Kovalainen welcomes first front row start

The McLaren driver, who was only cleared to race in Turkey on Thursday following his heavy crash in Spain, put on his best qualifying performance yet, finishing behind Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

"It has been a bit of roller coaster the last couple of weeks," admitted the Finn, who outqualified teammate Lewis Hamilton for the second time this season.

"I was lucky to survive Spain with no injuries. The recovery has been fantastic, and I have to say thanks to the medical people in Spain and in Finland.

"I knew coming here I would pass the medical. I have been happy here with my car and confident all the time. My lap in Q3 was very clean and it's a pleasure to start from the front row."

Kovalainen said he never had any doubts about his fitness following his crash in Barcelona.

"I would not have come here if I didn't feel I was with 100 percent fitness and last week I was back to normal," he said. "Last week I did a normal physical preparation, and it has been all going very well."

The Finn admitted it was tricky to choose the right tyre strategy, but he was delighted with the outcome.

"It looks like I made the right decision in qualifying. It is going to be tricky and very easy to make a mistake. If the wind or the conditions change it can affect you."