Turkish Grand Prix

Turkish Grand Prix
Flag	Flag of Turkey.svg
Circuit	Istanbul Park
Laps	58
Circuit length km	5.338
Circuit length mi	3.317
Race length km	309.396
Race length mi	192.250
First held	2005
Last held	2008
Most wins driver	Felipe Massa (3)
Most wins constructor	Ferrari (3)
Current year	2008
Pole driver	Felipe Massa
Pole team	Ferrari
Pole time	1:27.617
Winner	Felipe Massa
Winning team	Ferrari
Winning time	1h 26m 49.451s (213.808 km/h)
Second	Lewis Hamilton
Second team	McLaren-Mercedes
Second time	+3.779s
Third	Kimi Räikkönen
Third team	Ferrari
Third time	+4.271s
Fastest lap driver	Kimi Räikkönen
Fastest lap team	Ferrari
Fastest lap	1:26.506

The Turkish Grand Prix is a Formula One motor race that debuted on August 21, 2005 as part of the 2005 Formula One season. It is held at the newly built Istanbul Park Circuit, constructed by famous German civil engineer Hermann Tilke. The circuit is only the third anti-clockwise circuit on the Formula One calendar after the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy and the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Brazil.

Tilke has stressed how the track follows the contours of the land, which dips and falls. This is in contrast to some of his other recent tracks, the topography of which did not allow such variation. It takes an influence from many of the worlds best race tracks. Corner 1 is very similar to corner one in Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Brazil and has also been compared to the "corkscrew" at Laguna Seca. There is a flat-out kink on a hill similar to Eau Rouge corner at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps; fans have jokingly referred to this as "Faux Rouge."

Turn 8 is probably the best corner on the track. It is a quadruple apex corner with a load of 5G (5 times the force of gravity) for 4 seconds. It is actually 4 corners joined together. Many drivers have found this a very tricky corner of the circuit.

Because of the nature of the circuit the 2005 Turkish Grand Prix weekend saw exciting on-track action, with many drivers spinning off throughout the weekend due to pushing too hard, particularly at Turn 8. Juan Pablo Montoya memorably lost it at Turn 8 with two laps to go, following a tangle whilst trying to lap Tiago Monteiro. This allowed Fernando Alonso to take second place behind Kimi Räikkönen, an event which had a significant bearing on their battle for the World Championship headed towards its culmination.

2006 podium controversy

As part of the podium ceremony after the 2006 race, the winner's trophy was presented by Mehmet Ali Talat, who was introduced to television viewers via the captions as the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a state which is only recognised by Turkey. The FIA announced they would be investigating this incident, as a possible breach of the organisation's political neutrality. The identity of the person who would present the winner's trophy was left to the last minute, leaving the FIA no time to veto the choice. Some commentators feared this incident could jeopardise the future of the Turkish Grand Prix, and possibly also Turkey's round of the World Rally Championship, another FIA-sanctioned series. [1] In the end, the punishment was a $5 million fine. [2]

Sponsors

The Turkish petroleum company, Petrol Ofisi is the main sponsor of the race. Since 2006, the official title of the event has changed to the Petrol Ofisi Turkish Grand Prix, after a sponsorship deal was agreed with the owners.

Winners of the Turkish Grand Prix

Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa has dominated the Turkish GP for the past three years in Qualifying and Race Day. He has achieved all Pole positions and Victories since 2006.

Year	Driver	Constructor	Location	Report
2008	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	Istanbul	Report
2007	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	Istanbul	Report
2006	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	Istanbul	Report
2005	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren-Mercedes	Istanbul	Report

External Links

• Official web site