Merhaba Istanbul!
Yesterday, the Turkish GP was held in Istanbul Park Circuit. It had its highlights in the rain. The pole position was taken by Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton during Saturday qualifying, followed by his teammate Valtteri Bottas and then Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Due to the 10-place grid penalty given to Lewis Hamilton for changing the engine, the pole was awarded to his teammate. The starting grid looked like Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Valtteri Bottas won the race marking his first win of the season. Red Bull’s second double podium of the season as Max Verstappen came in 2nd and Sergio Perez in 3rd.
As the race started, a slight accident between Fernando Alonso and Mick Schumacher, which spun Alonso. Then Mick Schumacher was also tipped by Alonso. This led to a 5 second time penalty for both Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly. Bottas taking the lead. By Lap 11 Hamilton passed Pierre Gasly. Sergio Perez showed some of the best defense against Hamilton, as they went wheel to wheel. But Hamilton claimed fourth place after Perez pitted on Lap 38.
Driver of the Day: Carlos Sainz
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel also had problems with his tires when he made the call to switch the tires to opt for mediums. This saw him go off multiple times. Hamilton pitted on Lap 51, which led him to lose his place from P3 to P5. Initially, he refused to pit going against the team’s orders. But eventually, he had to, which lost him the chance of a podium.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz also had the penalty for changing the engine for this race. The Spaniard started from P19 and climbed his way up to P8. The fans very well chose him Driver of the Day for his amazing drive. His fight was disturbed by a slow pit stop. Bottas also had the fastest lap of all, which awarded him an extra point. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was the only driver who did not stop to change his tires. Making him the only driver in 24 years to not have a pit stop in a race.
Max Verstappen has again regained the lead in the Drivers’ Championship. The Dutch driver is ahead of Hamilton by 6 points. The next race is set to happen in the USA on 24rth October. Stay Tuned!
