Before the return of motor racing's senior series to Europe, there were worries about how the tyres would cope with the extreme stress of negotiating the long drawn-out Turn 8 at Istanbul Park. After the first practice in dry conditions, however, Lewis Hamilton was able to give the all-clear, claiming that the tyres rose well to the challenge.
"I'm quite surprised that they felt no different to the last race," said the McLaren driver. "I thought they would be much worse here, but the long run I completed was probably one of my best ever – it was really good."
He feels that this has certain implications for the race: "I am now definitely expecting similar conditions to Shanghai – two or three stops maximum." After both McLarens had completed only a few laps in the morning due to heavy rain and Hamilton himself failed to make a timed run, the 26-year-old then went on to finish the afternoon session third on the leader board. Team-mate Jenson Button was the quickest.
"At the start, I had some problems with the setup, which we can look at more closely and improve overnight," continued Hamilton. "But generally speaking, I was very satisfied with my speed over the distance. Overall, our car has a pretty solid basis. We are still fully involved in the fight. The most important factor this weekend will be to maintain our consistency. Finishing on the podium is my goal, and if we can win, that would of course be even better."
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