“Turkish Grand Prix: A Timeline”
With the unveiling of the brand new, expressly constructed race track in Istanbul, Turkey officially premiered on to the Formula one stage in 2005. Celebrated German architect Hermann Tilke, the mind behind Sepang, Bahrain and Shanghai circuits engineered the splendid 5.378 kilometer course which is characterized by some fourteen turns comprising six rights and eight lefts, and can host cars hastening at paces of up to 330 km/h (“Turkey-Circuit History”).
The circuit at the Turkish Grand Prix is distinguished by its anti-clockwise running lap, a rather irregular attribute which it shares with just one other Formula One race track; the one in Brazil. The highly challenging, multi-apex Turn Eight corner is just of the vast array of turns hosted by the circuit, which although probably less trickier than the Shanghai track for example, nevertheless presents drivers with a formidable test (“Turkey-Circuit History”).
An abundant assortment of gradients further complements the circuit which is constructed on four varying surface levels. Since the track does not host lengthy straights tailed by narrow hairpins as fashioned by the Sepang and Shanghai tracks, the lap probably thus offers lesser possible openings for catching up compared to some other Tilke tracks. Nevertheless, the possibility of a misstep by a driver under strain means there is no dearth of overtaking feats at Istanbul (“Turkey-Circuit History”).
In an attempt to emulate the considerably extravagant spectator accommodations furnished by the Bahrain and China venues, program operators ensured onlookers were provided world class facilities. The vast arena provides parking space for around 12,000 cars and can accommodate about 130,000 spectators, allowing around 25,000 onlookers to be stationed on the grandstand. In addition, two seven-floor VIP stands tower the skies at the both extremes of the arena (“Turkey-Circuit History”).
After McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen clinched the title at the inaugural event in 2005, the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix memorably began with a multi-car collision that involved Giancarlo Fisichella and Scott Speed (“Raikkonen Does It”). The drama-filled competition that in its later stages centered on Michael Schumacher’s head to head battle with Fernando Alonso for the second spot ultimately saw Ferrari’s Felipe Massa clinching victory (“Massa Victorious”). The event was colored by plenty of off track drama that memorably resulted in the organizing committee being slammed with a hefty monetary penalty amid accusations of political prejudices (“Super Aguri”). At the 2007 Turkish event, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen dominated the proceedings throughout before grabbing the first and second spots respectively, while Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren fell behind in the title race with a tire puncture (Addison).
The 2008 Turkish Grand Prix commenced with just ten teams competing after Super Aguri’s straitened financial fortunes forced the team’s exit from the competition (“Super Aguri”). The event marked Felipe Massa’s third successive triumph at Istanbul Park, while McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen clinched the second and third places respectively (“Turkish Win”). The event also saw Brazil’s Rubens Barrichello smash Riccardo Patrese’s record for the most Grand Prix appearances as the veteran showed up to make his 257th Grand Prix start (“Rubens Barrichello”). In 2009, Brawn’s Jenson Button thwarted Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel to clinch the title (“Button Halts”).
Meanwhile the 2010 event at Istanbul has been no less of a thriller, with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finishing first; a victory aided by the sensational scramble between team mates Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel that dashed Red Bull’s hopes of snatching this year’s title. The Red Bull team watched in utter dismay as Vettel’s vehicle speared off course after remarkably bumping into Webber in a bid to overtake his team mate. Webber ultimately took the third spot, while Hamilton’s McLaren team mate Jason Button ended second. Ferrari and Ross Brawn’s team also made it to the top ten, yet it was the alarming encounter between the Red Bulls that overshadowed all other developments and stole the show at this year’s contest (Chowdhury).
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