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Petrol Ofisi Turkish Grand Prix Preview

May 11, 2008 - 10:24 AM

May 11, 2008
Istanbul Racing Circuit 
Istanbul, Turkey 

Race 5 of 17 in Grand Prix Series

Laps: 58 
Track length: 3.316 miles 
Race length: 192 miles

Lap Record: Juan Pablo Montoya, 1:24.770 (2005)


DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Team: Renault
2008 Points: 6 (10th)

Retired at Spain with engine troubles; began his season with a 
fourth at Australia and eighth at Malaysia, then slipped to 10th 
in Bahrain; two-time champion had a tumultuous 2007 season with 
McLaren, but still managed to finish third overall; had the same 
points as teammate Lewis Hamilton, but lost the tiebreaker for 
second place; won four times last season, but relationship with 
team and Hamilton deteriorated after Ferrari spy scandal affair 
and returned to Renault for 2008 season; won consecutive titles 
in 2005-06 with Renault; won six races in 2006 and seven in 2005; 
finished third here last year.


Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
Team: McLaren
2008 Points: 20 (2nd)

Opened the season with a dominant win at Australia then ran 
fifth at Malaysia and 13th in Bahrain; finished third in Spain 
and sits second in the standings, nine points behind Kimi 
Raikkonen; had a stunning rookie season, scoring podiums in his 
first nine races; won four times and captured six poles to 
outperform more heralded former teammate Alonso; was the 
favorite to win the championship last year until errors in final 
two rounds dropped him to second place behind Raikkonen; needed 
to only finish immediately behind Alonso to claim the 
championship; retired from the race at China to give his 
teammate and Raikkonen the chance to steal the crown in the 
final race; won at Japan to open a 12-point lead over Alonso 
with two races left; made history at Canada where he became the 
first black driver to win a Formula One race; followed that 
victory in Canada by winning the United States Grand Prix; 
placed second in four consecutive races prior to his 
back-to-back wins; was the first rookie since 1964 to capture 
podium finishes in his first three races; also is the first 
black driver in series history; finished fifth here last year.


Nick Heidfeld (Germany)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 16 (5th)

Finished 5.4 seconds behind Hamilton to claim second at 
Australia; followed up with a sixth at Malaysia, fourth in 
Bahrain and ninth in Spain; was the best of the rest behind the 
Ferrari and McLaren drivers last year after an impressively 
consistent season for BMW, finishing fifth overall; did not win 
last season as best race of the season was at Canada where he 
finished second; had consecutive fourth-place finishes at Italy 
and Turkey and was third in Hungary; opened the year with three 
consecutive fourth place finishes at Australia, Malaysia and 
Bahrain; forced to retire at Spain and the United States Grand 
Prix; has nine top-five finishes in 17 starts last year. 


Felipe Massa (Brazil)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 18 (4th)

Rebounded from an awful start to the season by winning at 
Bahrain then running second in Spain; completed only 29 laps 
before retiring at Australia with engine issues; also retired at 
Malaysia by spinning out early; posted three wins and six poles 
last season, but reliability issues and a disqualification in 
Canada put him out of title contention and he wound up fourth; 
contract with Ferrari runs until 2010; retired from the Italian 
Grand Prix with suspension problems, dropping to fourth place in 
the standings; bounced back from a 13th-place finish at Hungary 
by winning in Turkey; posted a runner-up finish at the Grand 
Prix of Europe after slipping to fourth place following a fifth 
place finish at the British Grand Prix; was runner-up to 
Raikkonen at Magny-Cours and season finale at Brazil; ran third 
at Indianapolis and Monaco after capturing two straight 
checkered flags at Bahrain and Spain; had 11 top five finishes in 
17 starts last season.


Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 29 (1st)

Won in Spain to open nine-point lead over Hamilton; opened 
defense of his title by running eighth at Australia, completing 
just 53 laps before having engine problems; bounced back to win 
at Malaysia then ran second at Bahrain; won first appearance for 
Ferrari in Australia last season then went on to win five more 
times; biggest win came at the season-ending event at Brazil, 
which gave him his first drivers' title by a single point over 
Hamilton; trailed Hamilton by seven points entering final race; 
retired from the Grand Prix of Europe after consecutive 
checkered flag wins at the British Grand Prix and Magny-Cours; 
had six wins and 14 top-five finishes in 17 starts last season; 
struggled to eighth place at Monaco and retired due to 
electrical problems at Spain, dropping him from first to fourth 
in the standings; joined Ferrari after spending five years with
McLaren where he went winless in 2006; ran second to Massa here
last season.


2007 Top 10
-----------

 1. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari 
 2. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferari  
 3. Fernando Alonso, Spain, McLaren-Mercedes
 4. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW
 5. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes
 6. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, Renault  
 7. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams-Toyota 
 8. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW 
 9. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Renault
10. David Coulthard, Great Britain, Red Bull-Renault 


Past Champions
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2007  Felipe Massa, Ferrari
2006  Felipe Massa, Ferrari 
2005  Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes