Formula One racing returned from its three week break to be greeted by yet another Hermann Tilke designed racetrack in the August of 2005. But this track proved to be a roaring success, receiving paudits from all sides. In the championship, Fernando Alonso's lead was cut by two points, down to 24, thanks to a dominant Kimi Raikkonen victory, he led every lap (although that feat didn't look likely exiting turn one on lap one). But with team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya gifting Alonso 2nd place late on, the Spaniards mountain of points still remained as daunting as before.
After the race McLaren boss Ron Dennis was asked just how significant the loss of those two extra points that Montoya's second place finish would have given the team and Raikkonen was. His reply? "Ask me at the end of the championship," a typical throw-away reply that hid the realities. Those extra two points would have given Raikkonen greater hope of clawing back Alonso's vast championship lead, it would have also given the team their first 1-2 finish for five years.
Montoya's final laps drama played out when the Colombian came round to lap the Jordan of Tiago Monteiro, as Montoya moved back onto the racing line, Monteiro nurfed the back of the McLaren under braking, spinning him out. Montoya rejoined the track now barely two seconds ahead of a chasing Alonso with little over two laps to go. Up at turn eight, the quadruple apex left hander, Montoya ran wide, Alonso nicked the place, and somehow Renault were the team left smiling and gloating, and not McLaren as it should have been.
The McLaren's were in a class of their own. Once Raikkonen got past Fisichella after the Italian ran wide halfway round lap one, Raikkonen controlled the race, and his considerably bigger fuel load compared to the Renault's (Raikkonen ran nine laps longer than Alonso in the first stint) comfortably gave him the breathing space needed to complete the pole to flag victory. But once again their was a 'but'...
Behind the McLaren's and Renault's was Jenson Button in fifth. His BAR impressively working its way up from 13th on the grid. Had he started nearer the front as he should have done without an uncharacteristic qualifying error, he may well have challenged the Renault's at the sharp end such was the pace of the BAR in Istanbul.
Toyota could not hold off Button, but Trulli claimed a creditable sixth place finish. The Red Bull's of Coulthard and Klien in seventh and eighth respectively rounded out the points, an impressive showing for the team.
For Ferrari Turkey was a disaster. Michael Schumacher tangled with Mark Webber who was trying to unlap himself, both unltimately retiring. Barrichello could only manage tenth. Mark Webber's problems did not there, both he and Heidfeld suffered from multiple Michelin rear tyre failures. Indinapolis this was not however, the problem was on Williams side of the operation and both drivers were pulled from the race as the team struggled to understand the reasons for the four failures that occured on their cars during the Grand Prix.
The first Turkish Grand Prix was a resounding success, and the quadruple apex turn eight being compared to Spa's Eau Rouge and Suzuka's 130R was indeed high praise for a debuting circuit. For McLaren the weekend was bittersweet, for the Formula One calendar, a great new venue had been found.
