With just over an hour to go before the start of today's race, it's only right that we take the time to congratulate architect Herman Tilke for the fine job he has done here in Istanbul.

In recent years, the German has come in for a lot of criticism for his new tracks, and also the modifications made at the Nurburgring and Hockenheim, and much of the criticism, in our humble opinion, was quite valid, since he appeared to concentrate on the aesthetics, and how the track would appear on TV, rather than the racing it might produce. Race fans are not interested in whether a track resembles a Chinese character or whether the main grandstands holds 250,000 and cost ten million to build, they want action packed racing.

However, after two days action here, we have to admit that the Istanbul Park circuit looks impressive, and if nothing else is causing drivers to work a little bit harder than usual.

The bumps, some of the various corners - especially the notorious Turn 8, described by several drivers as "four turns in one", not to mention the dirt, the undulations and the fact that the lap runs anti-clockwise, have provided some decent entertainment in the last 48 hours. Long may it continue.

Whether this afternoon's race is going to produce an action fest remains to be seen, however it is the current aerodynamic regulations, added to the fact that some drivers appear to have forgotten how to overtake, that must take much of the responsibility for the current lack of overtaking.

With the main title protagonists starting from the front of the grid, we can expect a thrilling start, though several drivers might feel that the strange nature of the circuit dictates a philosophy of 'softly, softly, catchee monkey'.

Although not every driver appears to like Tilke's latest creation, after two days of spins and excursions, they are all treating it with a certain amount of respect, mindful that the most minor error will prove costly.

However, at the back of the field, Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve, Jenson button and Takuma Sato should give us some real entertainment.

Therefore, before we go any further, may we say thanks to Herman Tilke for finally giving us a circuit worthy of hosting an F1 race.

A couple of things worth noting:

Firstly, we hear, just half an hour before the race starts, that Michelin is encountering a problem with its tyres here in Istanbul. According to our sources, Michelin has warned its teams not to "touch" a number of the kerbs. The exact nature of the problem is unclear at present, however, a couple of sources claim that it is not entirely dissimilar to the sort of problem encountered at Indianapolis.

We understand that Mark Webber, in particular, was told to slow down following yesterday's qualifying lap.

Also the back of the grid will see Villeneuve start ahead of Doornbos, Karthikeyan, Schumacher and Takuma Sato.

Michael is starting further back not only due to the fact that he failed to post a time in qualifying, but also because the team opted to change his engine.

As the cars prepare for the warm-up lap the air temperature is 30 degrees C, while the track temperature is 46 degrees. It's sunny with just a few small clouds in the sky.