Felipe Massa has actually won the upcoming Turkish Grand Prix, on a Playstation that is.

The Ferrari-bound driver, like his world champion partner, relies on the simulation racing game to get some mileage on the new Istanbul circuit. According to him, the track layout isn’t too bad and from past experiences, the game really gives a good idea on what to expect. The only unknown factor will be the searing temperatures expected in the region.

“I’m looking forward to racing in Turkey,” said Massa, “because I have already won there in the SAUBER PETRONAS C24. I did the race simulation on my Play Station, and I won! And I did on the difficult level, against all the other championship runners!

“From what I have seen I think the track layout is not too bad and usually these computer games are very accurate in the way they depict the circuits. There are some quick corners, elevation changes and long straights – it’s a bit like the latest Nurburgring with a long back straight with a quick corner in the middle.

“For sure it will be extremely hot there so it will be a difficult race for everyone, but we have improved the balance of our car in fast corners a lot lately and I am really looking forward to see how well the track suits the C24 in real life!”

For Jacques Villeneuve, Turkey should be a good outing for the team judging from the level playing field for most of the teams. The Canadian also looks forward to visit the enigmatic country that is steep in history.

“I can’t really say much about the circuit in Turkey because I’ve never been there,” claimed Jacques. “However, it’s always very exciting to go racing in a new country. Jenson, who visited the track earlier this year, told me that the layout of the track is absolutely fantastic so I am really looking forward to trying it out.

“The weather should be really hot but during the break I have been training for these conditions so I am not too worried about that. I think that we should be able to do well in this race, especially as nobody has run here before.”

“I also hope that I will be able to find a moment to visit the city because I keep hearing that the place is buzzing.”

Both cars had a terrible finish in the last Hungarian Grand Prix, which will translate to an early qualifying start for the coming Turkish Grand Prix, a position that will certainly cause mediocre laptimes.

In the last grand prix, Jacques Villeneuve retired in the 57th lap after an overheating spark coil caused massive loss of power and later caught fire within the engine compartment. Teammate Felipe Massa also suffered the same fate but was able to continue his run and was classified 14th at the end of the disappointing race.