Fernando Alonso's 'virtual' lap of Istanbul Park.

Along with his 19 on-track rivals, Formula One points leader Fernando Alonso will get his first 'real' look at Istanbul's new grand prix circuit when free practice starts on Friday morning, but the Spaniard has already got an idea of its flow and challenges after viewing virtual images and simulations produced by the Renault team.

The circuit, the latest to come from the pen of Hermann Tilke, has been compared by some to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps venue in Belgium, a perception heightened by the changes in elevation sculpted into the Turkish countryside, but Alonso reckons there will be different challenges to cope with this weekend.

"As with any new circuit, the engineers have been working for several months now to simulate the track layout in Turkey," he said, "They have worked out predicted grip levels and the dimensions of the circuit in order to simulate a lap as closely as possible, which will allow us to calculate starting set-ups, cooling levels and already inform our tyre choice.

"What we know already is that Istanbul will be a demanding circuit for the tyres, as we expect some of the highest track temperatures of the season, and for the brakes, with at least six stops from near or over 300kph down to second gear. As a result, this is how the engineers expect a lap to be driven...

"We will cross the start-finish line in sixth gear, at 300kph, on a flying lap. The line is actually positioned quite close to the first corner, and we will touch 320kph before braking heavily for the T1/T2 sequence, which comprises a tight left-hander followed by a progressively opening right. The left hander is taken in third gear, at around 160kph, and we will then be back on the power as soon as possible as we take part two, lifting only briefly to apex at around 220kph.

"The run to T3 curves gently right, and we will once again hit 320kph before braking heavily for the next sequence of three corners. The first corner, the left-hander of T3, is actually the quickest of these, taken at 165kph in third gear, but we will have to compromise the exit slightly, sticking to the left of the circuit to get the correct line for T4.

"We downshift once for the right-hander, taking it at 120kph before a short burst of acceleration to third gear, then braking again for the tight double-apex lefts of T5 and T6. These will be treated as one corner, with T5 taken at 120kph before T6 under full acceleration. Like T2, the exit of this corner opens out, and we will have to be on the power as soon as possible, with a stable rear end, to maximise our speed on the run to T7. This type of corner also puts the rear tyres under real strain, as they are subjected to high lateral loads as well as the acceleration forces.

"The track runs downhill slightly on the way to T7 - and we will touch 300kph before braking to second gear for the right-hand hairpin, which is taken at 115kph. Once again, the corner opens out on exit, and leads us into the most interesting corner on the circuit - T8. This long left-hander will be particularly tough for the right front tyre, as it comprises four different apices, taken at approximately 175kph in third and fourth gears. Once again, a clean exit will be important, as any mistakes could open the door for cars behind heading into T9.

"The sequence of T9/T10 will be treated like a chicane - we brake from 320kph in sixth gear to 115kph for T9, the left-hander, before then accelerating through T10 without lifting, at approximately 200kph. A good exit from T9, and the correct line through T10, will be crucial as they lead onto the circuit's longest straight - and its most obvious passing opportunity. The right-hand kink of T11 is taken flat out in sixth gear at 310kph, before drivers have a good opportunity to overtake on the brakes into T12.

"We will hit a maximum speed of around 330kph before braking for the slowest corner on the circuit, with T12 taken at just 95kph in second gear. We may see some interesting manoeuvres into the corner, because it is immediately followed by a slow right-hander at T13, meaning a driver on the outside through the hairpin will have the ideal line into T13. That could mean we see cars battling side-by-side through these corners.

"T13 will be taken at 110kph, and we will then look to position the cars on the right-hand side of the circuit to get the best possible line through T14, and back onto the start/finish straight. The final corner will be taken in second gear, at approximately 115kph, before accelerating hard down the main straight and towards another lap. In total, we expect this to take us around 1min 25secs."