Qualifying for the Turkish Grand Prix promised surprises, and although Felipe Massa took pole to eliminate one of those, the rest of the top ten has a curious feel to it.
Massa set a blinding lap late in the final ten minute session – 1:27.617 – to secure yet another top spot for him and Ferrari, but the expected red front row failed to materialise.
Instead, Heikki Kovalainen will start alongside Massa in the McLaren, the Finn sully recovered from his accident last race and looking very competitive indeed.
McLaren made the seemingly odd decision to put Lewis Hamilton on the harder of the two tyre options for his final attack - whereas Kovalainen went out on the softer, quicker, rubber – but this was explained as Hamilton felt more comfortable on that compound, and the Englishman duly put the second McLaren between the Ferrari’s.
Kimi Raikkonen – who generally runs a little heavier than Massa – starts fourth, on the second row with Hamilton.
Fifth place went to Robert Kubica, the BMW’s never on the ultimate pace of the front four when it mattered, and with him on row three will be Mark Webber with and excellent effort in the Red Bull.
Fernando Alonso used all of his considerable talent to haul the Renault to seventh, and Jarno Trulli again performed to his best with seventh for Toyota. The fifth row sees Nick Heidfeld in the second BMW with the Red Bull of David Coulthard.
Nico Rosberg missed out on a top ten place and will line up 11th, with Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button next in the Honda’s and Sebastian Vettel a courageous 14th for STR.
Timo Glock looked on course to join team mate Trulli in the top ten but for an incident on his fastest lap, while Kazuki Nakajima went across the grass in the first segment of qualifying and failed to make it across the line to start his final flying lap.
Nelson Piquet had another torrid session and will start 17th alongside Sebastien Bourdais, and ahead of the Force India pair of Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella.
Written: Sat, 10 May 2008 12:25:41
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