Turkish GP: Ferrari must continue to improve its performance

After significant improvements made during the last three Grand Prix, Ferrari will see if its performance will still be up to par at the Turkish Grand Prix, at the Istanbul Park circuit.

Kimi Räikkönen – Racing driver

Ferrari has been very good at the Turkish Grand Prix over the past three years, but this time Brawn GP is the big favorite, as they have won five of the six races so far. We have closed the gap, but we must give it our all to come back. It was very good to be back on the podium in Monaco. The team worked very hard and it is a very nice reward to have both cars among the top four. The Monaco weekend shows that we are making progress given the result, but we still need to be patient, I know our supporters want us to win immediately, but they have to be realistic. We are closer for sure and we will have more improvements in Turkey, but we know that others are working very hard as well.

Compared to Monaco, Istanbul Park is a more conventional track, and we have a more defined idea of what we need to do. I like this track because it is very demanding. There are different types of corners and blind spots for braking, a necessary mix for a good race. The cars this year have less downforce, but we are using slick tires. Turn eight will be very exciting under these circumstances. I think it’s that downforce that we still need to improve compared to Brawn GP and Red Bull, but we are on the right track. Now, almost halfway through the season, I am more optimistic than at the start, especially with the developments we’ve made in the last two races. We know there are still many improvements to come, which is positive for the future. Winning five of the first six races of the season puts you in an excellent position to win the title, but the championship is not over yet. Anything can happen, and things can change very quickly.

Felipe Massa – Racing driver

« I have a very good record in Istanbul, having won for the last three years starting from pole position each time. It’s hard for me to explain why I’m very strong here, other than the fact that we’ve had three fantastic weekends in Turkey, when everything works perfectly, with a very high-performing car from the first practice session. It would be nice to continue in the same direction. I enjoy the track and feel really comfortable here, but it’s hard to pinpoint why this circuit suits me better than some other circuits. I prefer fast tracks and I have a lot of feel for the corners here, which adds to the speed on this particular section of the track. I think I have also found a good setup for the car on this circuit. It’s not just Turkey because I have won in Brazil over the last two years. »

The Turn Eight in Istanbul is an incredible corner, where you reach the highest levels of lateral G-force of the season, which puts a lot of stress on your body and neck. On top of this, in the middle of the turn, there’s a big bump that can cause stability issues. It’s truly a tricky corner, with different lines to choose from depending on how your car is behaving. Sometimes you have too much understeer or oversteer in the middle, and all these factors make this circuit very difficult. In recent years, I didn’t need to think about overtaking possibilities in Istanbul, starting from pole position on the grid. This year, considering the front-end performances in qualifying, it will be very interesting on Saturday afternoon, but at least the track offers some overtaking opportunities, particularly with the long straights. Last year, Lewis (Hamilton) changed his strategy to make three stops, which worked to overtake me.