• Turkish Grand Prix

Turkish Grand Prix driver-by-driver rundown

Martin Williamson and Laurence Edmondson May 16, 2010
Lewis Hamilton with another very large trophy after his win at the Turkish Grand Prix © Sutton Images
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Lewis Hamilton -1st It was a fantastic result but his rather subdued celebration on the podium hinted at a potential misunderstanding within the team. He came under attack in the closing stages from team-mate Button and, although it made for fantastic viewing, it was after both drivers had been told to save fuel. A short exchange of words between the pair before the podium ceremony suggested that Hamilton thought they were aiming for a formation finish, while Button was keen for an on-track battle.

Jenson Button - 2nd A good result after he had clearly been off the pace of Hamilton and the Red Bull's throughout the weekend. He came good in the second half of the race after preserving his tyres and then got a good slipstream down the long straight to attack Hamilton into the final corners. On the approach to turn one he gave Hamilton a sensible amount of space to avoid a collision similar to the Red Bulls.

Mark Webber - 3rd He blamed Vettel for the collision that cost him the lead, saying he was not expecting him to edge back across the track heading into turn 12. On the plus side for Webber, he now has a much bigger lead over Vettel in the championship than if he had led a one-two. However, he would rather have taken the win and it won't help the inter-team relations just as Webber is eyeing a contract renewal.

Michael Schumacher - 4th He had a bigger smile than any of the top three after the race, and realistically couldn't have asked for a better result. He comfortably had the upper-hand over team-mate Rosberg all race and will now be targeting a podium in the coming grands prix.

Nico Rosberg - 5th He never really troubled Schumacher but claimed he was the faster of the pair. However, he had to keep an eye on his mirrors as a queue of cars formed behind him early in the race and Kubica was looming presence throughout. Ultimately it wasn't a bad result - his best in the new chassis - but he is obviously keen to reassert his position ahead of Schumacher as soon as possible.

Robert Kubica - 6th Another fantastic result for Kubica. The fact that nobody bats an eyelid when he finishes in the top six is testimony to just how impressive he has been this season.

Felipe Massa - 7th He made contact with Kubica at the start, but that was as close as he got all race. It wasn't the result he was hoping for at his beloved Istanbul Park but, considering how far Ferrari was off the pace this weekend, it was not a bad result.

Fernando Alonso - 8th Another early pit-stop strategy saved Alonso from the indignity of finishing outside the points. He had been stuck behind Kobayashi in the early stages and, with exactly the same engine and both cars running F-ducts, he was unable to attempt a move. By pitting first he leapfrogged both the Sauber and Sutil's Force India. He then pulled an audacious move on Petrov for eighth after a frustrating number of laps looking at the Renault's gearbox. It was a racing incident but Alonso was lucky to come away with his car undamaged.

Adrian Sutil - 9th A good result after a tough weekend for Force India. Sutil pulled an impressive move on Kobayashi into turn 12 to make sure of it, but the fact that he was fighting a Sauber and not Renault shows that his team has dropped off the pace slightly.

Kamui Kobayashi - 10th A points finish will seem like a podium for Sauber and is proof the car is improving. He pitted early to try to cover Alonso but it didn't quite work and he was then involved in a race-long battle with Sutil that he ultimately lost. By the end of the race the canvas on the front-left was visible and he had to back off.

Pedro de la Rosa - 11th He probably could have had a stab at Kobayashi in the closing stages of the race as the relative pace of his car improved over the 58 laps. But because the point for 10th was of such great importance to Sauber, he decided to play the dutiful role of rear gunner and keep Alguersuari's Toro Rosso at bay.

Jaime Alguersuari - 12th From a poor starting position he elected for a two-stop strategy and it nearly paid off as he put pressure on the Saubers over the last few laps. At one stage he held the fastest lap of the race but it wasn't enough to break down de la Rosa's defences.

Tonio Liuzzi - 13th With increasing speculation over his future in the team after a disappointing qualifying, he continued to battle grip issues and finished anonymously a lap down. That team-mate Adrian Sutil does not have similar issues has to be a worry for both Force India and Liuzzi. The clock continues to tick

Rubens Barrichello - 14th Almost anonymous in the lower part of the midfield throughout after clutch problems at the start which saw him drop to 20th. Throttle-control issues later in the race allied to pace concerns made for an all-round forgettable weekend

Vitaly Petrov - 15th Alonso might think it beneath Ferrari to have to tussle with the likes of Renault, but Petrov was the equal of it and was holding seventh until Alonso clipped him while overtaking near the end and forced him to pit with a puncture to his badly-worn tyres

Sebastian Buemi - 16thA minor collision with Nico Hulkenberg on turn 7 of the first lap forced him to pit straight away with a puncture, but there was also damage to the car and with less downforce he struggled thereafter

Nico Hulkenberg - 17th The clash with Buemi also meant he had to pit early and with concerns over tyre management he was unable to make much impression on the midfield

Timo Glock - 18th Stalled on the grid and was stuck behind Bruno Senna's HRT for the next 18 laps. Once he had passed him things went well until a power-steering issue meant he had to finish the race in fifth gear. But in finishing he gave the team a much-needed boost as they took the mantle of best new team on the day

Lucas di Grassi - 19th An overnight engine change and then last-minute repairs to an oil leak meant it was a miracle he was able to start. He meandered through the race at his own pace and finished some three laps behind the leaders

Karun Chandhok - DNF - fuel pump Started off the pace - even the Virgins had his measure - but seemed to bounce back after a change of tyres before his fuel pump failed

Bruno Senna - DNF - fuel system A promising start where he led the Virgins, but fuel system issues blighted the second part of the race and eventually forced him to retire

Sebastian Vettel - DNF - accident Provided the talking point of the race but for all the wrong reasons. Was faster than Hamilton off the line to take second, was re-taken by the McLaren only to regain second spot after Hamilton's pit stop was botched. Thereafter the Red Bulls had the pace to stay just out of attacking distance before Vettel decided he had the measure of his team-mate …

Heikki Kovalainen - DNF - hydraulics Groundhog day for the Lotus pair as the almost inevitable hydraulic issues which have blighted the team this season showed no signs of going away. "It was going fine until we lost the gears and then the steering and then the throttle." Quite

Jarno Trulli - DNF - hydraulics More disappointment after starting with a different - and worse - tyre choice than his team-mate, but nevertheless, like Kovalainen, he had decent pace until the mechanical gremlins returned

Martin Williamson is managing editor of digital media ESPN EMEA

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Martin Williamson is managing editor of digital media ESPN EMEA Martin Williamson, who grew up in the era of James Hunt, Niki Lauda and sideburns, became managing editor of ESPN EMEA Digital Group in 2007 after spells with Sky Sports, Sportal and Cricinfo

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