The technial challenges of Istanbul Park

The anti-clockwise direction of Istanbul Park, with its eight left-handed corners, has no direct bearing on car set-up. However, as with any racetrack there are several key moments on the lap, the most significant of which is Turn 8.

The cars and drivers pull up to 5G for seven seconds through this triple-apex left-hander, making it one of the most physical corners in the world for the drivers. The minimum speed through here is 250kph (155mph), but that’s not the reason why it’s a key corner from a technical point of view. A mid-corner bump, when the car is fully loaded, forces the engineers not to set the ride height too low and that punishes the car’s handling through other corners.

A pre-requisite for a competitive lap time at Istanbul Park is good car balance because there are a number of 180-degree corners that reward good handling. Then there’s the slow left-right-left sequence at the end of the lap that leads the cars back onto the pit straight. The braking point into this section sees the cars slow from 300kph (186mph) down to 80kph (50mph), which makes it the best overtaking point on the lap.

Full throttle: 62%
Brake wear: Medium
Downforce level: Medium – 6/10
Tyre compounds: Medium / Hard
Tyre usage: Medium
Average speed: 220kph (137mph)