GP – McLaren drivers appreciate the Istanbul circuit

Heikki Kovalainen is happy to be back racing after his accident at the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago.

The Finn proved that he had recovered very well from this ordeal as he finished in second place in the first free practice session of the Turkish Grand Prix.

In the afternoon, the McLaren driver admittedly dropped to fifth place, but was still thrilled to be in his seat.

« It was nice to be back at the wheel of my single-seater, and everything went very well. I was in the rhythm, » Kovalainen declared.

« The second session went well. We focused on evaluating the tires with long runs to find the best possible setup. A very productive and positive day. »

His McLaren teammate, Lewis Hamilton, finished in second place in the afternoon, just 0.036 seconds behind his main rival Kimi Räikkönen.

The Briton also admitted being satisfied with his workday.

« We focused on the evaluation of the tires and the setup of the car, and so far, things aren’t going so badly! »

« Everyone lost a bit of time in the first session because the track was still wet after being cleaned. This circuit is constantly evolving, which is a real challenge but still enjoyable, » commented Hamilton.

« In the morning, I stayed with the same set of tires throughout the session. There were no major problems. Overall, I am happy with our pace as everything is consistent. »