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Not only is it round seven of the Formula One World championship, but it is also round seven of the Fantasy Racers competition. Prior to Monaco I made some changes to a couple of the teams, and although things didn’t drastically improve, Inner Pickle Racing managed to scoop up a massive 753 points. Of course, it didn’t last and following the Turkish Grand Prix, the teams are back down to where they usually finish, collecting around the 400-600 points mark. Continue Reading

Most drivers started the Turkish Grand Prix on the preferred harder compound tyre and divided the race in to three stints with two stops. However, some decided to be a little daring and try three stops (and even one stop), but it seemed that the two-stop option turned out to be the faster. The talking point is Sebastian Vettel’s race, who started on a three-stopper, but after losing his advantage, Red Bull should have changed him to a two-stop. They didn’t and the German spent most of the afternoon chasing other drivers. Continue Reading

Jenson Button has won the Turkish Grand Prix in dominant fashion after he managed to get ahead of Sebastian Vettel on the first lap. Stopping twice Button’s initial pressure came from Vettel, then Webber as the German slipped behind his team mate. It wasn’t a perfect race for Brawn though as they suffered their first retirement of the season, Rubens Barrichello parking the car in the garage after issues with his gearbox. Continue Reading

To keep track of the race, the pitstops and the incidents, the live notes return and will be updated as the Turkish Grand Prix unfolds before us. Jenson Button was fastest in qualifying after the fuel levels were taken into account, but Sebastian Vettel has shown he is capable of winning from pole, although so far the German has only managed victory in the rain. The soft tyre tends to fall off quickly once the track reaches 45°C, but yesterday the circuit cooled slightly as qualifying progressed. Expect some one-stoppers, although it would appear that two stops is the favourable strategy for the front-runners. Continue Reading

Round seven of the 2009 Formula One World Championship sees the circus in Turkey and the Istanbul Park circuit. We have Sebastian Vettel on pole for the race, who starts on the grippy side of the track. Right behind and on the less-grippy side is Jenson Button, but the Briton can go a lap or two further into the first stint. Mark Webber is in fourth behind Rubens Barrichello and previous Istanbul winner Felipe Massa starts behind his team mate in seventh. Continue Reading

The post-qualifying weights of the cars competing in the Turkish Grand Prix have been (not quite) published by the FIA, and from the data provided we can see who did well during Saturday’s running and who did not. Also, from this data and Williams’s reckoning that a normalised distance of 5km around Istanbul Park requires 2.49kg of fuel, we can work out that the 5.338km circuit would use 2.66kg of fuel. Taking away the minimum car-and-driver weight of 605kg, plus 2 laps (5.32kg) for grid forming and margin, we can have a guess at when each of the drivers will stop first. Continue Reading

Sebastian Vettel set the Istanbul Park circuit alight earlier with a display of awesome speed to claim pole position for tomorrow’s race. However, right behind the Red Bull pilot are the two Brawn drivers of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, who will want to continue their dominant form into the mid-season. Mark Webber is desperate to get his maiden victory in Formula One, and Jarno Trulli has looked relatively quick all weekend. The experience of Ferrari will help them and Felipe Massa seems to enjoy this track the most, dominating in previous years. Continue Reading

With qualifying completed we now have the grid for tomorrow’s Turkish Grand Prix, held around the demanding Istanbul Park circuit. In the past, Felipe Massa has dominated, but with the shake-up to the general order this season, it is Sebastian Vettel who excited on Saturday and looks set to have a great race. Right behind the Red Bull pilot are both Brawn drivers, and with Jenson Button narrowly missing out on the pole, you cannot rule the Briton out. Rubens Barrichello also appeared to have a stellar lap in qualifying, although the car weights are yet to be published. Continue Reading

Sebastian Vettel has taken his second pole position of the 2009 Formula One World Championship, claiming the place ahead of both Brawn cars and his team mate, Mark Webber. Qualifying saw another early exit for Lewis Hamilton, while similarly powered Adrian Sutil in the Force India managed to get through to Q2. Nelson Piquet Jr. entertained with two spins in Q1 while BMW and Toyota split themselves in Q2 and Q3. Continue Reading

Round seven of the 2009 Formula One World Championship is upon us, and here are my live notes from all three qualifying sessions. As the 20 drivers battle it out for supremacy around Istanbul Park, any incident will be noted, and the qualifying result post will updated with times and positions following the end of each stint. Undoubtedly the Brawns will be up there, but Toyota are looking okay, and Robert Kubica surprised in the second practice session. McLaren and Ferrari are improving, and Red Bull are still maintaining reasonable form. Continue Reading