Istanbul form

Can anyone stop Jenson Button in Turkey? And even if they can, will it make the slightest bit of difference to the Brawn driver's seemingly irresistible path to a fairytale title for his 'new' team?

On paper, Button's five out of six record makes him an overwhelming favourite for Istanbul, but Brawn's nearest rival Red Bull promises to be much more competitive in Turkey, and Ferrari cannot be ruled out either.

ITV.com/F1 assesses the form of all 20 drivers as they prepare to resume battle in Turkey.


1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) - McLaren

Championship position: 9th, 9 points

If, as seems entirely possible, Monaco was Hamilton's only chance to fight at the front in 2009, how he will kick himself for the error at Mirabeau early in Q1 that wrote off his entire weekend. With Istanbul quite reminiscent of Catalunya, where McLaren had a miserable time, then even a points finish might be too much to ask.

Last five race results: 12th / 9th / 4th / 6th / 7th
(most recent first)


2. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) - McLaren

Championship position: 13th, 4 points

Kovalainen could have at least salvaged a few points from McLaren's desperately disappointing Monaco weekend, but instead he added to the tale of woe by crashing out. Last year Istanbul saw one of his finest performances yet, as he bounced back from his vicious Catalunya accident to fight for pole and then charge back through the field after a first corner puncture. He won't be near the front this year, but a similarly swashbuckling drive wouldn't go amiss.

Last five race results: R / R / 12th / 5th / R


3. Felipe Massa (BR) - Ferrari

Championship position: 10th, 8 points

Massa had some typically over-excitable moments in Monaco - spinning into the barriers before he had really got going in Q1, and then making a mess of his chance to pass Vettel early on. But his excess of urgency could be forgiven on this occasion, because Ferrari had finally given its driver a front-running car again and he was eager to make the most of it. A fourth straight Turkey win will be a tall order, but such is his speed around Istanbul Park that it can't be ruled out.

Last five race results: 4th / 6th / 14th / R / 9th


4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) - Ferrari

Championship position: 8th, 9 points

It was delivered with a characteristic lack of fanfare, but Raikkonen's third place in Monaco was a massive breakthrough. He beat team-mate Massa (who had made much better use of the improved Ferrari in Spain), and could have beaten at least one Brawn had strategies worked out slightly differently. Can he sustain that form and start doing his awesome talent justice again?

Last five race results: 3rd / R / 6th / 10th / 14th


5. Robert Kubica (POL) - BMW Sauber

Championship position: 19th place, 0 points

In the spirit of cost cutting, BMW probably should have saved the expense of travelling to Monaco and trundling around at the back all weekend. With a massive engine failure in practice, an early puncture and then brake problems in the race, Kubica's weekend was particularly dismal. A step forward is promised for Turkey when the double diffuser arrives, but wasn't Catalunya supposed to mark the beginning of a fightback too?

Last five race results: R / 11th / 18th / 13th / R


6. Nick Heidfeld (D) - BMW Sauber

Championship position: 12th place, 6 points

Another typical weekend in the life of Nick Heidfeld in Monaco - the BMW is slow, he quietly gets the most out of it and finishes in a forgettable position (11th) that is probably a much bigger achievement than it looks given his equipment. The team knows Heidfeld is doing his best though - when German press rumours suggested Heidfeld would be dropped for 2010, Mario Theissen was quick to insist that the drivers are the last thing BMW can complain about at present.

Last five race results: 11th / 7th / 19th / 12th / 2nd




7. Fernando Alonso (E) - Renault

Championship position: 7th place, 11 points

Seventh place was nothing for a double Monaco winner to get too enthused about, but Alonso's string of points finishes is significant, for last year excessive aggression and needless errors meant he took little from the team's worst races, whereas in 2009 at least he is still scoring during the dark days. But can the team deliver another late-season cavalry charge as it did in 2008, or is this what Alonso should expect all year?


Last five race results: 7th / 5th / 8th / 9th / 11th


8. Nelson Piquet Jr (BR) - Renault

Championship position: 18th place, 0 points

Piquet reckoned he was on for a few points by the time his strategy had played out in Monaco. But he never got to find out, because Buemi propelled him into the barriers while he was still getting into his stride. So all he could be judged on was qualifying, where he did a reasonable job to take 12th but still trailed Alonso.

Last five race results: R / 12th / 10th / 16th / 13th


9. Jarno Trulli (I) - Toyota

Championship position: 5th place, 14.5 points

It says a lot for Trulli and Toyota's strong start to 2009 that the Italian is still clinging on to fifth in the championship despite failing to score for two races now and having a dreadful time in Monaco, where the team was slower even than the BMWs. But he won't stay up there long unless Toyota can rapidly turn things around, for right now it looks like a team that has been emphatically leapfrogged by those it embarrassed in the early rounds.

Last five race results: 13th / R / 3rd / R / 4th


10. Timo Glock (D) - Toyota

Championship position: 6th place, 12 points

The one positive about Toyota's awful Monaco weekend was that Glock managed to come through from last to 10th in a car that had been pretty much the slowest thing in the place all weekend. That drive was one of the unsung achievements of the race, for although Glock was helped by a good strategy, he executed the plan to perfection even with an enormous fuel load crammed into the tank.

Last five race results: 10th / 10th / 7th / 7th / 3rd


11. Sebastien Bourdais (F) - Toro Rosso

Championship position: 15th place, 2 points

Typically Bourdais tempered his pleasure at finishing eighth in Monaco with a reminder that his F1 ambitions stretched far beyond single points so his delight could only be limited. In the context of 2009 so far, though, it was a fine drive and a great achievement, and one which team boss Franz Tost hopes can catalyse an upswing for the Frenchman who has still to consistently impress in F1.

Last five race results: 8th / R / 13th / 11th / 10th


12. Sebastien Buemi (CH) - Toro Rosso

Championship position: 14th place, 3 points

Buemi's assault on Piquet vied with Nakajima's penultimate lap accident for the honour of being the daftest crash of this year's Monaco GP. Which was a shame, as until that point Buemi had performed very well in his first F1 street race, qualifying an impressive 11th. Given that his team-mate Bourdais scored, the potential was there for Buemi to do likewise had he kept his nose clean.


Last five race results: R / R / 17th / 8th / 16th


14. Mark Webber (AUS) - Red Bull

Championship position: 4th place, 19.5 points

Webber is still punching in the results even if Red Bull looks less like a Brawn-beater at present than it did a few races ago. The Australian is also getting the job done rather more efficiently than his highly-touted team-mate Vettel at the moment. But if Ferrari has grabbed Red Bull's 'best of the rest' spot, will Webber now be fighting for top five finishes rather than podiums?

Last five race results: 5th / 3rd / 11th / 2nd / 6th


15. Sebastian Vettel (D) - Red Bull

Championship position: 3rd place, 23 points

Now a massive 28 points behind Button, Vettel needs to quickly turn things around and start delivering if his title challenge is to prove more than a flash in the pan. Monaco was a mess - his aggressive strategy was stymied when he was blocked in qualifying and burned through his soft tyres too quickly, and then could not even salvage a few points after dumping his car in the barriers. Vettel and Red Bull still have the pace to attack Button, but are squandering too many chances.

Last five race results: R / 4th / 2nd / 1st / 15th


16. Nico Rosberg (D) - Williams

Championship position: 11th place, 7.5 points

Williams and Rosberg are starting to put in more consistent results - the trouble is all the finishes are about three places down on what they would have been had Rosberg delivered a few races ago, when the car was still among the benchmarks. The team has not been left behind - far from it - but this now looks like a respectable season rather than a major resurgence.

Last five race results: 6th / 8th / 9th / 15th / 8th


17. Kazuki Nakajima (J) - Williams

Championship position: 20th place, 0 points

Monaco was a great place for Nakajima to deliver his first Q3 run of the season, as he reminded everyone that he has a lot more ability than is often apparent during his anonymous midfield runs. So it was unfortunate that he failed to translate that form into strong race pace, and that his day came to such a clumsy end with a crash just a lap and a half from home.

Last five race results: 15th / 13th / R / R / 12th


20. Adrian Sutil (D) - Force India

Championship position: 17th place, 0 points

No Monaco sensation from Sutil this year, although along with team-mate Fisichella he did a good job to get Force India into Q2 with two cars for the first time. An unsuccessful strategy and huge tyre wear then spoiled his race early on, and barring a few more wet races, that could have been Sutil's last chance to shine for a while.

Last five race results: 14th / R / 16th / 17th / 17th


21. Giancarlo Fisichella (I) - Force India

Championship position: 16th place, 0 points

It could so easily have been Fisichella rather than Bourdais who took the sole available 'underdog point' behind the big guns in Monaco - and had he done so you can be certain it would have been greeted ecstatically by the team. It also would have been richly deserved, for Fisichella was at the top of his game all weekend on the streets. It will probably be back to the back in Turkey, though.

Last five race results: 9th / 15th / 14th / 18th


22. Jenson Button (GB) - Brawn GP

Championship position: 1st place, 51 points

He turns up, he struggles a bit in practice, talks pessimistically about his prospects, then nails the set-up and a perfect lap just when it counts in qualifying and goes on to snatch the glory from his rivals again in the race. That's how pretty much every weekend unfolds for Button at the moment, as he continues to pull away in the championship not because of a massive car advantage, but because he is maximising his chances so much better than his rivals.

Last five race results: 1st / 1st / 1st / 3rd / 1st


23. Rubens Barrichello (BR) - Brawn GP

Championship position: 2nd place, 35 points

Barrichello will start beating Button at some point this year, but the chances are by then there will be an uncatchable gap between them in the championship. The results are deceptive, because there is very little to choose between the Brawn duo on raw pace. The difference is that Button relentlessly gets the job done, whereas little things - high tyre wear, discomfort with brake set-up or slightly less than perfect qualifying laps - keep costing Barrichello crucial seconds, and therefore poles and victories.

Last five race results: 2nd / 2nd / 5th / 4th / 5th


ITV.com/F1's top tips for Turkey

Winner: Massa

At some point the itv.com/f1 form card will bow to the inevitable and tip Button for victory, but for Turkey the choice is Massa given his amazing form at the track and Ferrari's clear progress.


Star performer: Hamilton

It wouldn't be the first time that Hamilton made up for a big disappointment with a heroic performance next time around, although a strong top five would be his limit in McLaren's current situation.


Disappointment: BMW

The update package could be too little, too late, given how bad things got for BMW in Monaco, and how little effect the previous development effort seemed to have.