FORMULA 1 - 2010

[MIKA27]

Domenicali hints at same driver line-up in 2011

Stefano Domenicali has hinted that Felipe Massa will be staying put at Ferrari in 2011 to continue the current Massa-Alonso partnership.

Reports had hinted that the Brazilian would be replaced by Robert Kubica or Mark Webber, rumours which were enforced when his managed confirmed talks with Renault.

However, when asked by the BBC whether or not the line-up would stay the same for 2011, Domenicali replied: "Yes, I think so, yes".

Massa has blamed his lack of pace on his inability to heat the 2010 tyres, an area Ferrari are hoping to work with the 29-year-old to improve.

"Massa was struggling with the hard tyres in certain conditions in the first part of the year, so I think that is the area we need to work with him so he has more confidence in the car.

"It's easy to criticise a driver when he's not performing well, so we need to make sure the package for him is the best."

[MIKA27]

Cosworth-Renault battle to supply 13th team

Cosworth are hoping to add a fifth team to its engine supply for 2011 as a 13th team will join the grid as of next season.

However, the head of Cosworth's F1 division, Mark Gallagher expects competition from Renault, who have also shown an interest in supplying a third team besides themselves and Red Bull.

"The obvious solution [for Renault] is actually the 13th team that is coming into Formula 1," Gallagher told Reuters.

"My gut feeling is that it is probably a Cosworth-Renault competition to supply the 13th team - it certainly wouldn't be a problem [for Cosworth] to step up to the mark again and do it for next season."

There has been talk that both Lotus and Williams are looking to jump from the under-performing Cosworth engine to Renault power for 2011, however both teams have denied this.

Gallagher also denied the reports that Cosworth were being put up for flotation on the stock exchange after impressive profit forecasts.

"This is pure speculation and we kind of accept that this will happen from time to time," he explained.

"We are seeing something like 30 percent year on year growth and that's not all down to Formula 1; as a result of that we are often the target of various approaches and then you get the media speculation that comes on from that."

MIKA: IMO, Cosworth engines have been under performing and it would be better to run with a Renault or Mercedes engine.

[MIKA27]

Organisers confirm Tilke to design US track

The organisers of the United States GP in Austin, Texas have revealed that the circuit, which will be built on an undecided 700 acre plot, will be designed by F1 regular Hermann Tilke.

It's the name F1 fans fear, regularly branding his recent tracks as 'Tilkedromes' which have included this weekends Istanbul circuit, Bahrain, Sepang, Shanghai and Abu Dhabi.

The organisers however are hoping the track will be "one of the finest permanent road course facilities in the world."

An emphasis on green building and 'great' tracks from the past will inspire the design according to Tavo Hellmund.

"Fans should expect the craftsmanship Tilke is famous for, with a priority placed on green building and a track similar to the great grand prix tracks of previous generations," he told the Associated Press.

MIKA: I just hope Tilke designs an interesting track that is fast and allows for overtaking rather than just a procession.

[MIKA27]

Virgin preview the Turkish GP

Timo Glock: "The race in Monaco was disappointing for myself and the whole team, so I'm hoping we can get back to the more positive experience we all enjoyed before it in Spain. I really like the Istanbul Park Circuit. It's a track that really tests you as a driver. There are a lot of talking points around the circuit but the one that gets every driver excited here is turn 8, the triple apex, which is a lot of fun. The cars and drivers pull up to 5G for seven seconds through this left-hander, making it one of the most physical racing corners in the world. One of the other key parts of the track is the slow left-right-left at the end of the lap that leads the cars back into the pits. At the braking point the cars slow from around 300 km/h (186mph) down to 80 km/h (50mph), which makes it the best overtaking point on the lap. All in all, one of my favourite tracks and I'm looking forward to racing there."

Lucas di Grassi: "I'm really looking forward to racing in Turkey with the revised chassis and the new updates. It has been difficult over the past two races because your best benchmark is always your own team-mate in the same equipment and I haven't been able to make that comparison. It has also been difficult for the team running two different cars. I've spent a lot of time in the Simulators since Monaco to prepare myself for running with the new car and for the challenge of the Istanbul Park Circuit. I've raced here twice before in GP2 and I won both times, so I really like the track. Although we left Monaco empty-handed, we know what we can achieve when things go well. A lot of work has been done back in Bicester and Dinnington over the past week, so I hope we all get to see some reward for those efforts."

John Booth, Team Principal: "The past week since Monaco presented yet another logistical challenge for Virgin Racing. While two of our trucks, our equipment and motorhome were dispatched directly to Istanbul after the last race, one truck returned to Dinnington with Lucas' chassis VR-01: 01 so that we could carry out the modifications to his car. Finally, with effect from Turkey, we will be operating and racing two identical cars, which is one of our biggest headaches alleviated. When viewed across the whole of the race weekend, both the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix were two very productive events for us. Unfortunately, the outcome of the two races couldn't have been more different, our first two-car finish in stark contrast to the bitter blow of two DNFs in Monaco. So we head to Turkey determined to rediscover our Barcelona form and the objective once again is to get both cars to the chequered flag."

Nick Wirth, Technical Director: "The Turkish Grand Prix will be the first time since Shanghai that we have been able to get both drivers into the revised car, and all of the engineering staff are looking forward to using data from both running programmes to get the car dialed in to this tremendous track. Watching some of F1's top teams struggle through the famous and bumpy Turn 8 last year certainly inspired some of the development direction of the VR-01, and we're looking forward to the challenge that this track represents. We've addressed the issues which prevented us finishing Monaco plus we've brought further revisions to both the aero and mechanical package of the cars, so we are keen to see what we can achieve this weekend."

[MIKA27]

Force India and Red Bull to debut F-duct system

Two teams are set to debut their own versions of McLaren's F-duct system which provides less downforce on the straights and therefore a greater top-speed.

Red Bull and Force India will debut the system for the first time, whilst Ferrari are set to use an improved system for the first time which doesn't force the driver to use his hand to block a hole leaving just one hand to steer.

Mark Webber confirmed Red Bull's introduction of the system: "Yes, we will give the F-duct a go tomorrow," Webber said in Turkey. "We will give it a chance."

Whilst Force India's Liuzzi is optimistic that it will provide the team with some much needed pace, pushing the Indian team even further up the timesheets.

"We are really optimistic about it," said Liuzzi. "You can never know. It might change tomorrow, but the team has done a big work in the wind tunnel for the last two weeks to test it and it seemed to work pretty well.

"Tomorrow we'll get the confirmation because on track you never know, but we are pretty optimistic that it should be spot on."

[MIKA27]

Lotus preview the Turkish GP

Jarno Trulli: "The track in Turkey is good - turn eight is challenging but the rest of it is relatively simple, and definitely not as tricky as Monaco! I'm looking forward to getting out on track and having some better luck this weekend. My confidence in the car is growing all the time so I hope a bit of luck and the updates we've put on here will help me have a better race this weekend."

Heikki Kovalainen: "It's good to be back in Turkey, the weather is usually nice here and it seems the same this weekend. Turkey itself is really cool - Istanbul is a huge city with some great places to go. The harbour area is nice and it's good to try and take some time and have a look around there in the evening – I'm staying on the Asian side this weekend, so I'm not sure I'll get much time off, but it's still good to be here.

"The track is great - it's a big circuit and we get back to a normal open race course after Monaco. We're fully prepared and I'm looking forward to practice tomorrow to see what the new wing gives us, and where we are after seeing such good pace in the car in Monaco."

Dieter Gass, Sporting Director: "Looking back on the year so far I think we can be extremely satisfied with what we have achieved. We've completed all the targets we set out at the beginning of the season, and from the first time we started testing we have been reliable, which is a testament to the hard work put in by everyone in the team, and our partners. But now we are working on making the car quicker and improving the gap to the established teams – we are getting there, and this weekend, and at Silverstone, we're looking to take more steps forward.

"Turkey is a track the drivers like as it presents a good challenge - some high and low speed corners, and the famous triple apex corner eight all test the balance of the car, and the aero performance. It's always a challenge for the engineers and the drivers to set up the car so it's going to be an interesting weekend here – we have very experienced people throughout the team, so I'm confident we'll put on a good show. I wouldn't say Istanbul Park either suits, or doesn't suit our car, and I think we'll be pretty much where we were in Barcelona, but with we are looking to take another step forward with the next batch of updates on the car.

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Director: "Looking back on Spain and Monaco we've taken a good step forward in those races and here in Turkey we're looking to keep on improving and racing the cars in front, not those behind. We'll be using our new pillar mounted rear wing here, and have some new parts which will enable us to optimise the weight distribution, so again, I'm quietly confident we'll bridge the gap to those in front that little bit more."

[MIKA27]

Pirelli on the verge of Formula 1 deal

Pirelli is on the verge of being confirmed as Formula 1's official tyre supplier, AUTOSPORT has learned, as teams close in on signing a deal with the Italian company.

Following weeks of discussions between teams about their preferred route for 2011, the last days have been spent evaluating a straight head-to-head choice between Michelin and Pirelli.

And after a number of conference calls involving members of the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), it is understood that Pirelli has emerged as the preferred option for next year.

Although a final contract has not yet been agreed - with commercial terms and confirmation from the FIA and Formula One Management still needed to be settled - it is understood the situation is far enough agreed for an announcement to be made as early as this weekend.

Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera told Gazzetta dello Sport: "We'll see, there is this hypothesis. By Friday we should know something."

The confirmation of Pirelli will at least ensure teams can begin designing their 2011 cars with some knowledge of what tyres they will be running, as well as give Pirelli the green light to start development of F1 rubber.

As part of the deal with the teams, Pirelli will supply 13-inch tyres for at least the next two years, and it is likely it will receive guarantees that there will be no tyre war until 2013 at the earliest.

Pirelli's racing manager Mario Isola told AUTOSPORT earlier this month that he was confident about his company's bid - even though it has not been involved in F1 since 1991.

"I think that Pirelli has a very big tradition in motorsport," he said. "We have been involved in motorsport for more than 100 years. In all our story, we showed that we have the technical ability to build motorsport tyres – also in the past with F1, with WRC recently as the sole supplier contract.

"In that case, it was not easy because there were some teams that had never used our tyres, they started in an unknown situation so we showed that we were able to build and develop a tyre that was consistent and reliable. I think the teams recognise that we have the ability to do it."

[MIKA27]

Rosberg calm about long wheelbase car

Nico Rosberg has no qualms about returning to Mercedes' long wheelbase car for the Turkish Grand Prix, even though his form slumped when it was introduced in Spain.

Having out-qualified and out-raced team-mate Michael Schumacher at every race up to Catalunya, the younger German finished behind the seven-time champion in Spain, and struggled for pace in practice and race conditions in particular. They were more evenly-matched in Monaco, where Mercedes switched back to its original short wheelbase configuration.

The longer style will be used again at Istanbul Park this weekend, but Rosberg is not worried by this, as he does not believe there is anything inherent in the revised car that suits Schumacher better than him.

"I had a look at it and came to the firm conclusion that it is the faster car, because the aerodynamics have been developed around it now," Rosberg said. "So that cannot have been the problem in Barcelona."

He remains baffled by his Spanish form three weeks on, and says it leaves him uncertain about what Turkey might hold.

"There are some things that are clear, and still some things that I don't really understand," Rosberg said.

"With respect to the pace compared to Michael, for example, I'm able to find explanations. I was one tenth behind in qualifying and I can find explanations to get me ahead of him. Why we were so far away from Red Bull in Barcelona, that's more difficult to explain.

"I'm not really sure what to expect [in Turkey]. We have a lot of developments on the car again. We were strong in Monaco, so we should be okay. At the same time, we weren't very good in Barcelona. So it's difficult.

"We're making progress, but it was clear in Barcelona that we're not making enough progress. We need to get some more out of it."

[OZCUBAN]

Absolutely great posts as usual Mika

This is the one stop for F-1 news and lots quicker to sorry i havn't been able to contribute as much as i have been used to but work and time commitments (lucky to have time to read the forums as of late )

Really looking forward to the Melbourne EVENT

Keep up the good work

cheers Oz

[OZCUBAN]

  Bartolomeo said:

So glad that F1 is coming back tot he States!

But how in the heck are they going to build a racetrack in 18 months to get ready for the 2012 season? Seems like a short time for a full time F1 track and buildings?

Bart

Well said Bart

F-1 needs the U.S market good for everyone i think ,lets just hope they can do it and they do not end up the U.S GP team

Cheers Oz

[MIKA27]

  OzCuban said:

Absolutely great posts as usual Mika

This is the one stop for F-1 news and lots quicker to sorry i havn't been able to contribute as much as i have been used to but work and time commitments (lucky to have time to read the forums as of late )

Really looking forward to the Melbourne EVENT

Keep up the good work

cheers Oz

Thanks very much Oz.

I like to sift through all the news and information, picking out the good with the bad from various sources and posting them all here.

The Melbourne event looks to be fantastic with approximately 30 FOH members attending mate.

See you soon and thanks for reading bud, always welcome.

[OZCUBAN]

  MIKA27 said:

Organisers confirm Tilke to design US track

The organisers of the United States GP in Austin, Texas have revealed that the circuit, which will be built on an undecided 700 acre plot, will be designed by F1 regular Hermann Tilke.

It's the name F1 fans fear, regularly branding his recent tracks as 'Tilkedromes' which have included this weekends Istanbul circuit, Bahrain, Sepang, Shanghai and Abu Dhabi.

The organisers however are hoping the track will be "one of the finest permanent road course facilities in the world."

An emphasis on green building and 'great' tracks from the past will inspire the design according to Tavo Hellmund.

"Fans should expect the craftsmanship Tilke is famous for, with a priority placed on green building and a track similar to the great grand prix tracks of previous generations," he told the Associated Press.

MIKA: I just hope Tilke designs an interesting track that is fast and allows for overtaking rather than just a procession.

Here Here well said ,or let someone else have a go

We need a track designed by the drivers who know what they want ,well most ,just like ex golfers design golf courses..

Cheers Oz

[OZCUBAN]

The Melbourne event looks to be fantastic with approximately 30 FOH members attending mate.

Wow that many i am impressed

[MIKA27]

  OzCuban said:

The Melbourne event looks to be fantastic with approximately 30 FOH members attending mate.

Wow that many i am impressed

Apparently thats the figure ATM but lets see how many show.

[MIKA27]

Domenicali: Yes, Massa will stay on

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali says "yes" he's sure that Felipe Massa will remain at Ferrari next season.

Massa is out of contract at the end of this year and reports have linked Renault's Robert Kubica to his race-seat.

Renault, though, are determined to hold onto the Polish driver, while it now appears Ferrari are actually keen to retain Massa.

Asked whether they Ferrari would retain the same driver line-up of Massa and Fernando Alonso next season, Domenicali said: "Yes, I think so."

Pressed by the BBC as to whether he was 'sure', he said: "Yes."

Massa, meanwhile, says it would be "fantastic" to extend his stay at the Maranello outfit.

"We'll wait a bit to see. I would like to stay here, definitely. It's a place I love to work in," he told reporters in Turkey.

"People respect me a lot, so it would be fantastic to carry on."

However, should he sign a new contract, the BBC claims it would for 'for one more year' only.

[MIKA27]

'Merc not designing car to suit Schumi'

Ross Brawn has denied speculation in the media that Mercedes GP are leaning towards Michael Schumacher's requirements with regards to their car.

After being soundly trounced by his team-mate Nico Rosberg in the first four races of his comeback season, Mercedes GP introduced a radically different car for the Spanish GP which featured a longer wheelbase.

The car was billed by the media as do-or-die for Schumacher with reports claiming it played to the seven-time World Champ's strengths. The Spanish GP marked the first time that Schumacher qualified ahead of Rosberg.

And although Merc returned to the shorter wheelbase car for the Monaco GP, this weekend's Turkish event sees a return of the car that is believed to be better suited to Schumacher.

Brawn, though, has denied that this is Mercedes GP's intention, saying they are determined to improve the car for both drivers, not just the Schumacher.

"No. I wish I knew what these requirements are!" he told the official F1 website when asked if the car was being built to meet Schumacher's requirements.

"It is pure perception that the car is build around Michael. If you ask me I would not know what sort of car that would be. A car that responds properly, a car that has a good level of downforce, a car that has power will benefit both our drivers.

"There is no conscious development to create a car that suits Michael Schumacher, because I don't know what that is. It's hard to do something if you have no idea what it is."

[MIKA27]

Schumi: Too early to judge pace

Michael Schumacher believes it's too early to say which team has the edge in Turkey, although he doesn't believe Merc are too far off the pace.

Schumacher finished Friday's second practice in seventh place, 0.694s behind pace-setter Jenson Button, as Mercedes GP returned to their longer wheelbase car.

Added to that, the team also introduced their complete f-duct system at the Istanbul Otodrom on Friday with both Schumacher and Nico Rosberg spending a fair number of laps testing the new device.

"It's really difficult to judge what the current picture is after today's practice sessions, especially as we don't know who was running on what fuel loads," said the German.

"We certainly have some improvements on the car which you can notice but it is very difficult to quantify the full effects coming from Monaco to here and thus not having a clear reference and comparison.

"Clearly the improvements are in the right direction but as always it is a matter of how quick we develop compared to our competitors."

The seven-time Champ, though, did enjoy his return to Turkey, having last raced at the track in 2006, finishing on the podium.

"Turn Eight is still a nice challenge here. It has small surprises in terms of bumps and it is fun to drive obviously. It is exciting and technical at the same time. Let's wait and see what is going to happen tomorrow."

[MIKA27]

Horner downplays Webber's engine failure

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner insists Mark Webber's engine failure in practice is not a concern for the team.

With less than five minutes remaining in the second of Friday's two practices, Webber came to a halt on the side of the Istanbul Otodrom with a suspected engine problem.

The Aussie's demise raised concerns as many recall how Red Bull's 2009 title campaign was hampered by engine failures for both Webber and his team-mate Sebastian Vettel.

Horner, though, insists Webber's failure is not a sign of things to come, explaining that the Renault unit that failed was an old engine.

"Mark's engine was right up at the end of its mileage," he said.

"I think it stopped about 50 kilometres short of its target miles, so it doesn't affect his programme. It is just important for Renault to understand exactly what the failure was - but it was an engine right at the end of its life."

He added: "While disappointing to have an engine failure, it has cost Mark just five or six laps."

[MIKA27]

Qualy: Webber continues Red Bull's run

Despite Lewis Hamilton's best efforts, Mark Webber was able to continue Red Bull Racing's run of pole positions in Turkey on Saturday.

The Australian racer, who seems to have found something extra in either himself or the car, crossed the line with a 1:26.295, thereby sealing his third successive qualifying P1 - and Red Bull's seventh out of seven races.

However, it was a close call as Hamilton, putting his f-duct to good use around the Istanbul circuit, mounted a strong challenge, finishing just 0.138s adrift to claim McLaren's first front row grid slot of the Championship.

He also split the Red Bulls as Sebastian Vettel could only manage third place.

Jenson Button was fourth ahead of the Mercedes GP drivers with Michael Schumacher edging his team-mate Nico Rosberg by less than a tenth of a second.

Qualifying Report

There was hazy sunshine over the Istanbul Park circuit as qualifying got under way with an ambient of 26C and a track temperature of 39C.

Adrian Sutil set the first meaningful P1 time at 1:30.433 which was immediately reduced to 1:28.172 by Fernando Alonso and then 1:27.780 by Jenson Button. Lewis Hamilton slotted into P2 and then Nico Rosberg took P2.

Jenson Button reduced the time further to 1:27.555 and then Lewis Hamilton slotted in behind in P2 again and then Nico Rosberg took P2 again. This was all before the Red Bulls came out.

When they did, Mark Webber set P1 to 1:27.500 and then Sebastian Vettel slashed that to 1:27.067. Already Ferrari looked off the pace and after their uninterrupted opening runs the Scuderia's cars were just 7th and 8th.

With five minutes left the danger positions were:

14. Hulkenberg,

15. Buemi,

16. Alguersuari,

17. Barrichello,

18. Liuzzi,

19. Trulli,

20. Kovalainen,

21. Glock,

22. Senna,

23. di Grassi,

24. Chandhok

Such was the gap between front and back that the top nine didn't bother going out again. Petrov leapt to an impressive P4, ahead of team-mate Kubica, but on the quicker Option tyre.

Others on the softer tyre weren't quite so quick. Buemi jumped to P12, Rubens rescued himself from P17 to go P11. Tonio Liuzzi in the Force India was in P.18 and stayed in P.18, de la Rosa moved up to P11, Alguersuari crept forward to P15, Hulkenberg took P14, Sutil jumped up to P10.

Liuzzi tried one more time to escape Q3 but failed. So the exiting drivers were:

18.Liuzzi

19.Trulli

20.Kovalainen

21.Glock

22.Senna

23.DiGrassi

24.Chandhok

Jarno Trulli won the battle of the new teams and Bruno Senna managed to get his HRT car ahead of a Virgin for once - although di Grassi was well off the pace and over a second behind his team-mate.

Qualifying 2

Robert Kubica and Jenson Button were out early in Q2 and Kubica set the pace with a 1:27.487. Sebastian Vettel was out early too and reduced P1 down to 1:27.188.

Lewis Hamilton showed a glimpse of what was to come by beating that with a 1:27.013. Mark Webber moved into P2, Button took P4 before Vettel re-established himself at the top with a 1:26.925.

To prove that his Q3 lap was no fluke Vitaly Petrov put his Renault into P5 ahead of Kubica. With five minutes to go there was just 0.3 of a second covering 4th place to 12th place and there was bound to be tears.

Going into the final four minutes the positions were: 7.Schumacher, 8.Massa, 9.Kobayashi, 10.Sutil, 11.Alonso, 12.Rosberg, 13. de la Rosa, 14.Buemi, 15.Alguersuari, 16.Barrichello, 17.Hulkenberg

With cars switching to the softer tyre to make sure of their participation in Q3, there was a scramble of quickening times. Mark Webber took P1 with a 1:26.818 which was subsequently beaten by his team-mate with a late session 1:26.729.

One moment Michael Schumacher was up to P5, then after a whole host of cars, including Petrov and Kobayashi, went quicker than him he was down to P10. Luckily for him those cars didn't include Adrian Sutil, but most significantly Fernando Alonso. On his first run on the Option tyre Alonso lost control under braking for Turn 12 after putting a tyre on the white line and ruined his first flying lap. His second lap was not quicker and he remained in P12.

So out went:

11.Sutil

12.Alonso

13.de la Rosa

14.Buemi

15.Barrichello

16.Alguersuari

17.Hulkenberg

Alonso's early exit will have his critics baying for blood - as this is now yet another unforced error following his jumped start in China, and his costly practice error in Monaco. The fact that Felipe Massa managed to get through in P5 won't have helped things.

It will be a great boost for the Sauber team to get Kobayashi through to Q3 only fractions behind Kubica.

Qualifying 3

Lewis Hamilton set the target provisional pole time with a 1:26.542, Nico Rosberg went P2, Jenson Button managed to make it two McLarens at the front by easing past Rosberg, and then Schumacher demoted Rosberg to P4.

It looked the perfect scenario for the Red Bulls to make it a formation start with them leading out McLaren and Mercedes. However SebastianVettel had a poor first lap and could only manage P2 behind Hamilton. Not so for the Mark Webber who had a good - but not perfect lap - to take P1.

So after one run for everyone bar Kobayashi - who at that stage had run out of Option tyres and elected for just one run - the order was:

1. Webber,

2. Hamilton,

3. Vettel,

4. Button,

5. Schumacher,

6. Rosberg,

7. Kubica,

8. Massa,

9. Petrov.

Kobayashi wasn't quick and stayed in P10.

Into the final runs and this time Mark Webber headed out first in front of Vettel. He reduced P1 to 1:26.295. Lewis Hamilton tried his hardest but could only manage a 1:26.433. Vettel threw his lap away right from Turn 1 when he locked a tyre through the turn and would not improve.

Jenson Button was looking to at least better his team-mate and had left it late for his run. Unfortunately for the Brit, Michael Schumacher lost control of his car at Turn 8 and ended in the gravel. That brought out the yellow flags meaning that the following Button could not go at full pace through the sector and had to settle for P4 when P3 was there for the taking. Despite Michael's gravely adventure he stayed in P5 ahead of his team-mate.

It was a good session for McLaren with the Red Bulls pushed to the very edge of their grip and both Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel making errors. The fact that Lewis Hamilton was only 0.15 behind P1 will be a tremendous boost for the team, particularly when viewed alongside their straightline speed.

Watch out on the opening lap for the duels into Turn 12 as they make the most of their F-duct along the Istanbul Park's back straight.

Times

01. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:26.295

02. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.433

03. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:26.760

04. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.781

05. Schumacher Mercedes 1:26.857

06. Rosberg Mercedes 1:26.952

07. Kubica Renault 1:27.039

08. Massa Ferrari 1:27.082

09. Petrov Renault 1:27.430

10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:28.122

11. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:27.525

12. Alonso Ferrari 1:27.612

13. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:27.879

14. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:28.273

15. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:28.392

16. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:28.540

17. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:28.841

18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:28.958

19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:30.237

20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:30.519

21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:30.744

22. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:31.266

23. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:31.989

24. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:32.060

[MIKA27]

Domenicali: Not the best way to start 800

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali was left lamenting an unacceptable qualifying performance as the team's 800th grand prix celebrations started in abysmal fashion.

Felipe Massa, three-times winner of the race from 2006 to 2008, and team-mate Fernando Alonso will start from a lowly eighth and 12th on the grid for Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix.

Alonso's failure to make the top 10 in particular only adds fuel to the fire for his critics, who have been vocal in their condemnation of his mistakes recently.

Domenicali said: "These are certainly not the positions from which we would have liked to start the 800th grand prix in the history of the Scuderia.

"Felipe did the maximum, using all the potential available from his car and the tyres.

"Fernando did not have a perfect Q2 and missed the cut. When the gaps are so close, it takes very little to be in or out.

"But we have to be honest and admit our performance did not live up to our expectations.

"We have to react immediately, starting from the race, when we will try to bring home as many points as possible.

"Then we must accelerate the car's development to be competitive at every type of circuit."

MIKA: Ferraris lack of being able to overtake during the Turkish GP is baffling as those cars are fast, yet they were being easily held back mid field.

I wonder if Alonso is everything Ferrari hoped he would be...

[MIKA27]

Lewis: It was like watching a movie in 3D

Lewis Hamilton admits he had the best seat in the house when Red Bull team-mates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber got up close and personal at the Turkish Grand Prix.

Hamilton was just off the pace of the two Red Bulls when Vettel cut across his team-mate and forced them both off the track. The German was forced to retire while Webber had to return to the pits for extensive repair work.

The accident paved the way for Hamilton to lead home a McLaren 1-2.

"It was great to watch. Like watching an action movie in HD or 3D," he joked after the race. "It was fantastic. I got the best view of it!

"Sebastian is safe, but I just saw Seb go up the inside, Mark held his line and no room to move right, and no reason for Seb to move to the right. It was unfortunate for them and fortunate for us."

Hamilton was also delighted that McLaren were able to take the fight to Red Bull before the collision.

"Red Bull made it tough for us and we put up a good fight," he said. "You can see how close it is between the four of us. It's down to momentum, and we will do the best we can to win both championships.

"We have been ragging their tails for some time. It's such an achievement for us, to really be able to take the battle to them. They had one strength that was particularly good here, we had a strength here, and we didn't know how it would pan here.

"Me and Jenson were able to compete with them and push our hardest to be on their tails. To get our second 1-2 is fantastic."

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Horner: Where was the room!

Christian Horner admits Red Bull paid a heavy price for their policy of allowing their drivers race. However, the drivers should have given one another room.

Holding onto the 1-2 on lap 41 of the Turkish GP, Sebastian Vettel decided it was time to challenge his team-mate Mark Webber for the lead.

The two, though, touched, sending Vettel into retirement, Webber into the pits for repairs, and Horner into a well of despair.

"From a team perspective I'm really disappointed because the team had done everything right - we'd out-strategied the McLarens, who were strong today," the Red Bull team boss told the BBC.

"To see both cars touch each other was really disappointing.

"I've spoken to Sebastian, he got a run and they should never had been where they were. It's really disappointing for the team - it's cost them a lot of points.

"The priority is to beat the other teams and today we handed 43 points on a plate to McLaren. The team really deserved to win this race. We need to sit down, go through it and come back stronger at the next event."

Red Bull have a policy of always allowing their drivers to race, neither Webber nor Vettel holding number one status within the team. I exchange for that, Horner says all he asks for it a bit of courtesy from both when racing each other.

"What we always ask is that the drivers give each other room," he said.

"Today neither yielded, and the result was the team losing a lot of points, Mark losing a lots of points and Sebastian losing a lot of points - the net result is everybody loses.

"We saw today with Jenson [button] and Lewis [Hamilton], they raced each other and they gave each other space, and that's what we ask."

MIKA: I completely disagree with Horner here in that Webber should not have yielded seeing he was in P1, on a straight leading up to the corner. Vettel made his move and couldn't stick it and as such, veered to the right in order to do the left turn at the corners apex. Vettels front right wheel hit into Webbers side pod and nose cone because he still wasn't anywhere near in a position to make such a challenge.

Webber clearly held his line (Completely straight) and did not move.

This is 100% Vettel behaving like a spoilt child.

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Webber: Vettel turned in on me

Although Mark Webber by no means ranted or raved, the Aussie has blamed his team-mate Sebastian Vettel for turning into him during the Turkish GP.

On lap 41 of Sunday's grand prix, Vettel decided to have a go at his team-mate for the lead as, at that point of the race, he was quicker than Webber.

However, the two Red Bulls made contact, forcing Vettel into retirement and Webber into the pits for repairs. He dropped from the lead down into third place.

"Seb had a good top speed advantage and he went down the inside. We were side by side and then looks like he turned pretty quickly to the right and we made contact," said Webber.

"It definitely happened fast. It's a shame for the team, but not an ideal day. The McLarens were solid today. It was good race between all four of us up until then."

He added: "Neither want to make contact but it can happen sometimes when both are in front. It is never ideal but it happened."

The Aussie was pressed as to whether his team-mate had cost him a sure victory in Turkey, however, he didn't rise to the bait.

"There was a long way to go in the race so it was not a guaranteed victory," he said. "I still got a few points, but it was an interesting few metres on track between both of us. It wasn't the result neither of us wanted."

Vettel, though, saw the situation from a different view point when he finally ventured out to speak to the press having shunned any immediate interviews as he walked back to the pits.

"Obviously, I think if you look at the pictures it was clear I had the inside," said the German.

"I went on the inside, I was ahead and just going down to focus on the braking point and honestly, you can see we touched and he touched my right rear wheel and I went off."

But whoever was to blame, the German is confident that the accident will not put strain on his relationship with Webber.

"There is no fight," he said. "This is something that happens. We do not need it but there is nothing we can do now.

"Obviously I am not very happy, I was inside focusing on the braking point, we touched and that was it."

MIKA: As stated in the above post, this was 100% Vettels fault.

Hats off to Mark Webber, should have been his third straight win, he ran the qualifying perfectly along with the race. Fortunately instant Karma removed Vettel witha DNF and still allowed Webber to come 3rd on podium.

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Schumi: Merc GP ahead of Ferrari

Michael Schumacher believes Mercedes GP have taken a step towards closing the gap on Red Bull, and, perhaps more importantly, are now in front of Ferrari.

Schumacher had a solid, if not spectacular, Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon, crossing the line in fourth place, equaling his best result of his comeback season.

The German was unable to challenge for a podium place, lacking when compared with the likes of race winners McLaren and Red Bull.

However, he believes his new Merc GP team are at least ahead of his old Ferrari outfit.

"My race started as I had hoped when I was able to catch Jenson right at the start," said Schumacher.

"Unfortunately I did not have a lot of grip with the tyres as the formation lap was quite slow and the pressures had gone down which combined with the top speed of the McLarens meant that I could not hold Jenson behind me for long. I was even struggling to keep the car on the track during the first lap.

"From there onwards, I was in my starting position and when Sebastian retired, we were able to pick up a place. That was about it."

"It was a straightforward race for me without any more possibilities."

He added: "All in all, I think we had a positive race and we clearly made a step forward towards Red Bull and in front of Ferrari, so we can be quite happy about that."

His Mercedes GP bosses were also happy with the team's results in Istanbul, which saw Nico Rosberg finish right behind Schumacher on the track.

"A solid performance today in which we achieved the potential of the car with both drivers," said team boss Ross Brawn.

"We had a purposefully quiet early part of race as we were unable to challenge the leading group and therefore decided to save our tyres for the second half.

"Michael, Nico and the team did an extremely good job with the car that we had and once again our pit stops were very impressive. Compliments to them all today.

"We have made reasonable progress with our latest set of upgrades thanks for the hard work of everyone at the factory but clearly we have a lot of work still to do."

MIKA: It was a great drive indeed, unfortunate not to pick up a podium in P3 had Webber also crashed out due to Vettels erratic driving.

Mercedes have a solidly reliable vehicle for Schumi and Rosberg, I'd love to see more straight line speed so that these guys can catch up and challenge for podiums. Schumi and Rosberg deserve to be up there with the front runners.

I was surprised to see the long wheel base chassis do so well at Turkey as thus far, that has not suited Schumis driving style. Great stuff.

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Alonso: Ferrari 'surprised' by lack of pace

Fernando Alonso concedes Ferrari have fallen behind the Red Bulls and McLarens and are now competing with Renault.

After starting his 2010 Championship with a bang and a victory in Bahrain, Alonso has since failed to reach the top step of the podium, finding himself slipping further away from the front of the pack.

This was evident in Turkey this weekend when he qualified down in 12th place and could only manage to work his way up to P8 during the 58-lap grand prix.

Ferrari's lack of pace has come as a nasty surprise for the team, with Alonso admitting that Red Bull and McLaren are now "very far away" from Ferrari.

"We have been a bit surprised, as both in Barcelona and here we were not too competitive," he told Spanish television.

"All race Felipe fought with Rosberg and I fought with Petrov, so we are at Renault's level, which is obviously not enough.

"We have an improvement for Canada and then for Valencia we have a bigger package. But we know McLaren and Red Bull are very far away, and we don't know if that's enough, so we have to work very hard."

Ferrari's lack of pace in Istanbul resulted in Alonso slipping to fourth in the Drivers' standings and he now trails Red Bull's Mark Webber by 14 points while Ferrari are third in the Constructors' race, 26 points off the pace.

"The points are good. Logically we wanted more but we were third in the Championship, now we are fourth so we are still there.

"We don't have the fastest car, and yet we are one point ahead of Vettel, so we aren't doing too bad."

MIKA: Ferrari 2011 - Massa and Kubica?