Sport

Massa sets pace, problems for Kimi
by Niamh O'Mahony, 09 May 2008

Felipe Massa got his defence of the Turkish Grand Prix off to the best possible start on Friday by finishing top of the timesheets after Practice 1.

The Brazilian was a tenth quicker than both McLaren rivals, while a gearbox issue saw World Champion and his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen only complete three laps over the 90 minutes.

Second was Heikki Kovalainen - back in action after his horrendous crash at the Spanish GP - with Lewis Hamilton third, just over four tenths off Massa's marker.

Fernando Alonso was fourth best for Renault, with Jenson Button a respectable fifth for Honda. Kazuki Nakajima was sixth for Williams, with Nick Heidfeld [BMW Sauber], Rubens Barrichello [Honda], Nelson Piquet Jr [Renault] and Timo Glock completing the top ten.

Sebastien Bourdais was the first to emerge on track, an incredible forty minutes into the session.

The track was wet from cleaning and cold which caused moments for Nakajima, Adrian Sutil, Jarno Trulli and Massa, but all continued unharmed.

The famed Turn 8 was also problematic for several drivers with Robert Kubica, David Coulthard, Massa and Sutil also all using the run off areas around the corner.

Friday's second practice is live on Setanta Ireland from 12 noon, Republic of Ireland viewers only. 

Turkish Grand Prix - Practice 1 results