And so the Turkish Grand Prix came and went with few surprises. After the thrills and spills in Shanghai it is perhaps no surprise that the action couldn’t live up to the impossibly high standards of the Chinese Grand Prix, but the Istanbul Park circuit certainly asked questions, and formula1fancast as always is here to bring you the answers.

Guess what….Vettel is special

Perhaps after four years of being spoiled with fantastic title battles we had grown accustomed to four or even five way tussles for the drivers’ championship. As Sebastian Vettel crossed the line to record his third victory in four races after winning his fourth pole of the season at a canter, becoming the first driver since Mika Hakkinen to achieve that feat, the parallels with, whisper it quietly, Michael Schumacher, at the turn of the century were unavoidable.

Not perhaps the style but the ruthless manner in which Vettel has been able to batter his rivals into submission has been as equally impressive as it is ominous. In truth, no one looked likely to get anywhere near the German after he got a clean start in Turkey, and despite his troubles in practice, he proved  in qualifying just how much extra he has on his rivals by not going out for a run in the final minutes to save a set of tyres. It is going to take something special to beat him this year.

Schumacher must face up to home truths

On a weekend that started with so much promise for Mercedes, Ross Brawn and co would have been devastated to see their upgrades take them up the pecking order in qualifying, only for race day to provide a sharp pin for their balloon. But what would have hurt most is the sight of Michael Schumacher tussling his way around Istanbul, bouncing from one scrape to another.

What once was seen as  a ruthless will to win is now viewed as a cynicism not welcome in Formula 1, and as he collided with Renault’s Vitaly Petrov on the opening lap, something he admitted he was at fault for, another race where he was bettered by team-mate Nico Rosberg seemed destined to happen. Rosberg had now out-qualified his illustrious team-mate in 19 of their 23 races and finished ahead of him 15 times on race day. The end must be nigh.

McLaren: let’s get ready to rumble

Easily the most enjoyable aspect of the Turkish Grand Prix was the on-track tussle between Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Their exchange in the opening stages of the race was a delight to behold, and also put paid to the notion that Button is out of his depth next to Hamilton. Having been passed by the 2008 champion, Button returned the favour with his own manoeuvre and the fact both men were allowed to engage in some wheel to wheel racing was a delight to see. Does the fact that it was mostly artificial, and would have impossible without DRS make a difference? Possibly, but the skill of both drivers shouldn’t be doubted, and both gave spectators something to cheer about.

It would have been interesting to see who had the others number should the pair been on similar strategies, but McLaren appeared to have not headed the warning from China – do not leave a driver out on tyres nearing the edge of the cliff, otherwise they are sitting ducks

Ferrari finally have something to shout about

How relieved will Ferrari be after Turkey? The answer is very. After massive upgrades to brakes, front and rear wing the Scuderia will be delighted that they have something to show for their efforts. Fernando Alonso’s 3^rd place finish was the perfect tonic for their early season woes, even if Felipe Massa’s 11^th place finish and Mark Webber’s passing of Alonso five laps from the end will have done little to inspire confidence. Can they push on from here?

It is unlikely they will be able to get anywhere near Red Bull or even McLaren in the long-term, but becoming the “third” team on the grid and taking a few scalps along the way is a real possibility, something that was difficult to see at the start of the season.

Turkey not a turkey, but not quite Chinese cracker

As the debate about DRS, KERS and the new Pirelli tyres rages on, Sebastian Vettel proved there was little that can be done about the fastest man on the grid in the fastest car. His comprehensive victory may not have been what the fans wanted, and may have poured water over the fanned flames of the Chinese Grand Prix, but it was a different type of spectacle as Vettel simply destroyed the rest of the field. Mark Webber’s charge up the grid in China must be put in context as well. Kamui Kobayashi’s efforts showed that it is not as simple as putting on some fresh rubber and flying up the field, but needs a huge slice of luck and a “right place right time” scenario before anything special can happen.

The Turkish Grand Prix wasn’t the thrill-fest that China was, that is unavoidable, especially when there is a man head and shoulders above the rest. With Vettel looking impervious, perhaps China will be the exception rather than the rule, even given the racing aides and new tyres for this season.

Keep checking out formula1fancast for the latest reaction to the Turkish Grand Prix, as well as the best news and views ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in two weeks time. You can also follow us on Twitter.

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