Felipe Massa won his third consecutive Turkish Grand Prix from pole, while Rubens Barrichello broke the all-time Formula One starts record with his 257th race.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
- Winning margin
- 3.779 seconds ahead of Hamilton
- Race laps
- 58 laps
- Championship round
- 5th of 2008 season
- Barrichello's GP starts
- 257 (new all-time record)
- Super Aguri withdrawal
- Team withdrew before race, leaving 10 teams
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Ferrari arrived at Istanbul holding an advantage in the 2008 Constructors' Championship, while Massa had already demonstrated dominance at this circuit by winning from pole in both 2006 and 2007. The Super Aguri team withdrew from the championship in the days before the race due to financial difficulties, reducing the field to ten constructors.
On 11 May 2008 at the Istanbul Racing Circuit, Massa took pole and led the 58-lap race, surviving a strategic challenge from Lewis Hamilton who briefly overtook him while running a lighter fuel load. After Hamilton's third pit stop, Massa reasserted the lead and held it to the finish, with Hamilton second and Räikkönen third.
Massa's victory gave Ferrari a 19-point lead in the Constructors' Championship over BMW Sauber. In the Drivers' standings, Räikkönen's lead was cut to seven points, with Massa and Hamilton both on 28 points but Massa ranked second on countback. Rubens Barrichello's 257th start surpassed Riccardo Patrese's previous record of 256 Grand Prix appearances.