Turkish Grand Prix - Preview
IN THE RIGHT 'BUL PARK
Panasonic Toyota Racing heads east for round five of the
2008 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, for the fourth running
of the Turkish Grand Prix at the anti-clockwise Istanbul Park.
For this season, the trip across the Bosphorus comes three
months earlier than usual, meaning the teams can expect conditions
to be cooler than the mid-summer heat of previous years. The
5.338km Istanbul Park features several turns modelled on the
world's most famous corners and includes the triple-apex Turn
Eight, a downhill left-hander which is one of the toughest
in Formula 1. Following the successful new package introduced
for the last round in Spain, Toyota has more improvements
this weekend, with aerodynamic changes made to further optimise
the car. A mixed weekend in Spain saw the team's points-scoring
run extended to three consecutive races thanks to Jarno Trulli's
eighth place but a better result was within reach. Toyota
has scored points in two of the three Turkish Grands Prix
so far and after an encouraging start to the season, another
points haul is expected.
Jarno Trulli (Car 11): "I have always
enjoyed myself in Turkey so I am looking forward to this race.
I am confident again because we showed in Spain that we are
quite strong, but we also saw that we have to perform at our
maximum if we are to get into the top six. The fight is so
close that small variables can make a big difference to the
end result so we must keep pushing hard. The facilities at
Istanbul Park are great and the track itself is interesting,
even if it is not a personal favourite. It's not the most
difficult lay-out but there are one or two tricky corners;
Turn Eight is the hardest because it is very quick and it
is really three corners in one. We have been competitive on
every circuit so far this season so we should expect to be
qualifying in the top 10 and scoring points again. I am determined
to get another positive result this weekend and I believe
we are in a strong position to do that."
Timo Glock (Car 12): "I have good memories
of Turkey because I have had good results and exciting races
there in GP2. I remember a really close fight with Lewis Hamilton
in 2006 and then I won the sprint race last season - I don't
think I have finished outside the top four in Turkey so I
have a pretty good record to defend! It is a nice track to
visit because it is so modern and the facilities are great,
but more importantly for a driver it is quite an exciting
track to drive. There are some really challenging corners,
particularly Turn Eight which is difficult but enjoyable.
Our car has looked competitive so far all season and we have
more improvements for this weekend, which shows how hard everyone
is working. Spain was a difficult weekend for me so I hope
in Turkey we can have a bit more luck and fight for my first
points with Toyota."
Pascal Vasselon - Senior General Manager Chassis:
"Turkey is an average circuit for most of the parameters
- brakes, downforce and so on. But the special factor you
have in Turkey is Turn Eight, the long left-hander. This is
a key corner and simply the most demanding of the season,
which means it has a lot of consequences in terms of car balance
and tyre usage. You can really say that the Istanbul circuit
is all about this corner; it is one of the very few circuits
where one corner is so significant. You have to make sure
your package can handle it and this drives tyre selection.
We go to Turkey with optimism because we have seen over the
first four races that our car is competitive and able to challenge
for the top six. It was unfortunate that a mix-up cost Jarno
sixth in Spain but it was encouraging to again be fighting
in that position. So the goal for this weekend clearly has
to be a strong points finish, hopefully with both cars."
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