Just two weeks on from his monster shunt in the Spanish Grand Prix,
Heikki Kovalainen could have been forgiven for thinking that he was due a change of fortunes in Istanbul – only Lady Luck was not so kind.
Having qualified superbly on the front row of the grid for the first time in his fledgling
Formula 1 career, a tardy getaway off the dirty side of the track allowed
Kimi Raikkonen behind to get a run on him into the first corner, and as the world championship leader pointed his nose down the inside of his countryman's McLaren-Mercedes, the
Ferrari's front wing touched the left rear on Kovalainen's MP4-23, leaving the Finn to pit for a new tyre at the end of the safety car period – and facing an uphill struggle race-long.
That said, the 26-year-old nevertheless provided the majority of the race's entertainment as he fought his way back up through the order again, tussling energetically with
Toyota's
Timo Glock,
Williams star
Nico Rosberg and
Red Bull Racing ace
David Coulthard amongst others along the way. Until eight laps from home, indeed, it even looked as though his dogged perseverance may pay off with the final points position, but a late splash n' dash prompted by the team's tyre-determined three-stop strategy scuppered any such hopes, leaving Kovalainen a frustrated twelfth at the chequered flag.
“Not a lucky race for me,” he reflected afterwards, “as I made a bad start from the dirty line on the grid. After the start Kimi and I touched slightly, which caused a slow puncture to my left rear tyre. Initially I was not sure whether the tyre was damaged or not, but during the safety car period I realised that I had to come into the pits for a new tyre.
“That was almost it for me, because with my heavy fuel load and the traffic it is extremely difficult to gain any places during the race. However, I did my best but no points.
