They also go there in the knowledge that they have pulled a further four points away from
Williams in the constructors’ standings following David Coulthard’s measured drive to fifth place in Hungary, the Scot using his experience to avoid making any mistakes, even if his
Red Bull was hardly the quickest car there.
Christian Klien meanwhile, racing in Turkey with the knowledge that he won’t be continuing with Red Bull from next season, endured a far tougher Hungarian Grand Prix, starting from the pit lane and then spinning out early on whilst out of contention.
Nonetheless, he goes to Turkey as one of only eight people with at least a point to their name around the circuit after finishing eighth in last year’s inaugural race, shadowing Coulthard all the way to the chequered flag.
Indeed, Red Bull had one of their strongest races of last year in Turkey when they belied a heavy fuel load to qualify well and then prove as quick as
Ferrari in the race, scoring three valuable points in the process. With the mid-field tightly bunched at the moment, points may be harder to come by this year, but you can almost bet that Coulthard will be there at the finish - he has finished ten of the thirteen races this season, compared to Klien’s six.
BMW Sauber – Nick Heidfeld (#16), Robert Kubica (#17):
With Jacques Villeneuve’s rather mysterious absence at Hungary now explained, attention has since turned on
Robert Kubica, who is likely to remain in the BMW Sauber to the end of the year and probably into next season.
One of the stars of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Kubica may have spun twice in the race and eventually been disqualified on a technicality, but few could ignore that he out qualified his team-mate and ran a strong pace throughout the race in very difficult conditions for a debutant.
Nonetheless, Kubica was not entirely satisfied with his driving in Hungary despite his strong performance, insisting he needs to eliminate the mistakes if he wants to maintain his seat.
