GP – Free Practice 1: Massa Ahead of the McLarens

For this fourth edition of the Turkish Grand Prix, it was Felipe Massa in a Ferrari who took the lead during the first free practice session on the Istanbul circuit.

While his teammate, Kimi Räikkönen, is dead last due to a gearbox problem, Massa takes the lead with a time of 1’27”323, which is a tenth of a second faster than McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen’s.

The Finn proved he had absolutely no after-effects from his accident in Barcelona as he beat his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, for second place.

This first session started very calmly. Several parts of the track were wet due to the cleaning that had been done a few hours earlier. That is why the drivers delayed their entry onto the track, waiting for the asphalt to dry. The rather cool temperatures of this early morning did not help the situation at all.

Forty minutes had passed before Sébastien Bourdais’s Toro Rosso set off to record the first time of this session, encouraging the other drivers to leave their garages.

The grip was low even though the chill was gradually dissipating. The Bridgestone tires struggled to reach the optimum temperature, making it challenging for the drivers.

Kazuki Nakajima (Williams), Adrian Sutil (Force India), Jarno Trulli (Toyota), Massa and Hamilton were all caught out at turns 3 and 6 during their first fast lap, while Sutil’s teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, went off the track at turn 7.

Turn 8, a true feat in its field, also caused numerous errors from the drivers. This was the case for Robert Kubica of BMW, David Coulthard of Red Bull, Massa, and Sutil, who all visited the run-off areas. However, conditions were improving by the minute.

Kovalainen initially took the advantage with a time of 1:28.283. A lap 2 tenths faster than Hamilton’s. Ferrari took longer to find a good rhythm, but Massa set a time of 1:27.675 during his second stint.

The Finn and the Brazilian were the best of this session, but in the end, it’s the latter who takes the advantage with a 1’27”323 on his last lap.

Räikkönen went out for only three laps mid-session before returning to the garage with a gearbox problem, which ruined the rest of his morning. The world champion is last on the timing sheet.

Behind Massa and the McLarens, we find Fernando Alonso, who confirms the good form of the Renault team.

Finally, it was a promising morning for Honda as Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello took fifth and eighth places respectively. They were separated by the impressive Nakajima (6th) and by Nick Heidfeld in the BMW (7th). Nelson Piquet’s Renault and Timo Glock’s Toyota finished in the top ten, with the Brazilian ahead of the German.

Results of Free Practice 1 – 2008 Turkish GP