monaco Grand Prix which saw Mark Webber's Red Bull triumph again, followed by teammate Vettel and an excellent Robert Kubica. Red Bull taught their opponents a real lesson. Hidden for the entire weekend, he made his move right at the end of qualifying, taking pole position. The race was one-sided, Webber took the lead and never gave it up until the end.

The other teams were in chiaroscuro, with Ferrari however managing to overtake McLaren in the constructors' standings. The little horse's race was marked by a bad mistake by Alonso in Saturday's free practice which prevented him from taking part in qualifying. The Spaniard thus had to start from the pit lane and finished sixth.

Yellow at the end: a few laps from the end a bad accident between Trulli's Lotus and Chandhok's HRT forced the race direction to bring out the safety car. The safety car returned at the end of the last lap, leaving the drivers "alone" in the last stretch of the circuit. Right on the last corner Michael Schumacher overtook Fernando Alonso. After the race, the stewards penalized the German by 20 seconds, considering that he had violated the art. 40.13 of the Regulation which prohibits overtaking when the race has ended under the safety car.

Mercedes, considering the race to have ended normally and not under the safety car regime, promptly announced an appeal to the Court of Appeal, which however could have done very little by virtue of the art. 152 of the Sporting Code which prohibits appealing penalties. At this point the FIA ​​intervened and promised to clarify the meaning of the art as soon as possible. 40.13. Mercedes therefore abandoned the appeal.

However, the circus finds itself facing much more serious problems than simple disputes over the interpretation of the rules: in fact, it is not yet known who will be the tire supplier for the 2011 season! The meeting held in Monte Carlo was supposed, at least in intention, to shed light on the matter which is, frankly, becoming grotesque; and instead it ended with nothing done. At the moment the most likely to replace Bridgestone seem to be the Italian Pirelli and the French Michelin. But negotiations are continuing on the conditions posed by the two tire dealers.

However, a fairly serious problem is also due to the current regulations. In fact, as we know, testing is prohibited starting from the week of the Grand Prix which opens the season, until the end of the year. Frank Williams has asked that, if you have a new tire dealer, an extraordinary test session be carried out with the new tyres. The proposal undoubtedly deserves to be evaluated, it would be absurd to design and build cars without knowing how the new tires that will have to be used throughout the season behave.

Going back to talking about races, Red Bull seems truly unbeatable at this moment in the world championship, the ease with which both drivers immediately manage to find the perfect lap is surprising, but it is above all in terms of race pace that Red Bull, with Webber in particular, it turned out to be a jackhammer.

The other teams do not seem, at the moment, to be absolutely capable of countering the dominance of the Anglo-Austrian team, however the world championship rankings are very short, in the drivers' ranking the two standard bearers of the bull are leading on equal points, with the Ferrari driver just three points behind. Alonso, followed by Button, forced to retire in the last Grand Prix due to the forgetfulness of a mechanic who left one of the radiators blocked causing the engine to break.

In Turkey many teams will continue the development of the single-seaters started in Barcelona, ​​but against a Red Bull like this, there seems to be very little that can be done.

Domenico Della Valle

INFO
Circuit length: 5,338 km
Laps to go: 58
Total distance: 309,396km
Number of curves: 14 – 8 left · 6 right
Bridgestone compounds: soft/hard

RECORD
Test lap: 1:26.797 – K Raikkonen – McLaren Mercedes – 2005
Race lap: 1:24.770 – J Montoya – McLaren Mercedes – 2005
Distance: 1h24:34.454 – K Raikkonen – McLaren Mercedes – 2005
Driver victories: 3 – F Massa
Team victories: 3 – Ferrari
Driver pole: 3 – F Massa
Pole team: 3 – Ferrari
Km in the lead: 806 – F Massa
Team lead km: 854 – Ferrari
Best driver laps: 2 – K Raikkonen
Best team laps: 3 – Ferrari
Driver podiums: 3 – F Alonso · F Massa · K Raikkonen
Team podiums: 6 – Ferrari

Golden Dawn
1. 2005 K Raikkonen – McLaren Mercedes
2. 2006 F Massa – Ferrari
3. 2007 F Massa – Ferrari
4. 2008 F Massa – Ferrari
5. 2009 J Button – Brawn Mercedes

The times of the Turkish Grand Prix

Friday 28 May
10:00-11:30 (09:00-10:30) Prove Libere 1
14:00-15:30 (13:00-14:30) Prove Libere 2

Saturday May 29
11:00-12:00 (10:00-11:00) Prove Libere 3
14pm-00pm (15am-00am) Qualifying – Live Rai Due

Sunday May 30
15pm (00am) Race – Live Rai Uno