2008 Turkish Grand Prix

The IV Petrol Ofisi Türkiye Grand Prix'si, otherwise known as the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix, was the fifth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Istanbul Park Racing Circuit near Istanbul, Turkey, on 11 May 2008.'5. Turkey 2008', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)'Turkey 2008: Massa attack as McLaren fight back.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 11/05/2008), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/62107/1/turkey-2008-massa-attack-as-mclaren-fight-back, (Accessed 24/02/2020) The race would see Felipe Massa secure his third straight pole and victory at the Turkish Grand Prix, as Rubens Barrichello broke the record for most Grand Prix starts.
Ahead of the race news emerged that had entered administration, the result of a major backer withdrawing funding.[Archived] 'Aguri trucks barred from paddock', itv-f1.com, (ITV, 04/05/2008), https://web.archive.org/web/20080607232309/http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=42499, (Accessed 24/02/2020) - Original An attempt by Dubai International Capital, trading under the name "Magma Group" had been made to take over the Aguri team, although that was ultimately rejected by senior staff over concerns over how the payment would be implemented.
Qualifying for the Turkish Grand Prix hence saw a tweak to the knockout stages, with only five cars being removed in both Q1 and Q2, to leave ten drivers in Q3. Regardless, it was Istanbul specialist Massa who emerged on pole position for , sharing the front row with Heikki Kovalainen.
The start of the race saw Massa sprint into an early lead, leaving Kovalainen to be beaten into turn one by his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Räikkönen tried to follow the Brit past the #23 but was squeezed by his compatriot, resulting in the front wing the Ferrari shredding Kovalainen's left rear tyre.
Kovalainen quickly dropped to the back of the field, as behind Giancarlo Fisichella crashed out spectacularly, the flying over the back of Kazuki Nakajima's . Their collision preceded that of Sebastian Vettel and Adrian Sutil, with the sheer amount of debris and Fisichella's ruined Force India meaning that the Safety Car was called upon to clear the circuit.
The restart came on lap three, with Massa sprinting clear of Hamitlon, while Räikkönen attacked Fernando Alonso for fourth, having slipped behind the Spaniard and Robert Kubica. The Finn duly secured fourth and went sprinting off after Kubica, with the top four soon breaking clear of Alonso's .
The first round of stops were begun by Alonso on lap fifteen, with Hamilton the next to stop a lap later, having exchanged fastest laps with Massa. The Brazilian pitted on lap nineteen along with Kubica and rejoined ahead of the Brit, allowing Räikkönen to lead for a lap before making his stop.
That stop left Räikkönen ahead of Kubica, while Nick Heidfeld managed to jump Alonso to secure fifth. Out front, meanwhile, Hamilton had short-fuelled to gamble on a three-stop strategy, and duly passed Massa on lap 24 with a lunge at turn twelve.
Hamilton did his best to break clear, and rejoined in third after making his second stop on lap 32. Massa made his second and final stop eight laps later and rejoined ten seconds behind the Brit, while Räikkönen stopped a lap later and rejoined a further seven seconds off.
The Brit continued to stretch his lead during his third stint, opening it out to just above fourteen seconds before pitting on lap 45. He rejoined in between the two Ferraris, and duly set about demolishing Massa's lead, although the Brazilian was able to maintain a similar pace to the McLaren.
Although Hamilton continued to eek into Massa's advantage the race victory was never in doubt, with Massa remaining three seconds clear of Hamilton to claim his third win in a row in Turkey. Räikkönen completed the podium having closed in on Hamilton in the closing stages, while Kubica and Heidfeld picked up solid points for . Alonso, Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg secured the remaining points.
==Background==
Kimi Räikkönen used his second victory of the campaign to establish a nine point lead atop the Championship hunt in Spain, leaving Barcelona with 29 points to his name. Lewis Hamilton had moved back up into second to sit as the Finn's closest challenger, while Robert Kubica was just a point further back in third. Another point separated the Polish racer from Felipe Massa, while Nick Heidfeld completed the early season top five on sixteen.
In the Constructors Championship had moved to the head of the pack with a second one-two in a row in Spain, and left the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with 47 points. That translated to a twelve point lead over former leaders , who left Spain just a point ahead of in third. were next ahead of , while had their first points of the campaign, leaving and the outgoing squads as the only pointless teams.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
3 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
4 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
7 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
9 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
10 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
11 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
12 	Timo Glock 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR2B 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
15 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR2B 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
16 	Jenson Button 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
17 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
18 	Takuma Sato 	Super Aguri F1 Team 	 	SA08A 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
19 	Anthony Davidson 	Super Aguri F1 Team 	 	SA08A 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
22 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Turkey 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	1 	1:25.994 	 	3 	1:26.192 	 	1 	1:27.617 	1
2 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	6 	1:26.736 	 	4 	1:26.290 	 	2 	1:27.808 	2
3 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	2 	1:26.192 	 	6 	1:26.477 	 	3 	1:27.923 	3
4 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	3 	1:26.457 	 	1 	1:26.050 	 	4 	1:27.936 	4
5 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	7 	1:26.761 	 	2 	1:26.129 	 	5 	1:28.390 	5
6 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	 	8 	1:26.773 	 	5 	1:26.466 	 	6 	1:28.417 	6
7 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	9 	1:26.836 	 	8 	1:26.522 	 	7 	1:28.422 	7
8 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	5 	1:26.695 	 	10 	1:26.522 	 	8 	1:28.836 	8
9 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	11 	1:27.107 	 	9 	1:26.607 	 	9 	1:28.882 	9
10 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	 	10 	1:26.939 	 	7 	1:26.520 	 	10 	1:29.959 	10
11 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	13 	1:27.367 	 	11 	1:27.012 	 	 	 	11
12 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	12 	1:27.355 	 	12 	1:27.219 	 	 	 	12
13 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	 	14 	1:27.428 	 	13 	1:27.298 	 	 	 	13
14 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	15 	1:27.442 	 	14 	1:27.412 	 	 	 	14
15 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	 	4 	1:26.614 	 	15 	1:27.806 	 	 	 	15
16 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	 	16 	1:27.547 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	 	17 	1:27.568 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	 	18 	1:27.621 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19* 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	19 	1:27.807 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
20 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	20 	1:28.325 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
WD† 	18 	Takuma Sato 	 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn
WD† 	19 	Anthony Davidson 	 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn
Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETROL OFISI TURKISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/829/turkey/qualifying.html, (Accessed 24/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
** Fisichella was awarded a three place grid penalty for exiting the pitlane when a red light was show in FP1.
*† Both Sato and Davidson's entries were withdrawn as Super Aguri had entered administration.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	58 	1:26:49.451 	1 	10
2 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	58 	+3.779s 	3 	8
3 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	58 	+4.271s 	4 	6
4 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	58 	+21.945s 	5 	5
5 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	58 	+38.741s 	9 	4
6 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	58 	+53.724s 	7 	3
7 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	58 	+1:04.229 	6 	2
8 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	58 	+1:11.406 	11 	1
9 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	58 	+1:15.270 	10 	
10 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	58 	+1:16.344 	8 	
11 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	 	
12 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	2 	
13 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	15 	
14 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	12 	
15 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	17 	
16 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	19 	
17 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	14 	
Ret 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	24 	Suspension 	18 	
Ret 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	1 	Damage 	16 	
Ret 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	0 	Collision 	20 	
WD 	18 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	 	 	
WD 	19 	Anthony Davidson 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Turkey 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)	Source:'Turkey 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/turquie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 24/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* Rubens Barrichello made a record 257th Grand Prix start.[Archived] '2008 Turkish GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190412065733/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2008&gp=Turkish%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 24/02/2020) - Original
** This moved him level with Riccardo Patrese on the all-time list.
* Felipe Massa secured his seventh career victory.
** Also the Brazilian's twentieth podium finish.
* 205th win for as a constructor.
==Standings==
Kimi Räikkönen continued to lead the Championship hunt leaving the Turkish Grand Prix, although his advantage had been reduced by those chasing his 35 point tally. Indeed, race winner Felipe Massa had closed to within seven points of his teammate, and moved ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who matched the Brazilian's 28 point haul, but was behind courtesy of one win to Massa's two. Behind, Robert Kubica had slipped four points behind those two in fourth, while Nick Heidfeld had maintained his top five status.
In the Constructors Championship had managed to extend their lead at the head of the hunt, having moved onto 63 points courtesy of another double-podium in Turkey. had likewise secured a good points haul in Istanbul even if they had lost ground to Ferrari, and hence had remained two points ahead of . Behind, and were both embarrassing their engine suppliers as they completed the top five, while the withdrawal of had left as the only pointless team.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	35 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	28 	2
3 	Lewis Hamilton 	28 	1
4 	Robert Kubica 	24 	1
5 	Nick Heidfeld 	20 	
6 	Heikki Kovalainen 	14 	
7 	Mark Webber 	10 	1
8 	Jarno Trulli 	9 	1
9 	Fernando Alonso 	9 	1
10 	Nico Rosberg 	8 	1
11 	Kazuki Nakajima 	5 	
12 	Jenson Button 	3 	
13 	Sébastien Bourdais 	2 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	63 	
2 	 	44 	
3 	 	42 	
4 	 	13 	
5 	 	10 	1
6 	 	9 	1
7 	 	9 	
8 	 	3 	
9 	 	2 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==See Also==
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:2008 Grands Prix
Category:Turkish Grand Prix
Category:Grand Prix articles