The Istanbul circuit is 5.338 kilometres long and features 14 corners, some of them among the most interesting on the calendar. They include the first turn, a steep downhill lefthander immediately after the start-finish straight. It’s been nicknamed the Turkish Corkscrew, because of its similarity to the famous turn at Laguna Seca in America. The best known corner however is Turn 8, a very fast four apex left hander, similar to parts of the Nordschleife at the Nürburgring. The race distance is 58 laps, equal to 309.356 km. The race was first run in 2005 when Kimi Räikkönen won, while the last time the race was held in 2011, victory went to Sebastian Vettel. Scuderia Ferrari has won three times in Turkey, all of them courtesy of Felipe Massa, his very first F1 win coming here in 2006, followed by two more in 2007 and 2008.
Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc previews the next round of the 2020 Formula 1 season, the Turkish Grand Prix:
“This will be my first time at Istanbul Park. I’ve watched a few videos of races and I’ve spoken to those who have raced there already and all the comments seem positive.
I can see the layout is very varied, with gradient changes and some spectacular corners. I am particularly looking forward to experiencing turn 8. It will be interesting to see how the current cars perform there, which will be something new for everyone.” – Charles Leclerc concluded.
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