2006 Turkish Grand Prix

Championship standings

Alonso leads the championship with 100 points, holding a ten-point advantage over Schumacher on 90. Ferrari teammate Massa is third on 52, level with both Räikkönen and Fisichella on 49. In the Constructors’ Championship, Renault lead on 149 points, seven ahead of Ferrari. McLaren are third on 89.

Previous race

Jenson Button won in Hungary — the first victory of his career, the first for a British driver since David Coulthard’s 2003 Australian Grand Prix win, and the first for Honda as a constructor since John Surtees won the 1967 Italian Grand Prix. De la Rosa finished second in only his second race back with McLaren, the only podium of his career. Heidfeld was third, BMW Sauber’s first ever podium. Alonso retired while leading when a wheel nut came loose at a pit stop. Schumacher retired after a collision with Heidfeld and was classified eighth. It was the first all-Michelin podium since 2003 and the only race of the season in which neither Renault nor Ferrari won or reached the podium.

Between-race developments

BMW Sauber officially confirmed on 7 August that Villeneuve has left the team, with Kubica promoted permanently for the remainder of the season.

On 23 August, the FIA International Court of Appeal upheld the FIA’s own appeal against the German stewards’ ruling. The Court found that the mass damper system infringes Article 3.15 of the Technical Regulations, as the devices do not “remain immobile in relation to the sprung part of the car.” The system is officially banned from this race onwards.

Entrants

Sebastian Vettel, 19, joins BMW Sauber as their Friday test driver from this weekend onwards, replacing the promoted Kubica in that role.

Practice

Räikkönen set the fastest time in the first Friday session despite completing only five laps. In the second session, Vettel set the fastest time on his first Grand Prix weekend appearance — impressing enough to agree to see out the year with the German team.

Milestones

This is the second Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park. The weekend also marks the 200th Formula One race for the McLaren-Mercedes partnership, which began in 1995.