F1 Preview: Turkey GP, Can Mark Webber make a hat-trick!

Turkey GP Circuit

Little is to be said on who is the favorite at the Turkey GP after the last two races at Spain and Monaco. Mark Webber of Red Bull is having a run of his life on the track and will want to continue this at Istanbul. His team-mate Sebastian Vettel will try his best to out-stage his own partner as both of them lead the driver’s tally with 78 point each. With two wins in a row Webber has amassed a staggering 50 points in just two races.

Ferrari man Fernando Alonso who is currently positioned at the third place will try to give the Red Bull team some problems with his technically correct driving at Turkey. Alonso trails the two leaders by just three points. He had a funny race at Monaco where he bounced back to the 6^th position from the 24^th after an initial lapse. In the climactic moments of the race Fernando Alonso was overtaken by comeback man Michael Schumacher under suspicious circumstances only to get penalized later.

Mclaren driver Lewis Hamilton has had a relatively dry season till now as he has been met by strong competitors and unfortune this season. Hamilton blew his tyre at the Spanish GP. He is currently at the seventh position in the drivers table. His teammate Jenson Button has won two races this season and stands at fourth position at the moment. A long season stands ahead and changes are expected.

TURN 8 AT TURKEY

At Istanbul, the circuit offers great challenges to the drivers. The two most unique features of the circuit are turn eight and the anticlockwise direction. Istanbul is one of four circuits where the running is anticlockwise along with Singapore, Brazil’s Interlagos and Abu Dhabi. The famous turn eight promises to be one of the most challenging in all circuits in Formula one. “Istanbul Park is a track that I really enjoy,” says Button. “Turn Eight is one of the best corners in Formula One: it feels fantastic when you throw the car into the first apex, and then just feed it through with very precise throttle and steering inputs. When you get it right, it feels absolutely fantastic – you really can pull a lot of speed through that corner.”

The speeds at the track go upto 350km an hour and the track temperature upto 55 degree celcius. In short, the drivers will have to put their best forward here.

In the Indian connect, Force India have an important upgrade in their car that should boost their chances however, it will not be that easy as the drivers Adrian Sutil and Antonnio Liuzzi will need time to get used to the changes. They would have both tested the cars in the practice and will set out raring on Sunday.

Meanwhile Karun Chandhok of HRT will look to complete the race, as simple as that!