Buzzin F1 - Formula One Blog

The Turkish Grand Prix

Joy Ryder - Sunday 11.05.08, 19:22pm

Felipe Massa won the Turkish Grand Prix today, with a four-second lead at the Istanbul circuit for the Ferrari team, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen in a strategy packed race.

The race got underway on a dry track today, and after a delay with the lights, Massa held his pole position to take the lead with Lewis Hamilton moving into second place.

The safety car was on the track before the end of the first lap, after the back runners had a tangle and Giancarlo Fisichella’s car went over the Williams of Kazuki Nakajima, putting Fishichella out of the race and Nakajima into the pits for a new rear wing ,although he was out of the race by lap five.

After the first set of pit stops, Massa was still leading followed by Hamilton and Raikkonen with Kubica in fourth place.

Hamilton took the lead after out-braking Massa at the tight left-hander but had to pit on lap thirty-three. However, it was for such a short fuel load that it was obvious he was on a three-stop strategy.

Massa pitted on lap thirty-seven and rejoined in third place but Hamilton still had to come into the pits for his third and final stop.

Kimi Raikkonen pitted on lap forty-one and rejoined in third and on lap forty-five, Hamilton pitted and slotted back in to the Ferrari sandwich for second place.

Massa took the victory and is now in second place in the Formula One Championship, moving up from fourth place, and on equal points with Lewis Hamilton but, Raikkonen still leads.

Hamilton finished in second ahead of the Ferrari driver, Kimi Raikkonen with Robert Kubica, seventeen seconds behind him in fourth place.

Nick Heidfeld finished in a respectable fifth with Fernando Alonso in the Renault finishing in sixth place after an uneventful race for him.

Mark Webber took seventh place and earned more points for the Red Bull Renault team. The Williams driver, Nico Rosberg worked hard today to take the final points for his team after a disappointing qualifying session.

The BMW Sauber team continued to impress with Robert Kubica finishing in fourth and Nick Heidfeld in fifth and are running in second place in the Constructor’s Championship.

Heikki Kovalainen in the second McLaren Mercedes, started in second place on the grid but nothing went his way today and he finished the race in twelfth position.

Sebastien Bourdais in the second Toro Rosso was the only other driver not to complete the Grand Prix after developing a mechanical problem that saw him into the gravel trap and out of the race.

Here are the results for the Turkish Grand Prix;

1. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1min 26:49.451sec

2. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 3.779sec

3. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 4.271

4. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) 21.945

5. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) 38.741

6. Fernando Alonso (Renault) 53.724

7. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1:04.229

8. Nico Rosberg (Williams) 1:11.406

9. David Coulthard (Red Bull) 1:15.270

10. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 1:16.344

11. Jenson Button (Honda) 1 lap