Turkish delight for Ferrari

Ferrari stormed to a calculated and professional one-two with the popular Felipe Massa out-driving teammate Kimi Räikkönen over the course of the weekend and both drivers putting in a solid team performance on race day. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton drove well to demonstrate again his special talent - but suffered a tyre failure that let Fernando Alonso slightly close the gap on him in the Drivers' Championship. And so, with five races to go, what has been a great season so far is bubbling to a fantastic climax. Bernie Ecclestone and the commercial sponsors are the big winners from all this - the profile of F1 is high again and TV audiences are huge.

Tricky team decisions ahead

At this stage of the season it is usually the case that one driver has a substantial lead over the other in the same team which means that "team orders" come into play. The second driver becomes a support to the man in front and whilst, as F1 regulations require, there is no overt favouritism there is no doubt that all the primary effort goes into the securing of the Drivers' championship for the leader. For years Rubens Barrichello, and Eddie Irvine before him, played their part at Ferrari behind Michael Schumacher (not always happily it must be said). Similarly over the past two seasons Giancarlo Fisichella's eventual role at Renault was to support Fernando Alonso. This year, however, at both McLaren and Ferrari, the situation is different. Lewis Hamilton leads Alonso by only five points and Felipe Massa is just one ahead of teammate Räikkönen. I suspect that unless and until one driver establishes a substantial lead over his partner then it will be anything goes at both Ferrari and McLaren - with the winners being the sport and the fans.

Alonso is courting unpopularity

Before the Turkish Grand Prix Fernando Alonso said "I brought to the team half a second, six-tenths, whatever, and I don't see anything giving me back." This remark will have angered Ron Dennis who had spent time last week trying to smooth over the rift between his two drivers. It was a naïve and rather arrogant thing to say because whilst it is certainly true that McLaren has been transformed this year compared with 2006 (when they finished a poor third behind Renault and Ferrari) Alonso is far from the only reason why this has happened. The amazing debut of Lewis Hamilton has had at least as much to do with this year's success as the arrival of Alonso. In sport the difference between victory and defeat is often attributable to a combination of a large number of small factors. At McLaren this year the substantially British team is definitely enthused by having a British driver challenging for the Drivers championship. They are all professionals, but they are human beings as well and maybe, in the light of Alonso's remarks, they might just be inspired to go the extra mile for Hamilton rather than for Alonso (who this week Niki Lauda accused of "complaining, moaning and bitching").

Massa has an advantage as well

In the same way that the intra team dynamics favour Hamilton over Alonso at McLaren so the rather strange Kimi Räikkönen is far less popular then the delightful Felipe Massa at Ferrari. Again I have no doubt that Jean Todt will be insisting on equal treatment for the Finn and the Brazilian but, as at McLaren, all at Maranello undoubtedly favour the ebullient Massa - albeit in subtle ways. So all other things being equal (which they rarely are, of course) I would see Hamilton finishing the season ahead of Alonso and Massa finishing ahead of Räikkönen.

Four potential champions

After Turkey, the twelfth race of the season, the four drivers in with a shout for the Drivers' championship have three Grand prix wins each. This is, I think, unprecedented equality at this stage in the season. If my surmise is correct - that Massa and Hamilton have the advantage in their respective teams - then the big question is whether Massa can bridge the fifteen point gap that exists at the moment between himself and the young Brit. But it would be wrong to write off the chances of either Alonso or Räikkönen - even if their teams aren't smiling on them fortune might. There's all to play for over the next five Grands Prix!