Raikkonen tames Turkey’s new track

Turkish Grand Prix Review

The first ever Turkish Grand Prix last Sunday saw perfect weather conditions and a 70,000 strong crowd attending Istanbul Park to see if the new 5.3 kilometre circuit, which cost $200 million to build, would live up to its expectations as the 'New Spa'.

McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen again claimed victory, further closing the gap between himself and points leader, Renault’s Fernando Alonso.

Raikkonen led from start to finish, dominating the race with solid and intelligent driving, despite having to fend off challenges from Renault teammates Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella early on.

"I didn’t get the best start, I got a bit of wheel spin and was passed by Fisichella but he ran wide at the exit of turn nine and got it back. You have to go for it if you have the chance and it paid off well.

"We had been quick all weekend and we had a big advantage on speed. The circuit was not bad and I was able to just take it easy, so otherwise it was pretty easy."

McLaren came close to their first one–two result in five years, but Montoya gifted second place to Alonso when he ran wide in the final lap after a collision with Jordan's Tiego Monteiro.

"I thought overtaking him was not possible but he had damaged his car, went wide, and I overtook him, so it was a nice surprise at the end but it is a bit disappointing because we were a bit slower than them," said Alonso.

Raikkonen's win was his fifth for the season and his second in succession. His victory and the increasing strength of the McLaren car has resulted in the gap being closing to only nine points behind Renault in the constructor’s championship.

The christening of fire for the new track was not without controversy. The heavy anti-clockwise design gave up plenty of opportunities for overtaking, promising an exciting and challenging round.

The most notable incident was the repeated rear tyre failures of the Williams team. However, Minardi and McLaren also faced their fair share of dramas, with Montoya almost injuring his re-fueller when flagged away too early on a pit stop.

On lap ten, Ferrari’s Schumacher, who had climbed up to 10th place, was put in a spin after a collision with Williams’ driver Mark Webber on lap 15.

The pair collided as Webber tried to squeeze through on the final corner, in an attempt to un-lap himself after a pit stop to replace a punctured tyre. Both drivers went straight to the pits, where Webber’s nosecone was replaced.

Frantic efforts by the Ferrari mechanics saw Schumacher resume the race 19 laps down, however, he eventually retired with six laps remaining.

It was, however, an impressive race for BAR Honda’s Jensen Button, who finished fifth behind Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella. It was Button’s fifth successive points finish, climbing up from 13th place on the starting grid.

With only five races remaining on the GP calendar, Alonso has 95 points to Raikkonen’s 71, with seven-time champion Michael Schumacher lagging behind at 55.

Schumacher, Massa and teammates Webber and Heidfeld all failed to finish.

•  Have a view on this story? Send us your feedback!