Turkish Grand Prix Istanbul Park, 09-11 May 2008
PREVIEW
ROUND FIVE
Round five of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship
takes the Honda Racing F1 Team to Istanbul for the Turkish
Grand Prix. The 58-lap race takes place at the 5.338km (3.317mile)
Istanbul Park circuit, which is one of only two anti-clockwise
tracks on this year's calendar.
Istanbul Park is located on the Asian side of the Bosphorus,
the transverse channel that links the Mediterranean with the
Black Sea, about 90 kilometres (56 miles) from the centre
of Istanbul. The undulating topography upon which the track
was built in 2005 has helped to create one of the most technically
challenging racetracks in the world, and also one of the most
physical for the drivers.
A unique feature of the Turkish Grand Prix is the means by
which the Honda Racing F1 Team's transporters travel to and
from the race. Along with the rest of the teams' freight,
they were shipped by sea from Trieste in Italy on Wednesday
and are due to arrive at the port of Istanbul over the weekend.
ISTANBUL PARK - THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE
The anti-clockwise direction of Istanbul Park, with its eight
left-handed corners, has no direct bearing on car set-up.
However, as with any racetrack there are several key moments
on the lap, the most significant of which is Turn 8.
The cars and drivers pull up to 5G for seven seconds through
this triple-apex left-hander, making it one of the most physical
corners in the world for the drivers. The minimum speed through
here is 250kph (155mph), but that's not the reason why it's
a key corner from a technical point of view. A mid-corner
bump, when the car is fully loaded, forces the engineers not
to set the ride height too low and that punishes the car's
handling through other corners.
A pre-requisite for a competitive lap time at Istanbul Park
is good car balance because there are a number of 180-degree
corners that reward good handling. Then there's the slow left-right-left
sequence at the end of the lap that leads the cars back onto
the pit straight. The braking point into this section sees
the cars slow from 300kph (186mph) down to 80kph (50mph),
which makes it the best overtaking point on the lap.
Full throttle: 62% Brake wear: Medium
Downforce level: Medium - 6/10
Tyre compounds: Medium / Hard Tyre usage: Medium Average speed:
220kph (137mph)
HONDA TEAM TALK
Ross Brawn, Team Principal
Q. How do you expect the Honda Racing F1 Team to perform
at the Turkish Grand Prix? "Istanbul Park is a great
race track which our drivers really enjoy. Although there
is no opportunity to test before this race, we will have some
small refinements to the car and aero package to suit the
characteristics of this particular circuit. I am expecting
the RA108 to perform slightly better around Istanbul Park
than in Barcelona, where we suffered with ride quality over
the bumpy surface, so I believe we can look forward to challenging
for the top ten in qualifying and hopefully scoring points
again."
Q. How important to the team was Jenson's sixth place in
Barcelona? "We were extremely pleased to pick up our
first points of the season in Barcelona and it was just reward
for the efforts that everyone has put in over the last few
months. We took many positives from the race weekend, including
the good performance of the new aero package and our strategy
working well, with the execution of the pit stops being especially
good. Of course, there are challenges to be overcome, however
I am confident we have the right attitude and commitment to
resolve these. There is tremendous potential in this team
and our three points in Barcelona was the first step at the
start of a very intense few months of racing."
Jenson Button
Q. What are your thoughts on the Istanbul Park circuit?
"The Turkish Grand Prix is one of my favourite races
on the calendar and I've had a couple of good results here
in 2005 and 2006, finishing in the top five on both occasions.
The track layout is excellent with the changes in elevation
making it a tough but enjoyable circuit for the drivers. There
are some really good overtaking opportunities at turn one
and turn three, with a chance of passing into turns nine and
twelve if you get it right."
Q. Knowing the strengths of the RA108, do you expect the
car to be competitive at the Turkish Grand Prix? "The
Spanish Grand Prix was our first major upgrade to the RA108
and the new aero package definitely gave us a performance
improvement over the weekend. It's good to know that we are
improving the car step-by-step and I was able to develop a
good understanding of the new developments. The car that we
take to Turkey will be essentially the same package, therefore
our focus will be getting onto Q3 and qualifying in the top
ten. Turkey is a circuit that I have always been competitive
at, and really enjoy driving, so I am hopeful that we will
have a good race."
Rubens Barrichello
Q. How physical is Istanbul Park for the drivers?
"The Istanbul Park track is fairly challenging from a
drivers' point of view as it runs anti-clockwise which is
unusual and the undulations are quite extreme which can make
for an exciting lap. I have been impressed with the circuit
since we started racing here in 2005. The lap itself has a
nice flow, and most importantly, it's a good racing track
with overtaking opportunities, which have led to some exciting
races. The highlight for most drivers is the high-speed turn
eight where the triple apex is really quick, blind and tough
on your neck. "
Q. You reach 257 Grand Prix appearances this weekend. What
does this mean to you? "Becoming the most experienced
Formula One driver ever means a great deal to me. I've had
a long career in Formula One and I have so many wonderful
memories, but I don't feel any different today to the day
when I started out on this journey in 1993. My first race,
at Kyalami, seems like yesterday. I must thank my family and
friends for their unwavering support through the years. I
was lucky enough to start my career in F1 at a young age and
I love racing as much as ever and, importantly, I still love
Formula One. Whilst people will look back at my 16-year career
in Turkey, I'm still looking forward and the next race is
the one that matters the most."
LAP OF THE TRACK with Alex Wurz
"Istanbul Park is a challenging track from a set-up
point of view because of the variation in corner speeds and
grip levels. There are the very fast changes in direction
at the start of the lap, there's a long straight and then
some slower stuff at the end of the lap, which makes set-up
a compromise. The asphalt also changes a lot around the lap:
it feels very slippery in the last sector and then you have
a lot of grip in the first sector.
"People talk a lot about the long Turn 8. For me, it's
just bumpy and a neck-killer; it's not a place where going
haywire gives you a lot of lap time because that's never the
case in fast corners. Our minimum apex speed is about 250kph
(155mph), and if you get it right, the biggest reward you
have is showing the data to your engineer. The flip side of
going too hard through here is that you might destroy your
right-front tyre over a long stint.
"For me, the biggest challenge of Turkey - apart from
the traffic going into Istanbul - is the last section of the
lap. The last three corners are very slow, all about 80kph
(50mph) in second gear, and they're all inter-linked. If you
make a tiny mistake under braking for the third-to-last corner,
your track position for the entire complex is wrong, and that
can affect your speed as you accelerate onto the start-finish
straight. You also have to be disciplined because it's very
easy to over-drive.
"Istanbul itself is a cool city. I've been there a few
times and there are amazing places to go out, and great things
to see. The Bosphorus is spectacular; if you're going to the
race, you should make a point of looking at it and feeling
its history."
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