By Phil Huff
August 23 2006

Following a hugely successful Hungarian Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello arrives in Turkey confident that the upward trend in performance can continue. "It was good to visit Turkey for the first time last year," says Barrichello. "The circuit is fantastic and I was really impressed by the facilities and the layout. The undulations of the track make it very exciting and challenging from a driver's viewpoint and there are some good overtaking opportunities."

Rubens, driving for Ferrari in last years race, finished a lap down from the race winner, and five places behind current team mate Jenson Button and his BAR Honda, suffering with a lack of performance from his chassis and tyres. A demanding race, made tougher by the physical nature of the Istanbul circuit.

"It's quite tough physically," explains Rubens, "and we're expecting the race to be run in hot temperatures so it was important to keep training between the races, although the break has been good to recharge and get ready for this weekend.

"We showed a real improvement in Germany and Hungary so although we have done no testing prior to this race, we will be hoping to carry this performance forward to Turkey."