19/08/2005
NEWS STORY
Despite a threat of rain from overhead cloud, conditions remained dry for both of today's practice sessions on the all-new Istanbul Park circuit. Temperatures were warm, with those on the track ranging between 35°C and 42°C, while the air temperature hovered around 28°C.
The Friday practice was the first chance F1 drivers had to drive the circuit in an F1 car and, looking at the Red Bull Racing Team, it seems Turn eight will be the corner to watch. Tonio went off there during the first session, while Christian spun in the same place during the second session, before going off there a little later on. Although there was no damage to either Tonio or Christian's cars in the incidents, the spectators in the nearby grandstands seem set to get their money's worth during the weekend.
David Coulthard: The track was pretty bumpy and the car was too low for the first few laps, so we increased the ride height and things improved after that. Although I drove the circuit in a road car when I visited the city a few weeks ago for a PR event, the experience of driving in an F1 car is so different that it didn't really help me today. It's always a challenge to come to a new circuit and as the track rubbers in we will see lap times continue to improve. It'll be good to see what we can do here over the weekend.
Christian Klien: During the second practice session, I went a little bit too quickly into Turn eight. The car was touching the floor and it was just enough to mean I lost the rear and spun off. There was no damage from the incident though and I was able to continue. We then changed the set-up of the car to improve its balance. This was needed as the track was changing throughout the session as it offered more and more grip. At the end of the second practice, I made a few mistakes and didn't set such a good lap time, but in the long run, when I had good balance in the car, the lap times were better, so it's looking promising for tomorrow.
Tonio Liuzzi: Turn eight, the high-speed corner, is really fantastic to drive. The section of track after the corner is so long that you really start feeling the G force, which squishes you a bit in the car. As a driver, that's an awesome feeling. It's such a great corner – you know you'll get into it okay, but you don't always know if you're going to get out so well on the other side! During the first session on an in-lap, I tried something a little different, but cut too much of the kerb and went off the track. It was only an in-lap though, so it wasn't really much of a drama.