Now, like Massa, he needs a repeat of that win after seeing Hamilton eke out another two points to his advantage, the 20 point gap now meaning Raikkonen’s rival needs to hit problems over the remainder of the season if he is to realistically overhaul him.
“We are optimistic for Turkey: I won the first race ever held here, which gave me a very special feeling. The track is similar to the one at
Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, where the aerodynamic efficiency counts a lot. And then we drive anti-clockwise: nothing changes in terms of the technics, but the driver's necks will suffer slightly.
“Everybody is talking about turn number 8: it doesn't have the fascination of the Eau Rouge but is very demanding in its own way. It is really nice to have new kinds of fast corners to drive through at the max: everybody always wants to have more. I can't wait for Friday morning so that I can drive my laps behind the wheel of my Ferrari!”
Honda – Jenson Button (#7), Rubens Barrichello (#8):
If Hungary 2006 was a high for
Honda, then arguably Hungary 2007 was possibly a new low. The low-speed Hungaroring made the RA107 more ponderous than usual and did nothing to silence the cynics who scoffed at claims the team were making a step forward.
Nonetheless, that remains the word coming from Honda, who believe the high-speed nature of the Istanbul Park circuit will suit the car much better and see them challenge in the mid-field more effectively.
Still, Honda suffered the indignation of neither car making it through to the second phase of qualifying, while Rubens Barrichello went on to be out raced by
Adrian Sutil in the Spyker, representing an even lower point than the team could have possibly envisaged early in the year when they looked to be struggling most.
Although both drivers accept there is much more development that needs to be done, both Jenson Button and Barrichello are remaining positive that they can at least banish some of those Hungary memories with a better performance in Turkey.
