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With the Turkish Grand Prix returning to the Formula 1 calendar for this season, let’s take a look at the stunning Istanbul Park Turn 8 in this feature from the Turkish GP schedule – which you can download for free, here!
Formula 1 last visited Istanbul Park for the 2011 Turkish Grand Prix. Only three of the current drivers took part in that race nine years ago: Sebastian Vettel (then with Red Bull), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) and Sergio Perez (Sauber – the team now called Alfa Romeo).
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The cars have changed a lot since then which means their knowledge of Istanbul Park won’t be very relevant this weekend. In fact, the drivers may have forgotten most of the things about the race, but just to remind them …
Seb won, Lewis was fourth and Sergio finished 14th. But that esteemed trio will surely remember Turn 8. The name “Turn 8” may not be immediately recognizable – unlike Eau Rouge in Spa-Francorchamps, 130R in Suzuka or Parabolica in Monza. But Istanbul’s Turn 8 is right up there with Formula 1’s most iconic corners. It’s an ultra-fast, multi-vertex left-hander and is simply one of the biggest challenges you can encounter in a Formula 1 car.
Turkish Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel’s pole lap in 2011
“It’s a great angle!” Hamilton confirmed in 2011. What makes Turn 8 great? Length, speed, load and three quotes.
At 640 meters, Turn 8 takes up about 12 percent of a total lap of Istanbul Park. Turn 3 of Sochi Autodrom, usually referred to as the longest corner in Formula 1, is just under 700 meters, but has a constant radius.
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When the F1 cars last raced at Istanbul Park in 2011, Turn 8 lasted around 8.5 seconds, which is also very similar to the time it took to tackle Turn 3 in Sochi. What separates the two curves is the entry speed. In Sochi, Turn 3 starts almost immediately after the relatively slow Turn 2, taken at almost 120 km / h (70 mph), and the cars failed to add much extra speed. Turn 8, on the other hand, comes after a straight, which means the entry speed is over 260 km / h (155 mph)!
“You go into it at full throttle, and once you’re in it’s a curve where you continually build up lateral G-force. And you really have to be pretty accurate with the line you take. Also important is the minimum speed you take all the way around the corner as you take it all along the next straight, ”explains Hamilton.
In 2011, the average speed of the complete curve was 270 km / h (165 mph). This year, with better aerodynamics and wider tires, the cars will likely be a bit faster, which will make Turn 8 even more challenging.
Felipe Massa (then with Ferrari) is the most successful driver at Istanbul Park, winning the Turkish Grand Prix three times in a row from 2006-2008. He says: “Turn 8 is a very special corner, especially the first part, which is the most difficult. The second part is flat and easier. Turn 8 was different from what we were used to and made Istanbul Park very special! “
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Curve 8 represents a unique combination of very high speeds and sustained load.
In 2011, the maximum G-force in turn 8 was 5G while a level of 4.5G was sustained for a couple of seconds and the average G-force for the entire turn – more than 8 seconds, remember! – it was 3.5G. With today’s wider tires, both the speed and G-forces should be higher, but the time to go through corners will, of course, be slightly less.
“You have a lot of G strength in turn 8”, confirms Massa.
“But you also have a little bump in the middle of the corner, which means you can lose the rear of your car if you’re too aggressive,” adds the Brazilian.
“Turn 8 will truly be a ‘moment’ in today’s cars,” adds Romain Grosjean.
French driver Haas has never raced in F1 at Istanbul Park, but he won a GP2 race in support of the 2011 Turkish Grand Prix.
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It’s not just Grosjean, but Hamilton who won a GP2 race at Istanbul Park – watch Hamilton mow the field in 2006
“Turn 8 will probably be flat, but there will be so much G-force to contend with,” he adds.
A long and demanding turn like Turn 8 is obviously crucial to your lap time. But curve 8 is more than that: it’s actually very important because the three vertices are closely related to each other. It’s quite simple: if you miss an early peak of Turn 8, you risk compromising the entire rest of the lap.
CIRCUIT GUIDE: Robert Kubica explains a tour of Istanbul Park
The long corner is also a challenge for the cars, and will be one of the most demanding corners of the season in terms of tire energy. While it only accounts for 12 percent of the lap, it will likely account for around 40 percent of the total tire energy, with the right front working the hardest.
Since the curve is so important for lap time, it is specifically taken into account when the car is set up; particularly in terms of wheel camber settings and ride heights.
2020 Turkish Grand Prix: circuit statistics
The demanding cornering is also crucial to the overall aerodynamics of the car. The level of downforce for Istanbul Park will likely be medium-high, a compromise between the need for a lot of downforce in Turn 8 and the low drag required on the long straight.
Good cornering stability requires a stiff suspension setup, but again it will be a trade-off as slower cornering requires softer suspension that offers more mechanical grip.
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2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg, who has raced in Istanbul Park in six Turkish Grand Prix since 2006-11, says: “Turn 8 was the corner everyone was talking about. The triple apex curve is one of the longest corners in F1 with very high G levels. It is a lot of fun to drive and you can make up a lot of time there if you do it right. If you were to create a fantastic F1 circuit, Turn 8 would definitely be included!
“It was one of the most challenging corners of the year,” added Rosberg.
For more information on the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, download the free racing schedule here
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