Formula One news
Small changes to Red Bull
01 June 2009The Red Bull Racing RB5 car will run with a small number of changes ahead of this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix. The team experienced a bittersweet race in Monte-Carlo eight days ago although team principal Christian Horner is confident that the Milton Keynes squad can regain their form at Istanbul Park.
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| Sebastian Vettel's Sunday ended in the wall at Monaco |
Red Bull had a day of mixed emotions in Monte-Carlo eight days ago as Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel's afternoons ended with one car in fifth position and the other in the Sainte Devote barriers. "In Istanbul, the RB5 will essentially be in the same specification as in Monaco, with a few minor aero updates," explained Horner, who is confident of a strong revival. "Istanbul Park is a fast and flowing track with the particularly challenging Turn 8 and a relatively slow final section; it therefore has some similarities to Barcelona."
With six races down and eleven to go in this year's 17-race championship, Horner is aware that consistency is vital if the team stands any chance of closing a 43.5-point deficit to leaders Brawn GP. "This is an important race in the championship and our target is to challenge the Brawns, who have had a remarkable run so far," he continued. "It was also clear at the last two races that Ferrari have made a significant step forward and I think we can expect them to play a key role this weekend, especially as it's a race they've won for the past three years." The team principal also explained that he holds the opinion of believing that the Turkish track is more likely to suit the Red Bull than the narrow streets of Monaco.
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| Webber now lies just three and a half points behind his team-mate |
"Mark was competitive at this circuit last year and Sebastian made his F1 debut in Turkey in 2007, as a Friday driver for BMW, topping the timesheets in both sessions; we've been competitive at all the circuits so far this season, even though - at a couple of races - our performance has been compromised by cars equipped with KERS."
Like most, however, 35-year-old Horner will be keeping a close eye on the conditions of his drivers' Bridgestone Potenzas on the anti-clockwise, 5.3km (3.3mi) track: "Management of the softer tyres in the inevitably high Turkish temperatures will also be a key factor, as indeed it has been at most of the races so far. It will be important not to abuse the tyres in the high-speed turns and this could play a key role in the final result. We look forward to the weekend - it should be a really interesting race."
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