Lewis Hamilton has admitted that his Turkish GP PR stunt acting debut was a total embarrassment. “Let’s forget about that,” the McLaren driver said when asked about his cameo in a dramatic re-enactment of the Siege of Troy on Thursday in Istanbul.
Cast in the role of the Greek god Apollo, Hamilton descended from the rafters on a wire to break up a fight between warriors. “I just turned up and got on with what I was told to do but now I’ve seen the footage and it’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen,” said the red-faced speedster.
“Hey girls, check out my McLaren kagoul. Sexy, no?”
We can’t quite see what Lewis is staring at - we guess it’s a long pair of legs, belonging to one of the official grid girls in Istanbul. If Dannii Minogue finds out, there will be tears.
1. Felipe Massa Three wins in three years confirms the Brazilian’s own judgment that no one can touch him around Istanbul. Massa dumped on team-mate Kimi Raikkonen from a great height, leaving Ferrari with a nice dilemma - which driver should they back for the driver’s championship?
2. Lewis Hamilton The Brit called this his “best race” and though he didn’t win, you can see why. He kept Massa honest throughout the race and got the absolute most out of his three-stop pit strategy.
Heikki Kovalainen gives a double thumbs-up – Paul McCartney would be proud – after being given the all clear to race in Turkey this weekend. The McLaren driver, who torpedoed off the track during the Spanish GP last month, was examined this morning and found to be in tip-top condition. An FIA statement read as follows:
“Following a medical examination this morning by the FIA Medical Delegate, Professor Jean-Charles Piette, and the Chief Medical Officer of the event, Dr. Cem Boneval, Heikki Kovalainen was cleared to race in the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix.”
Fernando Alonso and pals play charity game before Turkish GP
Here’s Fernando Alonso getting stuck in during one of the regular charity football matches played by the F1 drivers’ XI. The Nazionale Piloti, as the team is known, played a team of Turkish All-Stars in Istanbul last night, ahead of this weekend’s GP. Alonso scored a goal, as did Giancarlo Fisichella, but we couldn’t find out the actual result - not that it matters to anyone except the ultra-competitive drivers, who clearly would rather be making millions out on the pitch than in the cockpit.
After the predictable procession in Spain a fortnight ago, we move on to Turkey. A few facts, figures, notes and fearless predictions for you:
Felipe Massa (pictured) is going for his third win in a row in Istanbul. On current form, the only man who can stop him is Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
Istanbul’s circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke and first used by F1 in 2005 (when Raikkonen won in a McLaren), is one of the drivers’ favourite places to race. It should allow for more overtaking than most tracks. Pole position is slightly less of an advantage than usual – that said, Massa did win from pole last year.
Lewis Hamilton is set to make his acting debut in Istanbul this week, ahead of Sunday’s Turkish GP. The McLaren star will make a fully-costumed guest appearance on Thursday in Troya, a theatrical show by local folkdance troupe Anadolu Atesi. Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman says that the show “aims to celebrate the country’s multiculturalism”.
No word yet on whether Lewis has a speaking part. We’ll keep you posted.
Ferrari has decided not to debut its innovative new “nose with the hole” (pictured above) at the Turkish GP this weekend. Istanbul is a low-downforce track, so despite the nose’s success in testing at the Circuit de Catalunya last month, we’ll have to wait to see how it fares in a real race. [Autosport]
Marco Andretti fastest in first practice session for this weekend’s Indy 500 – in an Indiana Jones-themed car. Indytastic. [IndyCar]
