Formula 1: Felipe Massa Tops Opening Day Practice At Istanbul
May 09, 2008
Shell
Felipe Massa has won the last two races on the 5.338 km circuit, which has quickly established itself as one of the trickiest on the Formula One calendar with plenty of opportunities for overtaking.
The 27-year-old is hoping to complete a hat-trick of wins in Sunday’s 58-lap race to stop team-mate Finn Kimi Raikkonen increasing his 11-point advantage over him in the drivers title race.
Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton took second and third places close behind the red car. The Finn got back into the swing of things with zero hangover from his Spanish accident, with a lap of 1m 27.456s, with Hamilton on his heels on 1m 27.752s.
Renault’s Spaniard Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest with Briton Jenson Button fifth on a track where he expects Honda to continue their recent improvement. Japan’s Kazuki Nakajima was sixth for the Williams team.
Nick Heidfeld was seventh for BMW Sauber, ahead of Honda’s Rubens Barrichello, Renault’s Nelson Piquet, the Toyotas of Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli, BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica, Williams’ Nico Rosberg, and the Force Indias of Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella.
Neither of the Red Bulls really got going in this session, with Mark Webber 16th on ahead of David Coulthard, then came Toro Rosso stablemates Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastian Vettel.
Kimi Raikkonen saved tyres and didn’t bother doing much running, and was 20th (and last, now that Super Aguri is no more).
