I do not care if the vast majority of fans found the Turkish GP boring - it was full of interest and action, even if much of that was the result of mistakes. Barrichello provided us with a few thrills and spills as he fought to recover from a stuttering start and Vettel showed us that pole is not enough if you do not keep a cool head. And Button proved once again that winning requires more than the best car; you have to take your opportunities when presented.
Jenson Button does it again
It is that Button/Brawn combination that starts the whining, of course. Apparently, it is boring when one driver and car wins all the time; yet most of the complaints come from Ferrari fans who seem to have collective amnesia of the years when Schumacher and Ferrari were unbeatable. Let them deal with it, say I, just as we had to back then.
In fact, the Brawn BGP 001 has not had things all its own way for several races; the Red Bull has been its equal and the difference has been superior driving and strategy from the Brawn camp. Button's wins have not been guaranteed but have been earned against serious opposition from his team mate as well the Red Bull pair. It may not seem a needle match when looking at the results but each race is exactly that and exciting as a result.
Barrichello's unfortunate start may have robbed us of a potential battle with his team mate but his attempted recovery showed us that the Brawn's advantage is not so great as to enable it to cruise past other cars. A car with KERS is still a formidable obstacle and even a Force India takes a fair bit of overtaking. Cast your mind back to those days when Schumacher would recover from a bad start by multiple overtaking and it becomes clear that this year's cars are extremely closely matched, probably more so than ever before.
This was also demonstrated by Vettel's drive to catch Button after the first pit stops. In a considerably lighter car, he was able to catch Button but never had enough of a performance advantage to force his way to the front. Unable to pass, he had no option but to watch as his race slipped away from him, each succeeding lap making it more likely that Mark Webber would take his second place for the final stints.
Which brings me to Red Bull's strategy for the race. It appears that Vettel's three stopper was not a hasty decision made after he lost his lead in the first lap; this was always going to be the strategy and Sebastian was only surprised that the team did not change him to a two stopper once the race had not gone according to plan. With hindsight, the three stop was only going to work if Vettel could build a lead in the first stint and so the team's decision does seem to have been a mistake. But it kept things exciting for the viewers as Sebastian closed on Button early on and then later on Mark Webber.
How Red Bull are going to rue that radio call to Vettel to slow down in his chase of Mark! It was the sensible thing to do from a team point of view, avoiding the possibility of the two pushing each other off, but the inevitable accusations of team orders have begun already. The call was probably unnecessary anyway, Vettel already having shown that he could not pass another car with anything like the same performance and Webber being one of the toughest of all drivers to pass. Perhaps the most interesting point of the whole affair was that Mark again got the better of his team mate through a more standard strategy and the hard work of consistent lap times.
Trulli and Rosberg had a gritty strategic fight throughout the race, the Toyota driver losing out at first but then getting back in front when it mattered. That was a shame for Nico who was having his best race for Williams in a while but it does illustrate how the two teams are next up in the pecking order, just ahead of the Ferraris.
Massa and Raikkonen had hard races, unable to do anything about those ahead of them but safe from those behind. And Massa at last asserted his authority over Kimi on a track that he is supposed to own. Note how the BMWs have improved, however, and are now snapping at the Ferrari's heels. Kubica was quicker than expected in race trim and held on for a couple of points. There is still a lot of work for the team to do before getting back to their position at the beginning of the season but the journey has begun.
Glock had an excellent race, using a one-and-a-half stop strategy to finish in the points, quite an achievement from his 13th grid spot. But spare a thought for Nakajima who had run a fine race, only to have it snatched from him at the last by a slow pit stop. It may be some consolation to know that his fastest race lap was three tenths of a second quicker than his team leader's.
It is probably kindest to say as little as possible about the McLarens in Istanbul - 13th and 14th finishes are not what they are accustomed to. But, to offer a ray of hope, the track has never been particularly good to the team and fortunes may change for Silverstone.
Renault has also slipped back according to the team's performance this time, Alonso disappearing after his lightly fueled first stint and even Piquet putting up a faster lap in the race. The brief fight between Hamilton and Piquet was a true picture of how these two teams are struggling at the moment, able only to compete with each other while the Force Indias breathe down their necks. How the mighty are fallen!
To my mind, the race was full of interest and talking points, with some good battles and tension throughout. Yes, Button continues on his victorious way but he is earning it. And, to paraphrase Ron Dennis, it is not for the other teams to hope the leader falters, it is up to them to catch up.