• Turkish Grand Prix

Massa true to form in Turkey

Massa took the win after a tough battle © Sutton Images

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• Turkish Grand Prix

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Felipe Massa always had a soft spot for the Turkish Grand Prix and took his third win in the short history of the race.

After a demon start Massa blocked Lewis Hamilton on the run to turn one, while Heikki Kovalainen, running a heavy fuel load, made a slow start and was clipped by the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen. The impact cut the McLaren's left rear tyre and forced him to make a pit stop, ruining his race.

Up front Massa continued to lead although Hamilton chased him hard. "It was a tough race with Lewis pushing me but it was easier once I knew he was on three stops," said Massa. "I scored my first F1 win here but to do three is amazing. Do I qualify for a Turkish passport now?"

Behind the three-stopping Hamilton came Raikkonen's Ferrari and the BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica, again the best of the rest against the Ferrari/McLaren top two. Behind Kubica came team mate Nick Heidfeld who jumped Jarno Trulli (Toyota) at the start and then moved ahead of Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber on the pit stops. Alonso's Renault rounded out the top six with Webber (Red Bull) and the Williams of Nico Rosberg the final points scorers.

The weekend marked the 257th Grand Prix for Rubens Barrichello, beating Riccardo Patrese's record in the process, but the Super Aguri team never made it through the gate as its debts grew to an unsustainable level. Aguri Suzuki's team was no more and the grid was at just 20 cars for the remainder of the season.

In the championship fight Raikkonen left turkey in the lead of the drivers' standings with 35 points to Massa and Hamilton's 28. Ferrari led the constructors table by 19 points over the impressive BMW team.

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