In a Thursday press conference, Michael Schumacher stated he preferred to remain sceptical about Scuderia Ferrari’s apparent return to competitive form in the Hungarian Grand Prix three weeks ago. Today’s two hours of free practice at the brand new Istanbul circuit would tend to prove the German right.

Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello ended the first day of practice for the inaugural Turkish Grand Prix in 13th and 15th places respectively, both men stating they were not very happy with the handling of their F2005, which tended to slide too much. On the positive side, they felt the situation improved as the track gained in grip and as a new circuit always shows dramatic increases in grip levels over the first couple of days, this can be seen as an encouraging sign.

The track itself has met with general approval from the drivers and Toyota’s Ricardo Zonta had the honour of being the first man to top the first day’s final practice time sheet. Toyota’s third driver was the only man to break the 1m 26s barrier, with Pedro de la Rosa in second place heading a trio of McLaren-Mercedes, with Juan Pablo Montoya ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. BAR-Honda’s Jenson Button was fifth, while Red Bull Racing third man, Tonio Liuzzi completed the top six.

Prior to this weekend, there had been fears that this historic Turkish Grand Prix would be held in intolerably hot conditions, but that concern seems to have subsided with relatively cool conditions prevailing, the ambient hovering around the 28 Centigrade mark, while there were even a few specks of rain falling just prior to the second session.

Jean Todt: “Today is an important day for Formula 1, which thanks to the efforts of Bernie Ecclestone, in establishing the Turkish Grand Prix, has created a new venue on its calendar. I wish to compliment the organisers who have done a great job in a short space of time. Turkey is a rapidly developing country and also represents an important commercial opportunity for Ferrari, who actually yesterday opened a new showroom here in Istanbul. The two hours of free practice were spent learning the track and comparing the two types of tyre at our disposal. From what we could see, the track surface does not provide much grip, especially work on the facilities has left dust on the track. Tyre wear will be even more important than usual and, along with our friends at Bridgestone, we must now study the data very attentively to make the best choice from what we have brought here.
 

"We also have to work to optimise car set-up. This race marks the start of the final third of the season. Our aim is still to get back to winning races. We know it will be very difficult, as indeed it has been throughout this championship.”

Michael Schumacher: “I think the impression I formed of this track after riding around it on a scooter yesterday was misleading. I thought it did not seem that difficult, but now in the car, with a much lower seating position, it looks very different. It is not particularly difficult to learn which way it goes, however it has its own unique character. Some corners, such as Turn 1, have a blind exit which makes it very interesting. Turn 8 is another challenging corner as it has several possible lines. As usual, for the first day on a new track, we have to adjust the car to suit the circuit and we have to improve in this area because the car is still sliding too much in some corners. There is still a lot to do."

Rubens Barrichello: “I had a difficult day because I could not find the right balance, even though I worked a lot on the car. It improved a bit towards the end of the day, but I am still far from happy. There is still a lot of work to do to make the right tyre choice and to find that balance. I like the track very much even though it was a bit dirty today. There are some fantastic corners and I think that, physically, it will be a hard race, especially on the neck muscles."

Ross Brawn: “Dirt on various parts of the track made life difficult for the drivers. We worked on comparing the two types of tyre that Bridgestone brought here for us and on setting up the car. Towards the end of the second session, we found a better balance, as the track gradually began to pick up grip as the cars did more laps and a line began to emerge. We had been struggling when the track was slippery. If the track continues to improve over the next two days then we can be in good shape for the race.”

Free practice - First session - Michael Schumacher: 8th 1.29.766 11 laps chassis 245; Rubens Barrichello: 17th 1.31.294 11 laps chassis 246; Temperatures: air 28/27°C, track 38°C; Free practice – Second session - Michael Schumacher: 13th 1.28.293 25 laps chassis 245; Rubens Barrichello: 15th 1.28.460 25 laps chassis 246; Temperatures: air 26/27°C, track 34/35°C