GP – Race: Massa, true king of Turkey

Felipe Massa in a Ferrari managed to withstand a bold gamble by Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren and wins his third consecutive Turkish Grand Prix.

Hamilton opted for a three-stop strategy that allowed him to get ahead of Massa midway through the race. Unfortunately, the Briton couldn’t gain a greater advantage to beat the Brazilian after his additional stop. The 2007 vice-world champion is second, just ahead of Kimi Räikkönen in the second Ferrari.

Despite an excellent qualifying session that allowed him to secure a position on the front row of the starting grid, Heikki Kovalainen was delayed by the onset of a puncture.

The safety car made a brief appearance at the start of the race to give circuit personnel time to clear debris left by Giancarlo Fisichella, who had an accident in the first corner. The Force India driver hit the back of Kazuki Nakajima’s Williams car. Both had to retire.

It was at that moment that Kovalainen had to pit because a carbon debris threatened to cause a puncture. He thus left Massa and Hamilton, alone at the front, to fight for the victory.

Hamilton pitted for the first time on lap 16 just after Fernando Alonso (lap 15).

In lap 24, the Briton takes the initiative on Massa and overtakes him. He then gains a second per lap on the Brazilian but has to pit again on lap 32.

Massa overtakes again and Hamilton manages to keep Räikkönen behind him. The end of the race will then be marked by the Hamilton/Räikkönen duel as the Finn crosses the checkered flag just tenths behind the McLaren driver.

Kubica is fourth while his BMW teammate, Nick Heidfeld, is fifth. Fernando Alonso’s Renault remains ahead of Mark Webber’s Red Bull.

Nico Rosberg (Williams) scores the point for 8th place, just behind we find David Coulthard (Red Bull) and the Toyota of Jarno Trulli.

18th at the start of the race, Kovalainen made some superb overtakes. He had, just like his teammate, a 3-stop strategy. He finally finished 12th, right behind Jenson Button’s Honda.

Timo Glock is 13th for Toyota, which experienced a difficult weekend compared to its first four races of the season. Rubens Barrichello is only 14th for his 257th career race. Nelson Piquet, Sutil, and Vettel bring up the rear.

Sébastien Bourdais was the only other race retiree. He got stuck in the gravel following a spin caused by a mechanical problem at the rear of his car.

Race Result – 2008 Turkish GP