Turkish Gp 2021, Round 16 of Formula One World Championship is at Intercity Istanbul Park. In this section, we look into the nature of the circuit, its characteristics, the schedule and how the weather gods are treating us this week.
History of Turkish Gp
The Istanbul Park was constructed by Germann Tike with a budget of 40 Million US Dollars, which is located around 30 minutes from the city centre. Opened in 2005, the last Turkish Gp was in 2020 after Covid hit the World and there were Red flags every nook and corner.
Before 2020 it was way back in 2011 the last Turkish Gp was held. Covid-19 Pandemic saved the track. An Anticlockwise track like Imola. At a length of 5.33 km with 58 lap race distance, there are 2 DRS zones on the track. One in the main straight and one in the back straight between Turn 11 and 12.
There’s no doubt that Istanbul is one of the best tracks ever penned by Tilke, with parts of the circuit having been compared over the years to similar features at Spa-Francorchamps, Interlagos and Laguna Seca. The crown jewel of Intercity Istanbul Park, however, remains Turn 8, an incredibly fast, bumpy, multi-apex downhill left-hander that’s a proper test of drivers’ commitment.
Vettel Debuted here in 2006 for BMW Sauber in which Massa had a Maiden pole and Maiden win.
Performace Characteristics
The Lap is taken at 69% Full throttle. With a series of slow and technical corners, the downforce required on the car is high. This might lead to some interesting wing configurations. The right car setup is crucial here along with a good downforce car. The Pitlane is wide and the entry and exit are decent and time loss is around 17-20 sec’s so strategy comes into play and a clean pit stop is essential. With these new pit stop rules, most teams are struggling to cope with them.
Last year we did not see any strategy or any other circuit characters as it was soaking wet ” Bambi on ice”. A Dry race would give us plenty of overtakes and accidents. Turn 1 is a downhill braking and 4 apexes at Turn 8 will load 4.28 G. You need to have a good rhythm in the car to go through Turn 8.
Schedule and Weather for Turkish Gp
After an eventful Russian Gp, there will be no rain as forecasted at the time of writing but there is some rain in the air on Friday morning but it should clear of quick. After that, it is relatively calm and clear but cloudy. Track temperatures are expected to be around 16 degrees and 17 mph wind is expected on Sunday with a 33% chance of Rain.
Expectations for Turkish Gp
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are separated by 2 points and there are 7 races to go. Since the Mercedes dominant tracks are pretty much done it’s anybody’s game here. With the US and Mexico coming up. If Mercedes needs a 4th Power supply where will they take it, in Mexico or Turkey? We will have to wait and see.
After the upgrade in Spa Rebull’s Sergio Perez is coming back little by little. His Podium chances were gone when he did not take the inters call. He will want to have a good weekend, for a team that changes drivers mid-season he needs to think it through and Perform.
Ferrari are good in Turkey last time around but then it was wet. But they need to put on a strong show if they are fighting for 3rd place in the championship. McLaren is always one step above them as it stands.
All the Boring and sleepish tracks gave an exciting race this year, I believe Turkey will be no different.
