Felipe Massa may not be everyone's tip for a third straight Turkish Grand Prix victory this weekend, but did little to suggest that won't be a frontrunner by topping the times after 90 minutes of free practice on Friday morning.
After a slow start, caused by a track surface still slightly damp after overnight rain, Massa installed himself at the head of the timesheets, working his a way down to best lap of 1min 27.323secs. The time was a full second faster than the Brazilian had managed in lapping second fastest in the equivalent session last August, despite the green surface giving up little grip to the now 20 runners.
Moving the race weekend to May has resulted in cooler - and more comfortable - conditions for all concerned but, armed with the harder end of
Bridgestone's tyre range, generating grip was the main focus for the teams.
Massa eventually headed the rest by just over a tenth of a second, but it was not
Ferrari team-mate
Kimi Raikkonen in second spot, as had been expected. Instead, the world champion brought up the rear of the field, having completed just three laps before retiring to the pits for attention to his F2008.
In his place was countryman
Heikki Kovalainen, the
McLaren man clearly showing that there were no lingering after-effects of his Spanish GP shunt two weeks ago. The Finn, who had to pass an
FIA medical before being allowed back in the cockpit, comfortably out-gunned team-mate
Lewis Hamilton, as the Briton lapped just over four-tenths shy of Massa's benchmark. Kovalainen, however, was among the few to try the softer tyre compound, setting his best time on the striped rubber.
Fernando Alonso suggested that
Renault may again be a threat in Turkey, slotting into fourth place while rookie team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr - a GP2 racewinner at Istanbul Park - put the second R28 into the top ten.
