Massa takes third consecutive pole at Turkey
Third pole position of the season for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, the second for Felipe Massa. The Istanbul circuit continues to be propitious for the Brazilian driver, as this is the third consecutive time that he has been quickest in qualifying for this race.
It was Felipe's eleventh career pole, bringing to 198 the number of times that the Scuderia has started from the top position on the grid. "A very nice pole from Felipe and a shame for Kimi who could have been a bit further up the grid tomorrow," said Team Principal of the Gestione Sportiva, Stefano Domenicali - "In general terms we can be happy with the overall result, even if this is only the smallest step on the road to the targets we set ourselves for this weekend. Of course the biggest one is the race which we can tackle fully confident of our potential, while being aware of the great strengths of our rivals, who will make our life difficult."
Kimi Raikkonen: "Obviously, I would have preferred to have been further up the grid, but this position is definitely not the end of the world. What matters is the race when the points are given out. We are up against very strong opposition, which is no surprise to us. Of course, there's a question mark over fuel loads and we won't get an answer to that until the first pit stops tomorrow afternoon. I am a bit disappointed but I made mistakes on my second lap in Q3 and I have to accept that: I didn't go into the final corner before the pit straight quite right and lost a lot of speed. We can count on a car that is good over a distance and we will try and make the most of it, trying to get as many points as possible. Winning is never easy, but I'll give it a go!"
Felipe Massa: "I am very happy to have taken a third consecutive pole at this circuit: it is really motivating and it would be fantastic to do the same again tomorrow in the race. Driving this track is nice and fun, with Turn 8 being exceptional, although there are others that are also very tough. Today, the car was great and I got the most out of it. Tomorrow I will have to watch out for all those who are around me on the grid. It will be important to work out the best way to manage the tyres in the light of how the track will evolve and how the temperature changes. In Q2, I had a bit of traffic, but in Q3 I was able to do two completely trouble free laps."
Luca Baldisserri: "As expected, this was a very close qualifying. Felipe did a nice lap to take pole, while it was a shame that Kimi missed out on a better position by a whisker. We have a car that works well over a long run, especially on the softer Bridgestone tyres and we will do our utmost to bring home as many points as possible. The start will be important, as will strategy, while as ever the crucial element is reliability."
