All times are local (Turkey is GMT +3)
Thursday 5 May
15:00: FIA press conference
Friday 6 May
10:00 – 11:30: First free practice
14:00 – 15:30: Second free practice
16:00: FIA press conference
Saturday 7 May
11:00 – 12:00: Third free practice
14:00 – 15:00: Qualifying
15h00: FIA post qualifying press conference
Sunday 8 May
15:00 – 17:00: Turkish GP
17:00: FIA post race press conference
| Race Date: | 08 May 2011 |
| Circuit Name: | Istanbul Park |
| Number of Laps: | 58 |
| Circuit Length: | 5.338 km |
| Race Distance: | 309.396 km |
| Lap Record: | 1:24.770 – JP Montoya (2005) |
McLaren will be hoping to build on Lewis Hamilton’s success in Chinese, as the Formula One teams head for Istanbul and the Turkey Grand Prix on Sunday 8 May 2011. Hamilton’s victory in Shanghai ended a run of wins by reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel but nobody should be in any doubt that Vettel and his Red Bull team mate Mark Webber are the dominant forces this season. Vettel managed a creditable second in Shanghai and Webber drove one of the best races of his career to elevate himself from eighteenth on the grid to third in the race.
The Mercedes team will have been pleased with fifth and eighth for Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. Ferrari are still bubbling under the leading drivers and it was unusual but nice in Shanghai to see Felipe Massa finishing ahead of Fernando Alonso as opposed to being in his shadow.
Turkish Grand Prix
The Istanbul circuit has one of the scariest corners on the grand prix circuit. Turn eight is a long, almost flat-out bend with a triple apex. Watch for high tire degradation as the Pirelli rubber struggles to stay alive. One mistake and it’s curtains but get it right and it presents a good opportunity to catapult a car right on the tail of the one in front and thus giving a great overtaking chance through turns nine, ten and eleven.
Watch out for the Red Bulls through turn 8 they will be mighty fast with the down-force advantage they have, Mark Webber will be looking to have a strong weekend after his Chinese form, Vettel will go in as the man to beat this weekend after the form he has shown in 2011.
Ferrari will be looking to unlock there full package this weekend after a very poor start to the season, Massa will be looking to beat his team mate for the third time straight this weekend as he try’s to rebuild his reputation.
Lewis & Jenson 2010
Lewis Hamilton: “I won this race last year and Istanbul Park is a circuit I really enjoy. It’s a great modern track, with a real variety of corners, plenty of high-speed stuff and a place where you really feel the benefit of having the car properly hooked up beneath you.
“Of course, everyone talks about Turn Eight, which is a fantastic corner, but I also love late-braking into Turns Nine and 12, because you can get the car into the corner while still carrying quite a bit of speed; and getting it right is really satisfying.
“For this race, I think we’ll be seeing drivers working quite hard to look after their tyres throughout the race, particularly in Turn Eight, which is fast and bumpy; it’s one of the most demanding corners for tyres anywhere on the calendar.
“This is also a circuit where KERS Hybrid will be a major benefit – most of the straights come after low-speed corners, so there’s plenty of scope for using the KERS Hybrid – most notably out of Turn 10, but also out of the final corner.
“There’s always quite a big chance for passing into Turn 12, because it’s quite easy to stay with a leading car out of Turn 10 and duck into the tow.
“There’s every reason to believe that the run of interesting and exciting races will continue next weekend.”
Source: McLaren
Vettel & Webber crash 2010
Mark Webber: “I hope you all had a good Easter. I caught up with some friends and had some good downtime. It’s a bit odd in the UK at the moment with all the bank holidays, but the weather has been sensational. And, of course, I ate a few Easter eggs… Looking to Turkey, I like Istanbul Park – there are a lot of undulations, which makes the track a little bit more challenging in places. The circuit includes Turn 8, which is a very, very long corner with multiple apexes and is very high speed, which puts added strain on the tyres and the drivers’ necks. It’s also a corner that rewards accuracy with your racing line if you get it right early in the corner. Unfortunately I think it’s a pretty expensive race for locals to attend, which means the atmosphere is often not what it could be – it’s a bit of a shame, as the drivers look forward to going there – I know I am.”
So who is going to win this weekend? Mark Webber for the win Lewis Hamilton second and Sebastian Vettel third.
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