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Formula One competitors head to
the newest circuit on the calendar for the Turkish Grand Prix, where
Bridgestone’s hard and medium compound Potenzas will be put through their
paces on the challenging 5.34 km Istanbul track.
 It
will be the fifth time that the combination of the hard and medium compounds
have been used this season, as the races in Malaysia, Bahrain, Spain and
Great Britain all took place with these two tyres, the hardest in
Bridgestone’s F1 tyre range in 2007.
The track has a mix of every type of corner and the majority of the track is
either uphill or downhill, with only the start-finish straight and most of
turn eight being flat. Although it is mainly level, turn eight is one of the
track’s real tests. A triple-apex left-hander, the corner starts with a
downhill entry and keeps on turning left until it has helped generate some
of the highest g-forces of the year, putting the tyres under high loads.
The final combination of corners before heading on to the start-finish
straight will also give teams plenty to think about. The left-right-left of
turns 12 to 14 are the lowest speed areas of the track and come straight
after the highest-speed straight. This combination is a breeding ground for
tyre graining so teams and drivers will have to pay particular attention
here to minimise this.
High speeds, heavy braking and hot temperatures all conspire to mean a lot
of energy is being put through the tyres in Turkey so watching wear and
degradation will be a consideration for teams.
It will be only the third time that Istanbul has been used for a Grand Prix.
Last year’s race winner was Felipe Massa (Ferrari) on Bridgestone tyres.
Bridgestone has already won at this track this year, with the top six places
in the MotoGP race in April all being Bridgestone-shod. It was Bridgestone’s
best result of the MotoGP season so far.
Q&A Kees van de Grint, Bridgestone Motorsport Head of Track Engineering
Operations:
What challenges does Istanbul present?
“Istanbul is a very nice circuit because of its natural layout with both
uphill and downhill sections. Hard braking into many corners over the course
of the lap creates a lot of heat in the tyres. This adds to the ambient heat
we usually experience there. Turn eight is a very challenging corner for the
tyres because it creates a lot of g-forces. This corner is particularly
significant as, were it not for the forces exerted on the tyre at turn
eight, we could run with a softer compound in Turkey. Unlike Hungary, it is
not as important to be on the front row in Turkey, as the layout creates
more overtaking opportunities ”
Stats & Facts
Number & Spec of tyres brought to Istanbul: 2,200 (wet/extreme wets and hard
& medium dry)
Pole position time 2006: 1min 26.907secs (F Massa, Ferrari)
Fastest race lap 2006: 1min 28.005secs (M Schumacher, Ferrari)
Top three 2006: F Massa, F Alonso, M Schumacher |
