Kimi Raikkonen scored his fifth win of the season when he triumphed in the inaugural Turkish Grand Prix on the outskirts of Istanbul this afternoon. The McLaren-Mercedes driver dominated the 58 lap race and the team was heading for a one-two until teammate Juan Pablo Montoya lost second to championship leader Fernando Alonso with two incidents in the last four laps.

Neither Ferrari driver scored points. After a great first lap, leaping up from 19th on the grid to eleventh, Michael Schumacher tangled with a delayed Mark Webber necessitating a 25 minute pit stop from which he returned to improve his qualifying position for the following race before retiring, while a gripless Rubens Barrichello finished a lowly 10th.

In front of an enthusiastic and large crowd witnessing Grand Prix history being made on the challenging Istanbul Park circuit, Giancarlo Fisichella made a superb start for Renault from the unfashionable left side of the grid to lead poleman Kimi Raikkonen until turn ten when he ran wide, allowing both Raikkonen and Alonso to pull alongside going into turn 12. Raikkonen slotted into the lead, with Alonso going ahead of his teammate two laps later. Behind them, Montoya moved into fourth place ahead of Jarno Trulli fifth, then Nick Heidfeld was sixth, followed by Christian Klien who had made a good start, ahead of Mark Webber and David Coulthard.

In these early stages, both Williams drivers suffered punctures putting them out of the picture and eventually, out of the race. However, after the Renaults pitted on laps 13 and 14, Michael Schumacher tangled with a delayed Mark Webber which put him out of the race in order to change the power steering, after a lively first lap. The McLarens pitted much later than the Renaults, on laps 21 and 22, so that Raikkonen now led by 13s from Montoya who was now up to second place ahead of both Renaults. Alonso wasn’t far behind in third place but Fisichella lost 10s during his first stop due to a stuck fuel nozzle and was now 21s behind his team mate. Trulli was next from a charging Jenson Button, up from 13th on the grid.

Alonso pushed Montoya during the middle stint, but to no avail before the Renaults again stopped earlier than their rivals. As they went into the final run to the chequered flag, Raikkonen had a comfortable 20s lead over his teammate, and that even began to rise during the final eight laps. But then as Montoya lapped Tiago Monteiro, he claimed that the Portuguese driver braked late and hit the back of him, wrecking his diffuser. He went off the circuit, which reduced his lead to just 1.5s but then at the infamous turn eight, he went off the circuit again and Alonso swept past into second place, leaving Montoya third. Fisichella was pushed by Button during the closing stages of the race, but the pair finished fourth and fifth, with Trulli salvaging sixth place.

Michael Schumacher rejoined after his long pit stop, but only to complete more laps than those who had retired, so that he wouldn’t be first out for qualifying in the Italian Grand Prix in two weeks time.
 

Jean Todt: “It was a race to forget. For the third time this season, we head for home having failed to score any points. Chronic lack of grip, which we have suffered from since the start of the season, prevented us from running competitively right from the start of this weekend. This afternoon, we saw how our competitors’ times improved step by step as the track got more rubber on it, while ours got worse. Rubens did what he could, while it was a shame to see Michael pitting with a damaged car having been run into by a lapped car. We worked on his car to send him back out on track to get him a better start position for qualifying in Monza. In the past years, we have developed the nice tradition of winning races on a new track, but today that run has come to an end. I am very disappointed, especially for the large number of Ferrari fans we could see in the grandstands at this great facility. We must get back to work immediately, along with our partner Bridgestone, to analyse the situation. Our aim is to be as well prepared as possible for the race in Monza and those that follow in what has turned out to be a particularly tough season.”

Rubens Barrichello: “This was a very, very tough race. I drove flat out from the start, but it had been obvious that we lacked performance since we started on Friday. After Hungary, it is disappointing to see us back in a situation like this. We had no grip and I we clearly made the wrong choice in terms of the tyres we brought to Turkey. Tenth place is not what we would have wanted in this inaugural Turkish race. We must keep on working and try and do better.”

Michael Schumacher: “We have not been quick enough all weekend. In fact, back on Friday it was clear we were in a very difficult situation. Even before the start, I did not expect to get any points and that is how it turned out. As regards the incident with Webber, I saw him closing on me and he moved to the right. As I began to brake, I could no longer see him and, when I was in mid-corner, I felt a bang at the back as he hit me with his nose. He was one lap down, so I don’t understand why he tried this move. After the collision, there was something wrong with the car, so I went into the pits where the mechanics changed the power steering incredibly quickly. I went back out on track so as not to have to be first out in qualifying in Monza. At least this worked out, as I made up three places.”

Ross Brawn: “This was an extremely disappointing race. Michael’s accident looked a bit unnecessary, given that Webber was one lap down. We repaired the car to get back on track to get the best possible qualifying position for Monza. Rubens had a fairly dull race with not much to say about it. His car was okay, apart from a bit too much understeer. He just lacked pace.”

Rubens Barrichello: 10th +1 lap 57 laps chassis 246; Michael Schumacher: NC - 32 laps chassis 245; Temperatures: air 28/30°C, track 38/41°C