Ferrari's Felipe Massa
celebrated an emotional first Formula One victory in Turkey overnight while
Renault's Fernando Alonso won an epic duel with title rival Michael Schumacher.
Ferrari's Formula One
driver Felipe Massa of Brazil celebrates his victory as he lifted up by
team mate Michael Schumacher (R), who finished third, Renault's Fernando
Alonso (2nd L), who was second, and Ferrari's race engineer Rob Smedley
(L) after winning the Turkish F1 Grand Prix at Istanbul Park track in
Istanbul August 27, 2006. [Reuters] |
World champion Alonso's second place, by barely half a car's length,
stretched his overall lead to 12 points with four races remaining.
As the young Brazilian roared to the chequered flag from pole position, a
winner at last after 66 starts, team-mate and seven-time champion Schumacher was
locked in combat with Alonso.
He and the Spaniard ran nose to tail over the closing laps, with Schumacher
vainly striving to get past as the 25-year-old repelled every effort.
After 58 laps and nearly 310 km in the searing heat, just 0.081 of a second
divided the Renault and the Ferrari as they flashed across the line almost side
by side.
Despite that disappointment, Ferrari still slashed Renault's lead in the
constructors' championship to a mere two points. Renault now have 160 and
Ferrari 158.
"Thank you boys, thank you," shouted Massa, punching the air in delight at a
result that he could barely have expected when he and undisputed team number one
Schumacher had lined up together on the front row.
"I always dreamed of being a Ferrari driver and winning the first race with
Ferrari is something special for me," said the 25-year-old, tears in his eyes
and his voice breaking with emotion.
Briton Jenson Button, a first-time winner at the previous race in Hungary,
finished fourth for Honda with McLaren's Pedro de la Rosa fifth.
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was sixth for Renault with Toyota's Ralf
Schumacher, Michael's younger brother, seventh and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello
eighth for Honda.
Australian Williams driver Mark Webber finished 10th.
Schumacher's hopes of a 90th career win were effectively scuppered by the
intervention of the safety car on lap 14 after Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi's Toro
Rosso spun and remained stuck almost on the racing line at turn one.
Massa had been leading, with Schumacher second and Alonso further back in
third. They all pitted together and the German had to wait behind Massa,
allowing Renault to get Alonso out ahead of the second Ferrari.
"We were lucky with the safety car," agreed Alonso.
"It's good, I'm very happy in a way...but the whole race Felipe was pulling
away and impossible to catch him so for sure we need to improve something for
the next races," added the Spaniard.
Schumacher had also run wide on the 28th of the 58 laps, losing three seconds
to Alonso.
"Congratulations to Felipe, he did a superb job," said Schumacher. "He didn't
do a mistake, he drove it home superbly.
"It wasn't supposed to be today. That's the way it is."
Under normal circumstances, Massa would have been expected to give up the
victory and make way for Schumacher to help him in the title battle. But
Alonso's emergence in second place ended that possibility.
"We are a team. For sure Michael is happy when I win the race but I am also
looking for him as well," said the Brazilian.
"I am really open to help Michael win the championship, that's not any news."
A first lap collision put paid to the hopes of McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen,
winner from pole position of last year's inaugural race at the Istanbul Park
circuit.
The Finn, who could be announced as a Ferrari driver at the next race in
Italy, was caught up in a six-car shunt at turn one after Fisichella spun and
was left facing the oncoming cars.
Raikkonen, hit by Toro Rosso's Scott Speed, crawled back to the pits with a
shredded left rear tyre. Shortly after returning to the track, he ploughed into
the tyre wall.
