2008 Turkish Grand Prix

Championship standings

Räikkönen leads on 29 points, nine ahead of Hamilton on 20. Massa is fourth with 18, Kubica third on 19, Heidfeld fifth on 16. Ferrari lead the Constructors’ on 47, with BMW Sauber on 35 and McLaren a further point behind.

Previous race

Räikkönen won in Spain for Ferrari’s third consecutive victory, with Massa second and Hamilton third. Kovalainen suffered a heavy crash, though she escaped with only minor concussion and was passed fit to race in Turkey.

Between-race developments

Super Aguri withdrew from Formula One on 6 May due to financial difficulties. The team’s trucks were blocked from entering the Istanbul paddock after Honda CEO Nick Fry informed the FIA that Super Aguri would not race. Team owner Aguri Suzuki confirmed the financial situation could not be resolved. The sport now has ten teams and 20 drivers.

Entrants

Toro Rosso had planned to debut their new STR3 car at this race but have been forced to delay. A crash suffered by Bourdais during pre-race testing damaged the chassis and left the team short of spare parts. The team will race the STR2 — a modified version of their 2007 car — for a fifth consecutive round.

Milestones

This is Rubens Barrichello’s 257th Grand Prix start, breaking Riccardo Patrese’s previous record of 256. As there is some disagreement over what constitutes a “start,” Barrichello and Honda have chosen Turkey as the venue for official celebrations. His Honda has been given a special anniversary livery prominently featuring the number 257. Patrese said he would feel “some sadness” at seeing his record broken.

Practice

Damp patches on the track from late cleaning left cars struggling for grip in FP1. Räikkönen completed only three laps before retiring with a gearbox problem and ended last. Massa was fastest, ahead of Kovalainen and Hamilton. Fisichella was given a three-place grid penalty for exiting the pit lane against a red light at the end of FP1. Räikkönen took FP2, with Hamilton second and Massa third; Webber crashed at turn six, sustaining serious damage to his Red Bull, and was unable to continue the session. The final session was dry but had damp patches: Webber topped the times ahead of Alonso and Coulthard, with Massa fifth, Hamilton seventh and Räikkönen 11th.