FIA analysis of Ferrari in Turkey

[mstillhere]

I just read this article written by David Tremayne on the FIA ufficial site and I am speechless. Like James Allen David totally negletts the historic third consecutive pole position accomplished by Massa in Turkey and in his introduction says" As Ferrari’s Felipe Massa shoots for a hat-trick of wins at Istanbul Park, McLaren are better placed to frustrate him than they have been since Melbourne...".http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/5/7766.html

McLaren are better placed since Melbourne??? I thought that the BEST place is FIRST not second nor THIRD. Are these people thinking that the guy in first position is the guy is not who wins? James Allen two weeks ago talking about how pleased he was with Hamilton's THIRD place? I am speechless. I know that you don't want to praise the competition's achievements but it's way out of line saying that McLAren are in a better position than Ferrari because they can put Ferrari under pressure. If somebody is under pressure right now that would be McLaren not Ferrari. Let's not forget that McLAren have not won a championship in a billion years. And soon they will be adding this year too in their records. I read their statements about how close was Hamilton to Kimi yesterday "forgetting" to mention that Kimi was on hard tires and LH on soft. Are we calling these news or a deliberate attempt to alter the truth? Are they forgetting that there are people in these forums that have been following F1 for way longer than they have? Do they really think that we don't know the difference betweena soft and a hard tire? At first I thought that they were just kidding now since they have not stopped misinforming the public I think that this shame ought to be stopped.

[Valve Bounce]

I thought Hamilton had incorrectly chosen hard tyres.

[woody2goody]

Well, I agree with you, Massa is in the BEST position for tomorrow.

However, McLaren are in a better position. They are not as far behind as they have been, and both drivers look consistent. Ferrari, as has been well documented, struggle to get the tyres warmed up. Maybe this leaves them vulnerable to first lap pressure. If Kovalainen gets off the grid well and harasses Massa early on, we could see a mistake from the Brazilian. He has been fast this week as usual in turkey, but he has made several mistakes in practice and is always vulnerable to an error or two come race day.

Then there is also the start. Massa (P) and Hamilton (3rd) are on the supposedly 'cleaner' side of the grid, where the two Finns, Kovalainen (2nd) and Raikkonen (4th) are on the 'dirtier' side.

Ferrari's starts have been excellent so far, not so much the initial getaway but the acceleration through the gears. For example, in Spain, it looked like Alonso had got a better start than Kimi, but then the Ferrari just pulled away from the Renault in 2nd and 3rd gears and Alonso's challenge was gone.

Hamilton proved in Q3 that he has good pace on the hard tyre. He couldn't find a setup he liked on the softs and this is why he used the hards in Q3. The hard tyre is better for McLaren as it obviously has a lower wear rate than the soft ones. If Lewis can keep the pace up he has a shot at the podium, depending on whether he reaches turn 1 ahead of Raikkonen and Kubica.

Kovalainen, on the other hand, seems to have got a nice setup to get the best out of the softer tyres. If he can maintain this pace throughout the race, he will do well. I think he will be second behind Massa with Raikkonen third.

On James Allen, we all know about his pro-Hamilton-ness. Hamilton did drive a very good race in Barcelona. I don't think that car had the right to be that close to Ferrari in that particular race. It was interesting that he ruined Kubica's strategy by getting infront of him at the start. Maybe the Pole could have challenged for 2nd there.

[mstillhere]

Well, I agree with you, Massa is in the BEST position for tomorrow.

However, McLaren are in a better position. They are not as far behind as they have been, and both drivers look consistent. Ferrari, as has been well documented, struggle to get the tyres warmed up. Maybe this leaves them vulnerable to first lap pressure. If Kovalainen gets off the grid well and harasses Massa early on, we could see a mistake from the Brazilian. He has been fast this week as usual in turkey, but he has made several mistakes in practice and is always vulnerable to an error or two come race day.

Then there is also the start. Massa (P) and Hamilton (3rd) are on the supposedly 'cleaner' side of the grid, where the two Finns, Kovalainen (2nd) and Raikkonen (4th) are on the 'dirtier' side.

Ferrari's starts have been excellent so far, not so much the initial getaway but the acceleration through the gears. For example, in Spain, it looked like Alonso had got a better start than Kimi, but then the Ferrari just pulled away from the Renault in 2nd and 3rd gears and Alonso's challenge was gone.

Hamilton proved in Q3 that he has good pace on the hard tyre. He couldn't find a setup he liked on the softs and this is why he used the hards in Q3. The hard tyre is better for McLaren as it obviously has a lower wear rate than the soft ones. If Lewis can keep the pace up he has a shot at the podium, depending on whether he reaches turn 1 ahead of Raikkonen and Kubica.

Kovalainen, on the other hand, seems to have got a nice setup to get the best out of the softer tyres. If he can maintain this pace throughout the race, he will do well. I think he will be second behind Massa with Raikkonen third.

On James Allen, we all know about his pro-Hamilton-ness. Hamilton did drive a very good race in Barcelona. I don't think that car had the right to be that close to Ferrari in that particular race. It was interesting that he ruined Kubica's strategy by getting infront of him at the start. Maybe the Pole could have challenged for 2nd there.

I bet anything that Kimi as always is heavy on gas. FM, Kova and LH are light. Kimi's strategy will prevail as it has other times and both Mclarens will be past by BMW and Alonso. What I saw today during qualify was a McLaren tha was very nervous and difficult to control. Tomorrow we should see it again. The Turkish track is Ferrari's track. We have seeing it before with two Ferrari wins in a row and I am pretty sure we will see it tomorrow again (knocking on wood, obviously). I think both Mclaren strategy is being light and try to slow down Kimi but I think that Kimi will be passing both his main competitors since this track is a track where it is easier to pass. Anyway, lets wait and see now.

[Valve Bounce]

I wonder what will happen in Turn 1

[BDunnell]

On James Allen, we all know about his pro-Hamilton-ness.

I find ITV's overall Hamilton obsession rather annoying, but I do think it's ironic that this is the same James Allen who was always derided for being too pro-Michael Schumacher.

[woody2goody]

I bet anything that Kimi as always is heavy on gas. FM, Kova and LH are light. Kimi's strategy will prevail as it has other times and both Mclarens will be past by BMW and Alonso. What I saw today during qualify was a McLaren tha was very nervous and difficult to control. Tomorrow we should see it again. The Turkish track is Ferrari's track. We have seeing it before with two Ferrari wins in a row and I am pretty sure we will see it tomorrow again (knocking on wood, obviously). I think both Mclaren strategy is being light and try to slow down Kimi but I think that Kimi will be passing both his main competitors since this track is a track where it is easier to pass. Anyway, lets wait and see now.

Good points. I don't think Kimi will get past Kovy because Kovy looked much more settled than Hamilton, and he can utilise the quicker soft tyres better than the Englishman.

Once Massa gets in the groove, the only way to beat him will be for a safety car and to put pressure on him at a restart. If someone can do that early i the race then we may see a different winner than expected.

This is Massa's season right here. If he wins tomorrow it will be a fantastic platform to challenge for the championship. If he doesn't, on a track where he dominates, his morale will be shot and he won't have a chance the rest of the season.

Alonso, unfortunately won't figure in the race for the podium. I hope the BMW's can, but Nick especially needs a great start from 9th. After watching the previous Turkish GPs and GP2 races, turn one trouble is always started in the middle of the pack, around the 6th position, so those guys better watch out.

[Tazio]

I just read this article written by David Tremayne on the FIA ufficial site and I am speechless. Like James Allen David totally negletts the historic third consecutive pole position accomplished by Massa in Turkey and in his introduction says" As Ferrari’s Felipe Massa shoots for a hat-trick of wins at Istanbul Park, McLaren are better placed to frustrate him than they have been since Melbourne...".http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/5/7766.html

McLaren are better placed since Melbourne??? I thought that the BEST place is FIRST not second nor THIRD. Are these people thinking that the guy in first position is the guy is not who wins? James Allen two weeks ago talking about how pleased he was with Hamilton's THIRD place? I am speechless. I know that you don't want to praise the competition's achievements but it's way out of line saying that McLAren are in a better position than Ferrari because they can put Ferrari under pressure. If somebody is under pressure right now that would be McLaren not Ferrari. Let's not forget that McLAren have not won a championship in a billion years. And soon they will be adding this year too in their records. I read their statements about how close was Hamilton to Kimi yesterday "forgetting" to mention that Kimi was on hard tires and LH on soft. Are we calling these news or a deliberate attempt to alter the truth? Are they forgetting that there are people in these forums that have been following F1 for way longer than they have? Do they really think that we don't know the difference betweena soft and a hard tire? At first I thought that they were just kidding now since they have not stopped misinforming the public I think that this shame ought to be stopped.

You've
misunderstood the premise of the article:

McLaren are better placed to frustrate him than they have been since Melbourne.

Mclaren are placed in be a better position to beat Ferrari. Than they have been since the first race. Meaning they are higher up on the grid then they were in the last 3 races! He's not saying that they have an
advantage over anybody except themselves in relation to where the Ferrari's are!

[aryan]

I just read this article written by David Tremayne on the FIA ufficial site and I am speechless. Like James Allen David totally negletts the historic third consecutive pole position accomplished by Massa in Turkey and in his introduction says" As Ferrari’s Felipe Massa shoots for a hat-trick of wins at Istanbul Park, McLaren are better placed to frustrate him than they have been since Melbourne...".http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/5/7766.html

McLaren are better placed since Melbourne??? I thought that the BEST place is FIRST not second nor THIRD.

Eh, look, in English, this means Since the time of Melbourne, McLaren has not been in this good a position to challenge Ferrari. That sentence does not imply that second and third are better places than first, it implies that McLaren has not been in such a (relatively) good position since Melbourne.

Either you are failing to understand a simple English sentence, or deliberately twisting his words.

[F1boat]

I live in Bulgaria. which is close to Turkey (we are neighbors) and the weather here is rather cool. To me it seems that McLaren work better in colder conditions, while Ferrari are faster when it is hot. So McLaren are in good position to win, although overtaking in Turkey is not too easy, as Alonso showed to M Shumacher in 2006. We have to wait and see, but if McLaren win here, they will have a momentum, because they are traditionally the best in Monaco, winning there even in 2002.