Having taken victory at Istanbul Park last season, Felipe Massa will be looking to replicate his success during today s race. The 2007 Formula 1 Petrol Ofisi Turkish Grand Prix looks set to be a close battle between the Ferrari and McLaren teams, with Massa starting on pole alongside Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso start from row two for the 58 lap race.
With a track temperature of 52 degrees, it s likely that most teams will use the softer tyre which is slightly faster over a race distance, although not as durable. The softer option is actually a medium compound tyre, although softer than the harder compound supplied by Bridgestone for this weekend. Team strategy is likely to involve two pit stops, although some teams may gamble for one.
Despite concerns over initial traction from the dirtier side of the grid, both McLarens start on the harder compound tyre, whereas their archrivals start on the soft.
All drivers drive away for the parade lap. Coulthard complains of gearbox issues which have plagued the Red Bull team this season.
Lap 1 Raikkonen gets ahead of the McLaren of Hamilton, Alonso drops to sixth his second consecutive poor start having lost a number of places during the Hungarian Grand Prix. Webber moves into tenth, but Coulthard launches himself to ninth from thirteenth. Barrichello also has a good start, going from last to sixteenth. Trulli spins and falls to twenty-first after being knocked by Fisichella.
Lap 4 Hamilton appears to have the Ferraris in check as the leaders trade fastest sector times.
Lap 8 Trulli passes Button for seventeenth. Alonso lines up Heidfeld for fifth, after making such a poor start.
Lap 10 Mark Webber struggles with his Red Bull, being passed by Wurz and Fisichella. Webber is pushed back into the garage and into retirement, the first of the race.
Lap 11 Alonso just half a second behind Heidfeld, but unable to find a way past.
Lap 12 The softer compound appears the tyre to be on as the Ferraris begin to pull away from Hamilton.
Lap 13 Robert Kubica pits for BMW. Trulli makes an error through Turn Nine allowing Jenson Button to claim back seventeenth from the Italian.
Lap 15 Jenson closes in his team-mate Rubens Barrichello.
Lap 17 Button passes Barrichello into Turn One.
Lap 18 Heidfeld, Rosberg and Coulthard pit. Heidfeld rejoins ahead of Kubica, the Pole suffering from having such an early stop. Massa sets the fastest lap of the race so far on a 1:27.922 as Raikkonen pits; Kimi stays on the softer tyre.
Lap 19 Fernando Alonso pits and stays on the harder compound tyre, Wurz also pits. The Spaniard jumps Heidfeld for fourth.
Lap 20 Felipe Massa pits from the lead and rejoins ahead of his team-mate. Hamilton also pits and stays on the harder compound tyre. Kovalainen leads in his Renault.
Lap 21 Trulli pits along with Kovalainen, he rejoins ahead of Kubica.
Lap 22 Button passes Coulthard into Turn One.
Lap 23 Button, Yamamoto and Fisichella pit.
Lap 24 Rubens Barrichello pits his Honda. Alonso trails Hamilton by fourteen seconds.
Lap 31 Ralf Schumacher, who has yet to stop, closes down David Coulthard in the Red Bull but is unable to pass despite his fuel load.
Alonso is shown as being off-track at Turn Eight, but continues.
Lap 32 Raikkonen reduces Massa s lead by three tenths to 2.4 seconds. Hamilton continues to struggle to find a way to catch the leading Ferrari s.
Lap 33 Ralf Schumacher pits for Toyota, his only stop of the race.
Lap 34 Alonso sets his personal fastest lap of the race.
Lap 36 Rosberg continues to catch Kubica for seventh. The following lap Kubica pits.
Lap 37 – Raikkonen, having taken over a second out of Massa s lead over the previous two laps, is just over a second behind the Brazilian.
Lap 39 Ferrari mechanics come out into the pit lane, but both Ferraris drive through.
Lap 40 Raikkonen pits, but overruns his box by half a metre. Despite this he takes on the harder compound tyre and leaves the pit quickly.
Lap 41 Massa pits and rejoins ahead of Raikkonen, but in third with Hamilton and Alonso now first and second.
Lap 42 Hamilton suffers a right front tyre failure, leaving the road but managing to rejoin and drive back to the pit lane.
Lap 43 Hamilton trails fourth place Heidfeld by 3.3 seconds. The Brit having to complete the remaining laps with damaged aerodynamics.
Lap 50 Kovalainen given information that Lewis Hamilton has a damaged front wing and may be able to pass him before the end of the race.
Lap 57 Raikkonen sets the fastest lap of the race on a 1:27.295.
Lap 58 Felipe Massa takes victory for the second year in a row in Istanbul. Raikkonen finishes second, no doubt rueing his mistake during final qualifying yesterday. Fernando Alonso finishes third ahead of BMW Sauber s Nick Heidfeld, with Lewis Hamilton finishing fifth just ahead of Renault s Heikki Kovalainen. Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica make up the final points finishing positions.
