Translated material
Massa Territory
The Brazilian won in Istanbul for the third time in a row
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa won another, third in a row, victory in the Turkish Grand Prix. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton finished second, while another Ferrari driver, Kimi Raikkonen, finished third.The fifth stage of the Formula 1 World Championship had several features even before the start. Firstly, Rubens Barrichello became the new record holder for the number of participation in the Grand Prix. The “Grand Prize of Turkey” was the Brazilian’s 257th, which allowed him to outstrip the previous record holder, Ricardo Patrese. This figure lasted 15 years and seemed never to be broken. But nothing lasts forever, and in a couple of races Rubens will take aim at another Patrese record - the most number of race starts.
The second reason that highlighted this race was less pleasant. In Istanbul, the ranks of the Circus Maximus teams have thinned out. The cute little Japanese stable Super Aguri was unable to overcome the financial difficulties that befell it last year and stopped participating in Formula. Most likely forever. It is unlikely that the team that has declared bankruptcy will now find buyers who would not only pay for further performances in the elite of world motorsport, but also pay off the debts trailing behind it. It is not known what motivated Honda, whose subsidiary team was Super Aguri, but it was the main team that prohibited their former partners from participating in the championship until their debts were paid off. In other teams, the disappearance of the Japanese team from the paddock caused little sympathy, and, I think, it even made outsiders happy.
The transfer of the date of the Turkish race from August to May was supposed to save the equipment and pilots from the most difficult test they faced on the shores of the Bosphorus - the sweltering heat. But the organizers of the Grand Prix were not ready for such a cold “reception” - these days in Istanbul it is not much warmer than in Moscow, and the main problem was tires: Bridgestone tire makers, out of habit, brought tires based on solid compounds to Turkey , well suited for hot climates. At low temperatures, it is much more difficult to warm up such rubber, which created additional difficulties for the riders. Who knows, this was the reason for Heikki Kovalainen’s not very successful race, who immediately after the start had to make a pit stop for an emergency tire change. But the day before the Finn had an excellent qualification and for the first time in his career started from second position. And this was after the severe accident he had at the previous Grand Prix, after which, although there were only minor bruises, the doctors doubted whether to allow the driver to take part in this race.
Pole holder Felipe Massa, having made a great start, saved himself from problems in the first turn. But his partner, on the contrary, created them for himself. Trying to break between two McLarens, the world champion miscalculated his speed and, in order not to hit any of his rivals, was forced to pull to the side of the road and slow down, which was immediately taken advantage of by his pursuers Robert Kubica in a BMW and Fernando Alonso in a Renault. Kovalainen also faced difficulties. As it turned out after the finish, his McLaren still hit Raikkonen’s Ferrari, which could have caused damage that would have led to an accident during the subsequent race. To avoid unnecessary risk, the team decided to call the driver for such an early pit stop.
However, what a truly unsuccessful start is was demonstrated by Giancarlo Fisichella. The Italian literally decided to fly through the first turn and took advantage of the first car that turned up to do so. Kazuki Nakajime's Williams served as a kind of springboard, over which Fisichella jumped. The flight was spectacular, but short-lived. It took the stewards much more time to clear the asphalt from the wreckage of broken cars.
Considering the cold weather and the unsuitable set of tires, it is surprising that this episode was the only emergency exit of the race. Apart from these two, only Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais failed to reach the finish line, getting stuck in the gravel after his own mistake. However, this does not mean at all that there was no struggle on the track at all. It was, and sometimes truly exciting and beautiful. For example, Raikkonen overtaking Alonso immediately after the restart. Or Kovalainen's breakthrough from last place, in which he showed real skill, passing one opponent after another, including such unyielding drivers as David Coulthard and Nico Rosberg. Unfortunately, all the Finn's maneuvers were not so much in vain, but did not bring him much benefit - a spoiled start did not allow the driver to rise above 12th place.
When the race was almost over, the fun began. Lewis Hamilton, for whom McLaren chose a three-refueling strategy, left the last pit stop, finding himself in the middle between the two Ferraris. He was separated from Massa in front by seven seconds and exactly the same from Raikkonen, who was pursuing him. It’s a pity, but the 13 laps that remained to reach the finish line were not enough for either the Briton or the Finn to close the distance to the attacking distance. Or maybe neither one nor the other wanted to tempt fate once again. Raikkonen's third place allowed the world champion to maintain his leading position in the individual standings, while Hamilton's second place helped him gain two points from the leader.
Results. Formula 1 World Auto Racing Championship. 5th stage. Turkish Grand Prix. Istanbul. 1. Mass (Ferrari) - 1 hour 26 minutes. 49.4 sec. 2. Hamilton (McLaren) - lag 3.8 seconds. 3. Raikkonen (Ferrari) - 4.2. 4. Kubica (BMW-Sauber) - 21.9. 5. Heidfeld (BMW-Sauber) - 38.7. 6. Alonso (Renault) - 53.7. 7. Webber (Red Bull) - 1.04.2. 8. Rosberg (Williams) - 1.11.4. Pilots' Championship. Raikkonen - 35 points, Massa, Hamilton - 28, Kubica - 24, Heidfeld - 20. Constructors' Championship. Ferrari - 63 points, BMW-Sauber - 44, McLaren - 42.