So far in the Formula One 2008 season we are coming close to the end of the first quarter of the races as the Turkish Grand Prix approaches; this will be the fifth race and will take place on May 11th. While the drivers continue to prepare for the 58 laps track the drivers' standings show current champion Kimi Raikkonen -Ferrari leading the pack with 29 points followed by the Britton Lewis Hamilton-McLaren with 20 points and this year's surprise driver Robert Kubica-BMW-Sauber in third place. In fourth position we find Ferrari's Felipe Massa with 18 points and in fifth BMW-Sauber Nick Heidfeld with 16.
In the 2008 team's standings Ferrari shows the majority of the points with a total of 47 followed by BMW-Sauber with 35 and in third place - most unexpected - McLaren team with 34 points. It is very clear that the McLaren leaders have become aware of their existing situation as they have not had good performances and the vehicles' technology needs to match first then surpass that of Ferrari which is the one setting the paste this season.
McLaren's top driver; Lewis Hamilton has recognized that he has made terrible choices lately which had led to a visible hole from which he hopes he can get out soon enough. Despite his latest races he is at the number two position but the gap gets bigger by the minute. Additionally, his McLaren teammate has proved he is very capable of extraordinary achievements and could eventually overcome Hamilton in the near future. Nevertheless, that has been set on hold due to Kovalainen's incident at the Catalunya Grand Prix which indeed silenced most if not all at McLaren. Kovalainen was just behind the two Ferrari drivers when he hit the tyre wall on the 22nd lap. The Finn was taken to a nearby hospital and he is now looking to return for the next race in Istanbul.
McLaren's chief executive Ron Dennis has stated that "The precise cause or causes of his accident are not yet known,". "Our data shows evidence of a sudden tyre deflation shortly before the accident, but it is still too early to identify what triggered that deflation other than to say that it is likely to have been the result of a wheel rim failure. Regardless of these recent events McLaren is still a top three contender in the race for the championship.
On the other hand, Ferrari's Raikkonen continues to have definite control of the Formula One tracks especially after the Spanish Grand Prix he added his second triumph of the season and the 17th of his career overall. His teammate the Brazilian Felipe Massa continues his support and keeps growing strong lap by lap.
And finally there is the solid BMW-Sauber driver's presentation of Robert Kubica who began fourth in the grid and ended the race in the same position. The 23-year-old Polish has impressed us this season; he is very confident and a very serious driver and it is a fact his vehicle is providing the driver with the assurance required to lead in the race as he is very closely doing.
Istanbul will soon be opening its doors to these amazing drivers as they begin to arrive in Turkey for their driving tests. We sure expect to see more action as the competition gets tougher and the point gap grows apart from their hopes to win the F1 championship.
