F1: Zonta Posts Fastest Time at Turkish Grand Prix Practice

Topics:  Turkish Grand Prix

VOA Sports
August 19, 2005

Brazilian test driver Ricardo Zonta of Toyota has posted the fastest practice time for Sunday's inaugural running of the Turkish Grand Prix Formula One race in Istanbul.

Zonta finished the 5.34-kilometer Istanbul track in one minute, 25.583 seconds or an average speed of more than 224 kilometers per hour.

However, it was the McLaren-Mercedes team that made the best showing on the track. Test driver Pedro De La Rosa of Spain and drivers Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia and Kimi Raikkonen of Finland finished just behind Zonta in practice.

Many of the drivers, including reigning world champion Michael Schumacher of Germany and this year's points leader Fernando Alonso of Spain, struggled to adjust to the track conditions. Schumacher spun out in one of the turns while Alonso could only manage the seventh fastest time in his Renault.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.