Istanbul Park in a nutshell
This relatively new addition to the Formula One calendar, it staged its first race in 2005, was greeted as an instant classic. Turn Eight, a long, fast left-hander, is adored by drivers who regard it as one of the season’s most testing corners. It generates more friction energy than anywhere else on the calendar and can also influence race strategy.
Car Dynamics
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time. At Istanbul Park, the average turn angle is 1340, against a season average of 1100, ranking it as the circuit with the 3rd highest average turn angle across the Championship.
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The end of straight (EOS) speed at Istanbul Park was 314kp/h in 2008. Istanbul ranks as having the 3rd fastest EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. Meanwhile, Turkey has the 5th highest average lap speed of any of the tracks on the calendar.
Pitlane & Refuelling Strategy
The pitlane length and profile (i.e. corners in the pitlane entry) contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at Istanbul Park is approximately 18.5 seconds, the 13th most penalising pitlane in the Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around Istanbul Park requires 2.49kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, making the circuit the 5th most demanding track of the year in terms of fuel consumption.
Safety Car
Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is the likelihood of safety car deployments, which are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start of the race. Since the inaugural Turkish Grand Prix in 2005, there have been 2 safety car deployments, which means that there is a 50% chance that the circuit’s character will induce a safety car period.
Temperature, Pressure & Humidity
As an example, it is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine and aerodynamic performance during the season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic performance and cooling. The losses can come close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if races are run at the same time each year, the factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is elevation. Istanbul is 125m above sea level and has a relatively low pressure of 999.75 mbar, so engine power will be lower than at Monaco, which was at sea level.
What the drivers say - Thoughts on Monaco
Nico Rosberg:“I had hoped for slightly more than sixth place in Monaco. Having found a really good set-up, I felt I had settled into the track well and was comfortable in the car. That showed in practice on Saturday and then during Qs1 and 2 of qualifying. Only getting sixth in Q3 because I was caught up behind Barrichello on my fastest lap, was therefore disappointing. I was pushing hard in the race and passed Massa and Vettel early on, but our pace wasn’t quick enough to finish any higher than sixth. That’s still a solid result for us though and we’re hoping for more in the next few races.”
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