Felipe Massa, P1 - 1:29.342, 5th; P2 - 1:29.416, 11th
"The track surface today was very dirty, as could be seen by the number of off-track excursions. As for us, we concentrated on finding the best set-up for Sunday's race and it's difficult to say where we are compared to the rest. On top of that, everyone is very close in performance terms, so I think we'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to understand something. The harder tyres give little grip, as we expected, while the softer ones seems to suffer significant degradation, even though, as the track evolves, that situation should change. The new aerodynamic elements we have here are definitely not worth a second, but they are a small help, which when put all together, improve our performance."

Kimi Raikkonen, P1 - 1:29.398, 7th; P2 - 1:29.520, 15th
"At this track, conditions change very quickly, so it is difficult to judge the performance of the various cars on the basis of today's results. The track is very dirty and, after making some changes to the set-up, the car seemed to handle a bit strangely, but then it was back to normal for my final run in FP2. There is still work to do on the car but I am confident: I think we will find the right solutions to be competitive tomorrow and on Sunday."

Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari team principal:
"Today's results are even more difficult to interpret than they usually are on Fridays. Apart from the normal unknowns relating to fuel loads and tyre useage, the track conditions also played a part, as they changed a lot during the two sessions. Having said that, we are reasonably happy with the work we did today, also taking into account our fuel loads. There is still work to do to improve the handling of the car, but all in all, I think we are going in the right direction."

Chris Dyer, Ferrari chief engineer:
"It was a rather complicated day, because of the track conditions, it being dirty and also because of the wind. We got through our programme without the slightest problem, concentrating on tyre choice for the race, finding the best set-up on the car and on evaluating new aerodynamic solutions which are making their track debut today. Both the compounds that Bridgestone brought here seem to be pretty critical in terms of grip, at least from what we could see today. But we know the situation will improve bit by bit as the track gets rubbered in. All in all, we are reasonably satisfied with what we've seen today. I think that again here in Turkey, we will be able to confirm the progress seen in Spain and Monaco."

Turkish Grand Prix free practice session two
1.  KOVALAINEN    McLaren       1m28.841s
2.  ALONSO        Renault       1m28.847s
3.  KUBICA        BMW           1m29.056s
4.  NAKAJIMA      Williams      1m29.091s
5.  VETTEL        Red Bull      1m29.202s
6.  TRULLI        Toyota        1m29.207s
7.  ROSBERG       Williams      1m29.257s
8.  BARRICHELLO   Brawn         1m29.305s
9.  WEBBER        Red Bull      1m29.383s
10. PIQUET        Renault       1m29.401s
11. MASSA         Ferrari       1m29.416s
12. BUTTON        Brawn         1m29.430s
13. HAMILTON      McLaren       1m29.435s
14. GLOCK         Toyota        1m29.518s
15. RAIKKONEN     Ferrari       1m29.520s
16. HEIDFELD      BMW           1m29.550s
17. SUTIL         Force India   1m30.081s
18. FISICHELLA    Force India   1m30.091s
19. BOURDAIS      Toro Rosso    1m30.295s
20. BUEMI         Toro Rosso    1m30.629s

Ferrari had another difficult session falling down the session. Ofcourse we dont know what settings/fuel loads/etc they were using but as far as a Felipe Massa win this weekend; it looks doubtful indeed.

Friday Practice 2 is now finished.

Turkish Grand Prix free practice session one
1.  ROSBERG       Williams      1m28.952s
2.  HAMILTON      McLaren       1m29.263s
3.  TRULLI        Toyota        1m29.271s
4.  VETTEL        Red Bull      1m29.337s
5.  MASSA         Ferrari       1m29.342s
6.  NAKAJIMA      Williams      1m29.371s
7.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari       1m29.398s
8.  ALONSO        Renault       1m29.422s
9.  BARRICHELLO   Brawn         1m29.525s
10. KOVALAINEN    McLaren       1m29.590s
11. BUTTON        Brawn         1m29.747s
12. SUTIL         Force India   1m29.864s
13. GLOCK         Toyota        1m29.934s
14. PIQUET        Renault       1m30.132s
15. WEBBER        Red Bull      1m30.176s
16. KUBICA        BMW           1m30.645s
17. HEIDFELD      BMW           1m30.689s
18. FISICHELLA    Force India   1m30.729s
19. BOURDAIS      Toro Rosso    1m30.838s
20. BUEMI         Toro Rosso    1m30.944s

Practice 2, we should get a better understanding where Ferrari stand for this weekend as Practice 1 is all about clearing up the track and getting some basic understanding of the car.

Practice 2 live updates will commence at 12 (2pm local)

Friday Practice 1 is now Live.

Stay Tuned for major updates.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
2008 Qualifying - 4th, 2008 Race - 3rd
“Ferrari have gone very well at the Turkish Grand Prix over the last three years, but this time Brawn GP is the great favourite, because they won five out of the six races so far. We’re closing the gap, but we’ve got to give it our all to get back in the lead. It was great to be back on the podium at Monaco. The team pushed very hard and it was a very nice reward to have both cars amongst the first four. The Monaco weekend was a step forward as far as the result is concerned, but we have to be patient - I know that our fans want to see us winning immediately, but we have to be realistic. We’re closer, that’s for sure, and we’ll have some updates in Turkey; but we know that the others work hard too.

“Compared to the Monaco track the Istanbul Park is a more conventional track and we have a more definite idea. I really like this track and it’s very demanding. There are all types of corners and blind spots to brake; everything you need for a beautiful race. This year’s cars have less downforce, but we’re using slicks - Turn Eight will be very exciting under these circumstances. I think that it’s the downforce we still have to make up ground compared to Brawn GP and Red Bull, but we’re heading in the right direction. Now, almost half way through the season, I’m much more optimistic than I was at the start, especially with the steps we’ve taken in the last two races. We know that there are further improvements coming up, which makes me think positive about the future. Who wins five out of six races at the start of the season is in an excellent position to winning the title, but the championship isn’t over yet. Everything can happen, although things have to change very soon.”

Felipe Massa, Ferrari
2008 Qualifying - 1st, 2008 Race - 1st
“I have a very good record in Istanbul, having won for the last three years starting from pole position each time. I find it difficult to explain why I should be so strong here, other than the fact we had three fantastic weekends in Turkey, when everything worked perfectly, with the car performing very well right from the first session. It would be nice to carry on in the same direction. I just like the track and feel comfortable there, but it’s hard to pinpoint why it suits me better than some other circuits. I do prefer fast-flowing tracks and have a feel for all the corners here, as it’s not good enough to only be fast over one particular section of the track. I think I’ve also found a good way to set up the car perfectly for this circuit. It’s not just Turkey though, as I’ve won in Brazil for the last two years and actually, it should have been the last three in my home race. In fact, it’s been suggested to me that maybe the reason is that they are the only two anti-clockwise circuits on the calendar. Who knows? Maybe I’m better than others at driving through left handed corners!

“Turn Eight in Istanbul is an amazing corner, where you hit one of the highest lateral G-force levels of the season, which puts a lot of stress on your neck and body. On top of that, in the middle of the corner, you have a big bump, which can give you a problem in terms of stability. It is a really a tricky corner, with different lines to choose from, depending on how your car is behaving: sometimes you have too much understeer, or oversteer in the middle and all these factors make it very challenging. The last few years, I haven’t had to give much thought to the overtaking possibilities in Istanbul, starting from the number one slot on the grid. This year, given how competitive the front of the field is in qualifying, it is going to be a very interesting Saturday afternoon, but at least the track does provide some passing opportunities, especially with the long main straight. Last year, Lewis (Hamilton) changed his strategy to a three stop and was easily able to pass me. On Wednesday I jump on a flight to Istanbul and I can’t wait for Friday to see if the progress seen in Spain and Monaco will continue in Turkey.”

Catch the TURKISH GP this weekend. Times shown are LOCAL time (Istanbul) BST is -2 hours. So race is at 1pm in the UK

FRI Practice 1 10:00
FRI Practice 2 14:00
SAT Practice 11:00
SAT Qualifying 14:00
SUN Race 15:00

We will be posting AJAX updates to QUALI and the RACE so stay on the site during live GPs for live updates.

*UPDATES
After some showers on Thursday the weather should be settled for the rest of the weekend, with partial cloud and ambient temperatures rising from 25 degrees Celsius to 31 on Saturday before dropping slightly to 30 on race day.

The 5.338 kilometre (3.317 mile) track is fundamentally unchanged apart from minor alterations to kerbing and tyre barriers, and the race will run over 58 laps or 309.396 kilometres (192.250 miles).

It starts at 1500 hours local time, which is three hours ahead of GMT.

Kimi Raikkonen, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver, talks about Istanbul Park Circuit.

Kimi Raikkonen has asked Ferrari fans to understand that the Maranello squad may not yet be ready to win again straight away, despite the major progress it has made in the past two races.

“Ferrari always went very well at the Turkish GP over the last three years, but this time Brawn GP is the great favourite, because they won five out of the six races so far,” he said.

“We’re closing the gap, but we’ve got to give it our all to get back in the lead.

“The Monaco weekend was a step forward as far as the result is concerned, but we have to be patient.

“I know that our fans want to see us winning immediately, but we have to be realistic.

“We’re closer, that’s for sure, and we’ll have some updates in Turkey; but we know that the others work hard too.”

Raikkonen expects the varied and undulating Istanbul Park layout to provide a good barometer of Ferrari’s current competitiveness, but thinks the F60 still lacks the downforce of its main rivals.

“Compared to Monaco, Istanbul Park is a more conventional track and we [will] have a more definite idea,” he said.

“I think that it’s the downforce we still have to make up ground compared to Brawn GP and Red Bull, but we’re heading in the right direction.”

While Jenson Button and Brawn appear to be romping away with the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, Raikkonen reckons they are not yet uncatchable – although he admits time is running short for any would-be challengers.

“Now, almost halfway through the season, I’m much more optimistic than I was at the start, especially with the steps we’ve taken in the last two races,” he explained.

“We know that there are further improvements coming up, which makes me think positive about the future.

“Who wins five out of [six] races at the start of the season is in an excellent position to winning the title, but the championship isn’t over yet.

“Everything can happen, although things have to change very soon.”

Felipe Massa reckons Ferrari’s major recent progress means he has a realistic hope of challenging for a fourth successive Turkish Grand Prix victory and the team’s first of the season.

The Brazilian’s chances of heading to Istanbul Park with even an outside shot at fighting at the front seemed slim just several weeks ago, with Ferrari’s F60 rooted in the midfield amid pace and reliability problems.

But the introduction of a major aerodynamic overhaul from the Spanish GP has helped transform the world champion team’s fortunes, the Italian squad finally scoring its first podium finish of 2009 at the last round in Monaco.

Massa is optimistic further updates will push it even closer to Brawn and allow it to challenge the hitherto dominant outfit for wins.

“For Istanbul, we will have another small step in terms of aerodynamic development, which should improve the car still further and that is down to a big push from the guys in the factory,” the 28-year-old said.

“We want to continue to improve as quickly as possible, to try and win some races.

“If will be fantastic if we find we are in a position to fight for the win in Turkey.”

And in a warning to Brawn, he added: “[Monaco] showed that we have got closer to the pace of the Brawns and can look forward to being even more competitive over the next few races.”

The Ferrari driver has proved unbeatable in Istanbul since joining the Scuderia in 2006, claiming pole position and race victory on each of his three appearances.