Dont forget your tips viewtopic.php?f=17&t=17315
Confused by the thread title? You shouldn't be.... we should have been enjoying the Japanese GP this weekend but Covid issues had that cancelled so the shoulda been Japanese GP became the Turkish Delight. Simples.
I must admit when the Turkish GP first happened back in 2005 I loved the track, even though it was Tilke. It had elevation changes.... and it had the everlasting turn 8. (For the anoraks, T8 is 640 metres long and represents 12% of the total lap length, peaking at more than 5g on the cars and tyres.)
Oh, and Kimi won which always made places better in my eyes. I used to enjoy it until one year they put coloured drapes over the empty grandstand seats to make it look full through TV cameras and I knew the writing was on the wall. Sure enough it vanished, only to reappear last year thanks to Covid.
For the benefit of @Star let it be said that Turkey was the venue when we first saw Vettel in F1. 2006 he did FP1 for BMW IIRC.... what I do also recall is that his started his career with the fastest accrued penalty in history..... he got pinged for speeding in pitlane the first time he left the pits and hit with a penalty!
Last year of course we had all sorts of dramas with the weather and the fact the condition of the track turned things into a bit of a skating rink.
FWIW this year to save such issues happening again the whole circuit has been powerwashed to get the oozing oil or whatever it was that surfaced last year out of the way.
Oh and last year was a wet and dry affair
For those that cant remember here are the extended (15 mins or so ) highlights of the weekend.
5 Feel Good Moments In Istanbul | Turkish Grand Prix
5 Moments You Forgot | Turkish Grand Prix
Anyway,THE TRACK
Granted, Istanbul Park does not have Suzuka’s jaw-dropping, high-speed 130R but it is home to another of the greatest corners in the world, the infamous, multi-apex Turn Eight. Istanbul Park isn’t a one-trick pony though, it’s a real driver’s circuit that always delivers drama,
First Grand Prix
2005
Number of Laps
58
Circuit Length
5.338km
Race Distance
309.396 km
Lap Record
1:24.770 Juan Pablo Montoya (2005)
When was the track built?
Work began on the circuit in Akfirat, around an hour’s drive east of Istanbul, in 2003, with the Hermann Tilke-designed track readied in August 2005, having had $40 million lavished on it.
When was its first Grand Prix?
No sooner had the track opened than it was hosting the inaugural Turkish Grand Prix on August 21, a drama-filled race won by McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen, with Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher famously coming together when Webber tried to unlap himself.
What’s the circuit like?
There’s no doubt that Istanbul is one of the best tracks ever penned by Tilke, with parts of the circuit having been compared over the years to similar features at Spa-Francorchamps, Interlagos and Laguna Seca. The crown jewel of Intercity Istanbul Park, however, remains Turn 8, an incredibly fast, bumpy, multi-apex downhill left-hander that’s a proper test of drivers’ commitment.
WHo has won any of the previous 8 races here before?
Driver No
MASSA Felipe 3
HAMILTON Lewis 2
RAIKKONEN Kimi 1
BUTTON Jenson 1
VETTEL Sebastian 1
A few more whodunnit things.....
Pole position Time Win Time Fastest lap Time
2005 RAIKKONEN Kimi 1'26''797 RAIKKONEN Kimi 1h 24m 34.454s MONTOYA Juan-Pablo 1'24''770
2006 MASSA Felipe 1'26''907 MASSA Felipe1h 28m 51.082s SCHUMACHER Michael1'28''005
2007 MASSA Felipe 1'27''329 MASSA Felipe1h 26m 42.161s RAIKKONEN Kimi 1'27''295
2008 MASSA Felipe 1'27''617 MASSA Felipe1h 26m 49.451s RAIKKONEN Kimi 1'26''506
2009 VETTEL Sebastian 1'28''316 BUTTON Jenson1h 26m 24.848s BUTTON Jenson 1'27''579
2010 WEBBER Mark 1'26''295 HAMILTON Lewis 1h 28m 47.620s PETROV Vitaly1'29''165
2011 VETTEL Sebastian 1'25''049 VETTEL Sebastian 1h 30m 17.558s WEBBER Mark1'29''703
2020 STROLL Lance 1'47''765 HAMILTON Lewis1h 42m 19.313s NORRIS Lando 1'36''806
Whats news for this year?
Firstly, as mentioned by@erwin greven elsewhere.....
Red Bull to race with white Honda tribute livery in F1 Turkish GP
I guess something to do with the fact this was to be the weekend of Honda's final Home GP weekend.
Both Red Bull and sister team AlphaTauri will race with special liveries in Turkey.
Red Bull’s cars will race with a predominantly white livery inspired by the Honda RA 272 car, which became the first Japanese car to win in F1 when Richie Ginther took victory at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix.
Sainz set for Turkish GP grid penalty with upgraded F1 hybrid system
Ferrari debuted an updated hybrid system for its F1 power unit on Charles Leclerc’s car at the Russian GP, with Leclerc duly serving a back of the grid penalty for the Sochi race, while the Rd team confirmed Sainz would receive the upgrade later this season.
In the team’s preview of the Turkish GP, Ferrari announced Sainz would take the same update this weekend - meaning he will pick up a back of the grid penalty as a result of taking on a new power unit.
Ferrari will be hoping that the updated engines will allow Sainz to climb through and grab some decent points as Ferrari fellfurther behind a rebirthed McLaren in the past two GP's.
Ferrari has also confirmed Binotto will not attend the Turkish GP and instead remain in Maranello “to focus on the development of next year’s car”.
Binotto will also follow the race weekend from the team’s factory “with a permanent link to the team at Istanbul Park”
Will Lewis take his threatened at some time new engine? Bottas took his last weekend out, although that was clearly a strategic attempt to have someone back in the field to hamper Max's progress.
Im sure there are other bit and pieces that will unfold as the week progresses.....
What's the go with Tyres?
WHY WE’VE CHOSEN THE TYRES
For the Turkish Grand Prix, the three tyres in the middle of the range have been nominated: C2 is the P Zero White hard, C3 is the P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 is the P Zero Red soft. This is one step softer than the nomination made for the Turkish Grand Prix last year, which was held in November after a nine-year absence from the calendar.
The decision to go one step softer is based on the data collected last year, which demonstrated a track with average levels of abrasion and low grip, resulting in an extremely slippery surface that nonetheless showed rapid track evolution.
The track was entirely re-asphalted just prior to the Turkish Grand Prix last year. Since then, the asphalt may have matured slightly and it’s also been completely cleaned with a high-pressure water jet. So this year drivers should benefit from better grip as a consequence of the softer compounds, higher asphalt roughness, and the likelihood of higher temperatures compared to last year.
The best-known corner at Istanbul Park is Turn 8, which has been described as one of the great corners in Formula 1. It’s very long, and istaken at high speed, with several apexes that place forces peaking at more than 5g on the cars and tyres.
As a result, Turkey is a tough track for tyres: with plenty of force going through the tyres. The cars consequently run high downforce to help push the tyres onto the ground.
Many other corners place considerable demands on the tyres as well: Turn 1 is approached with a significant descent before heading uphill, and the back straight also contains a swooping uphill kink nicknamed ‘Faux Rouge’ in homage to Spa. The entire track layout makes plenty of use of the area’s natural elevation.
This year’s weather remains a question mark, with the race being held more than a month earlier than it was in 2020. With rain dominating proceedings last year, the teams don’t have much relevant tyre data – especially as the softest C4 compound has never been taken to Istanbul before.
The winning strategy last year, at the grand prix in which Lewis Hamilton won a record-equalling seventh title as well as the race, was a one-stopper with eight laps on the Cinturato Blue full wet followed by 50 laps on the Cinturato Green intermediate. Hamilton was one of only four drivers to stop once, as the majority stopped twice.
MARIO ISOLA –PIRELLI HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING
MIN. STARTING PRESSURES (slicks) EOS CAMBER LIMIT“Turkey was one of the most dramatic and unpredictable races of last season, mostly due to a very slippery track as a consequence of low grip from the new asphalt. The slipperiness of the circuit, exacerbated by the rain, caught many people by surprise, and that’s why this year we’ve opted for a softer tyre nomination, also with the race taking place more than a month earlier, which should result in higher temperatures. Following our tyre nomination, the track has undergone a high-pressure water cleaning process, which should lead to greater roughness and more grip, so there’s also the possibility that with softer compounds we will face higher wear levels compared to last year. That’s something we will only find out when we get there, so the work done in free practice will be very useful. Because everything was so new last year, we took the conservative option of coming with the hardest tyres. Going a step softer this weekend will probably open up the possibility of a few different strategies as well.”
PRESSURE 22.0 psi (front) | 20.0 psi (rear) -3.50° (front) | -2.00 ° (rear) CAMBER
WEATHER
Well the forecast I have seen says dry on Friday, wet Saturday morning but dry by qualy, then more rain Sunday morning but should be dry by racetime.
A link for the circuit weather by the hour and day here: https://www.myweather2.com/Motor-Racing ... spx?sday=4
They like a bit of confetti in Turkey......
Say your bit.... discuss away.
Oh and a Turkish Delight is one my favourite chocolate bars, also one of the few they don't put shea oil in these days so thankfully I can still eat it 
