Blundell's view: Turkish Grand Prix.

Hi folks...

We are into the last quarter of the season now and things look quite exciting in a number of ways.

Lots of people are having pressure applied to them and lots of people are having pressure released from their shoulders. I think we are going to get a good finish to the season - mark my words.

Turkey of course joined the F1 circus for the first time last year and overall it got the thumbs up and all of the drivers came away with a big smile on their faces.

The circuit itself is a great challenge and I think there are a couple of corners in particular that are quite unique. It is quite a long track in terms of a new build and it has got a lot of distance to it, with a lot of undulations, which is good for character and it gives the drivers' something to think about in terms of their approaches. Some of the corners are very high G and the circuit is quite abrasive so there is a lot of grip out there and it is a challenge to get the cars set-up to suit the track.

The general facilities were great as well. There was a little of trouble getting to the circuit, with traffic in '05, but I am sure it will be a lot better this year.

Last time out we were in Hungary and it was a fantastic race. As always when you apply a bit of water to the mix, it gives you a great outcome and that needs to be looked at in a more focused way. When the weather pattern changes we get great entertainment and things need to be learnt from that.

Overall it was a super weekend and the outcome was fantastic with Jenson Button winning. I would like to see a lot more of the same - in terms of entertainment and of course JB winning.

In terms of this weekend it is difficult to say who is the favourite, but I think there is more of a slant towards Michael Schumacher and Ferrari getting the job done than Fernando Alonso and Renault. Schumacher though will be disappointed that he didn't capitalise more in Hungary on what was not a great weekend for either of them.

I think Turkey will produce a good race and a great challenge for the drivers to get the most out of their weekend, but I am leaning towards Ferrari and Bridgestone.

As for their respective number two drivers, I expect Felipe Massa to do his normal supporting role. He had a great opportunity to pull out something spectacular in Hungary but didn't get the package to work on race day.

Giancarlo Fisichella seems to be doing a solid job as well but he continues to be overshadowed by Alonso - and Alonso has not had a couple of good races - so there is an opportunity for him to get the stronger result.

Further down the pack Honda will be looking to show that their form at Budapest wasn't a flash in the pan.

Jenson came away with the laurels, and very well deserved it was as well, he drove an outstanding race. He didn't put a foot wrong - he was in the right place at the right time and had the raw pace at the stages of the race where it was necessary.

Honda, we have seen in the last two grand's prix, have come on with more strength in speed again. I think after that result, it will lift some pressure off Jenson and will give him confidence to improve on the level he has already obtained. I think the team as well will pick up their chins and move forward with a bit more focus and direction, knowing that they have now accomplished a grand prix win, which is not an easy task by any means. So I would expect more from them.

Whether we would expect to see Button or Rubens Barrichello winning another race or two before the end of the year is something we will have to wait and see, because the weather conditions and circumstances definitely played into their hands. However, saying that, they were still very strong and would have still been in a very strong position even if the two strongest contenders were in the race at the end of it.

McLaren were of course strong too at the 'ring and that bodes well. Progress has been made there and I think Kimi Raikkonen slightly got caught out, which is uncharacteristic thing in some ways - you don't see that very often. But he did get caught when he collided with Vitantonio Liuzzi and it diminished his chances of getting a win because I think that was quite possible.

Pedro de la Rosa again drove maturely in the second MP4-21 and put in a strong performance to take the runners-up spot. Maybe a little bit more could have been achieved by him but it was a strong performance and he is justifying his position after having been drafted in to replace Juan Pablo Montoya. McLaren in general are on the up and I think everyone can see that.

BMW Sauber completed the podium with Nick Heidfeld and since then the Swiss-based team have confirmed that they have parted company with Jacques Villeneuve permanently.

In some ways it is difficult to understand why they have opted to get rid of him because he has done a good job this season and has kept his head down and got on with the task. At the same time though you could sense there was some unrest and some unease from the continuation from last season, with what has gone on, and an opportunity arose following his crash in Germany to do something about it.

I am a little bit saddened because Villeneuve was 'one of those characters' and he will be sorely missed in the pit lane because he spoke his mind and added his opinion. I just hope whoever replaces him, whether that is Robert Kubica or someone else, will be as much of a character in the car as he is out of it.

Heidfeld will definitely have a tougher time now to contend with Kubica, who is obviously a great talent. Kubica had a bit of an up and down race, but he kept fighting back and pulling it together for himself and for the team and I think he would be happy with the outcome. Obviously, he didn't get to score those points on his debut, after being disqualified, but in general he put in a fine performance.

Red Bull Racing and Toyota were the other two teams who managed to pick up points, with David Coulthard taking fifth and Ralf Schumacher sixth - more solid results for both of those guys.

I think solid is the underlying word though because that is exactly what they were. They were just strong consistent drives from both drivers and teams. Toyota, I think, would have liked a stronger performance overall in terms of the finishing result, but they are heading in the right direction.

There has been quite a bit of developments on the driver front for 2007 and that has involved both of those teams, with RBR opting to stick with DC and sign Mark Webber. Toyota also confirmed Trulli recently and that is good news for him to get another extension on his contract. I was a little bit surprised at the duration that has been agreed because three years is a long time to get through, but that is fantastic.

Red Bull and DC meanwhile, whatever way you look at it, he keeps getting the results over and above his younger counterparts and is delivering in the direction what the team is in need of. Again it is a sensible approach, to opt for continuity.

Webber will join him as his team-mate for next year, again a good guy, but there is a question mark over Mark as to whether he is going to perform and deliver over the season if he has the car underneath him, that is something I look forward to seeing.

It is slightly baffling to understand in one way though why RBR went for him, especially with all their young drivers, including a couple in the other team that they own and who didn't get chosen to step up. That signals a couple of things - either that Webber has some kind of connection going to Red Bull, or comes along as a package, or that the guys that sit underneath Red Bull via the scholarship scheme aren't perceived to be good enough to step up. It is going to be fascinating to see how that all shape's out.

Williams had another dismal race - their fifth double DNF, so not much to say there, but there were big developments at the Grove-based squad on the driver front, with them opting for an Alex Wurz-Nico Rosberg combo in 2007 and of course confirming the switch to using Toyota engines, which has been on the cards for ages.

Wurz has been doing a great job testing, but he has been doing that for a long time now. He wasn't a logical choice as a driver for the future for me but he has obviously done something right to get that drive.

Nico has been struggling a little bit of late and he needs to find his feet slightly. He had that sensational debut in Bahrain and now it has gone a little bit pear-shaped and he is treading water and is trying to work out where to go next. But you can see the talent there which is a good thing.

The team meanwhile have been making some progress, even if they have been suffering with reliability issues. Signing up with Toyota for an engine supply is a good thing, in terms of having a big manufacturer behind them and having a support package. That is something all teams strive to get, so we will see if it makes a difference next year.

It will be sad not to see Cosworth in the sport though if things do go that way, because they have contributed a great deal.

As for the others, at Super Aguri, Sakon Yamamoto was trying to find his feet and it wasn't an easy weekend to do that. The weather meant it was a tough baptism.

Super Aguri are using their new car now of course and that should help them during the last part of the season. The majority of the SA06 is new and they have made some progress as a result. I think they will continue to chip away at some of the guys around them this weekend and in the other events.

Midland have been showing some speed, but whether that is because of things on their car that are not supposed to be there, or whether that is attached to genuine progress, is open to debate. Bridgestone are making an impact and you get the feeling they may be able to pop in and drag a point out of a race.

Scuderia Toro Rosso appear to have gone a little bit stagnant and whether the drivers' are driving a little over the edge to get a little more out of the package and that is not coming together is hard to say. Whatever the case, the actual performance level doesn't seem to have gone forward for a while.

So, to sum up, I'm going to go with Michael Schumacher to win followed by Alonso, Button, Raikkonen, Barrichello and Fisichella - and I have got my money on Kimi to take pole position.

Enjoy the race...

MB