escuderias

The Turkish Grand Prix had ended in the worst possible way for the men of Red Bull. The piloting errors of Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon had thrown to the ground the enormous competitiveness that they had shown throughout the weekend where victory or, at least, the podium was possible. The RB16 and the drivers were one in the race, but those mistakes penalized them enormously and both finished outside the Top 5. The frustration was noticeable in the words of the drivers and that of the bosses, since the car had been playing in another league from the first training sessions. The positive part is that they had a good pace and were superior in wet conditions, but there will not be that possibility in the last races. The Dutchman wants to focus on the Grand Prix in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi and find a new opportunity to finish this season in the best possible way.

Verstappen, focused on the end of the year

“We had a good dynamic that weekend, so we were all disappointed within the team to finish sixth and seventh in the race. It was not where we expected to be because we wanted to win. We had some problems and the rear tires were wearing out. faster compared to the rest. You always look ahead because you can’t change what has happened in the last race. I don’t expect to see these kinds of conditions again, the last races should be easier, “concluded the Dutchman in words collected from their website.

After 9 years off the Formula 1 calendar, Turkey returned, but came back to do it in a big way. The atypical 2020 wanted Istanbul to return to our screens to celebrate a new Grand Prix, and I dare say that it did not leave anyone indifferent. From the start on Friday with free practice, until the last lap of the race it was all a great and wonderful uncertainty. You could dare to bet that a certain thing would happen that the opposite would end up happening. An unfriendly track of overconfidence, a rain that threatened from a gray and overcast sky that covered Istanbul.

We had all the necessary ingredients to return to a track unknown to many and do it in style. Perhaps, after three days of competition, they don’t know much about the track either for sure. What we do know is that we would love to see F1 make more stops there in the future. For now it falls off the 2021 calendar, but they claim to be interested in becoming the venue again and are ready to host another race at any time.

Vural Ak, Executive Director of the Intercity Istanbul Park organization

“We welcomed the president of Formula 1, Chase Carey, in Istanbul this week. I was amazed by the attention and enthusiasm which accompanied the Formula 1 race in Turkey. We organized this event in no time after a gap of nine years, and really I think it was a great success. Our talks are ongoing to reach an agreement that will bring the race back to Turkey for several years. The three-year license that the FIA ​​has granted us is proof that we are ready for any upgrade at any time “, do not close the door in Istanbul to F1.

Carey is very clear

“Many places where we compete this year expressed great interest in new races, and other countries have a stronger interest than ever. I’d probably rotate a few races to accommodate some new partners, but we already say that long-term partnerships are still our priority, “we remember the words of Chase Carey who made reference to these lines.

McLaren manager Andreas Seidl believes that seeing cars sliding on the track is not F1, there can be difficult conditions, but not that as constant. Many times we have seen wet conditions that have complicated things and made it more exciting, but it does not seem in favor of a track as slippery as Intercity Instambul Park. While many have dubbed Turkey the best race of the entire 2020 season, McLaren’s is not so convinced. Well, working all year round and reaching tracks where you can’t find your potential because the asphalt is not a regular, it seems that he doesn’t like that.

We can come to understand it, Andreas claims that an F1 is created to be the best, the fastest and the one with the best performance under normal conditions. But, they could go further, stating that these things can happen. We want F1 to be with battle, with uncertainty and not with predictability. It is very good that they work to have the best car, Mercedes is the best today, it was difficult for them to appear throughout the weekend, but that was when the hands of Lewis Hamilton appeared to mark the differences. The talent of the Briton made up for the shortcomings of his car in Turkey to claim a sensational victory. Maybe that is the true DNA of Formula 1, the mix between the best car and a great driver, there is no reason to leave everything in the hands of the machines.

Disgruntled with what he saw in Turkey

“There were a lot of comments in both directions. Is it positive or negative what we saw on Friday and Saturday from Turkey in F1? Of course, a race like that I don’t know … but at the same time, we also have to admit that we have seen that many times in the wet or in difficult conditions these exciting races occur where many things happen. It’s clear that everyone wants to see cars fighting on the trackHe wants to see overtaking maneuvers, he also wants to see that not always the same cars are in front, he wants to see that people can really regain positions by going up all over the grid from the back. “

“But at the same time, F1 is also, under normal conditions, about build or design the best car and turn it into the best performing single seater. And then it is also normal that the best car is ahead in qualifying and also in the race. That is also part of the DNA of F1. I think there will be a lot of positives from 2022 onwards with the new technical regulation, which should allow the cars to compete more together, which should also help to see more overtaking maneuvers. Also, all the other things that are being agreed on as well, like the spending limit, should also help to even things out overall. And I think there is no reason to be pessimistic. “

These last races have been really special for both Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. Individual and collective achievements have kept both of them growing and expanding their history in this hybrid era. At the last Turkish GP, the seventh title had finally come to the Briton, without Valtteri Bottas having been in the position to postpone it at any point during the weekend. A key player in Lewis’ careers is Peter Bonnington, Bono, who is always present on team radios and with his legendary phrase ‘it’s Hammer Time’. His track engineer highlights the good work of his driver in Istanbul in which he was not at all expected to go from being out of the Top 5 to finishing in first position. He also had the feeling that everything was under control and that victory was in hand since he climbed to the top of the table. Since 2013, both have been working together and their relationship has improved over the seasons until this perfect alliance has been forged between them.

Bono surprised by Lewis’s performance in Istanbul

“At first it was not as bright as it is now, since 2013 we have grown a lot. No one can be surprised by that performance [la de Turquía]We know what’s inside it, but when it does, you think ‘I didn’t see it coming’. I am an optimistic person, although I did not see that it would happen. In the middle of the race we found rhythm with the Intermediates and it seemed that he had everything under control. On the radio you could tell that it was in a state of tranquility and you think ‘okay, it’s under control’, the engineer concluded in an interview conducted by Sky Sports F1.

The Turkish Grand Prix had been one of the most difficult, if not the most, for the drivers and the teams. The resurfacing had been the main headache for them, since it was practically impossible to compete without having scares, spins or track exits. Although it was a clear handicap for everyone, that factor increased the show throughout that weekend. In addition, the weather had also come into play which had complicated things even more, in case the conditions they were dealing with in Friday practice were not enough. The lack of grip had been the reason for complaints, but Ross Brawn defends that this condition of the track was caused by the late decision to race there to have one more appointment on the calendar.

Perfect GP organization in Istanbul

“The country’s organizers have done a fantastic job of putting the circuit in position to host a sensational Grand Prix. I understand the drivers were not happy with the grip levels, but it was a consequence of the late decision to race there because the schedule has been revised to react to the pandemic. I think pilots sometimes need to remember that this is a competition and it was the same for everyone. Some pilots ducked their heads and adjusted to the conditions and others found it distracting Having had a challenging surface has not been a bad thing, which shows the talent of the pilots to the maximum. Simply, the competition needs to be fair, equitable and give them the same opportunities “, concluded Ross Brawn in words collected on the page of the F1.

Most of the weekend in Istanbul had been a real challenge for the German team from the start, but no one expected them to be really struggling with the tire. It was not a trick to later appear in classification, not this time. On Friday and Saturday they were behind what we are used to and on Sunday they started outside of the top five on the grid. Lewis Hamilton had been trapped behind Sebastian Vettel during the first stint, with no chance of overtaking him, as he watched those in front slip away. However, the strategy and perfect management of the Midwayers had been essential to take the victory. Leaving aside the final result, the Briton comments that he wants this type of challenge more often, even if he had suffered in all the sessions, but he moves with emotion to difficulties. Not everything was the car on that occasion, but quite a few factors came into play during the race.

Exciting Turkish Grand Prix from start to finish

“I want more weekends like this, more complicated conditions and more opportunities where I can show what I am capable of. I think I deserve respect and I have it with my friends, they know how hard the race had been, especially the The car had not made a difference. However, I had not been able to do it without that incredible group of people behind me. There is another great driver that I have by my side, who having the same car has not finished where I finished, “concluded the British for Motorsport week.

Since qualifying, Lance Stroll had been at a good level in wet track conditions in Istanbul. That decision to bet on the Intermediates in Q3 had served to secure his first pole position with which he had a perfect opportunity to end the weekend in the best possible way. Once the lights went out, his start had been good, keeping the lead intact and throughout the first stint on extreme rain tires he opened a 10-second margin over Sergio Pérez.

With this clear competitiveness, the Canadian himself had full confidence for the rest of the race. Although everything started to go wrong when everyone switched to Intermediate and the incredible advantage he had over his pursuers was quickly diminished by the graining. With a new set of green tires, his pace was not like before and Racing Point have discovered what was the reason for this notable loss of speed. In some tweets published on their official profile, the team has explained the causes of this event.

Racing Point explains the reason for Stroll’s graining

“During the post-race, the team discovered damage to the lower part of Lance Stroll’s front wing. This contributed to the graining problems that he experienced during the second and third stint with the Intermediates. One of them had been lost. parts of the wing which had caused a significant loss of front downforce. The result of this loss had contributed to increased levels of graining. Only after the race, when the car was back in the garage, was it discovered those damages. “

The strategy had not been correct in the Istanbul qualifying for the Woking team because they had played it to ride the Intermediate when the track was still for the extreme rain. With this decision, both MCL35s did not make it to Q3 and their grid positions worsened due to the penalties they received. However, Carlos Sainz had had a really positive race, placing him ninth after the first lap, although his partner had not had a similar performance. Lando had gotten off to a difficult start, losing position to Daniil Kvyat, and only advanced due to the mishaps of Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon at Turn 1.

Also, with the difficulties of the wet track and being trapped behind the Alpha Tauri and the single line made it difficult to get into the Top 10 at the beginning. The young Briton was disappointed with his start because it had held him back for the rest of the race. Despite the initial measures, he was recovering and being the fastest of the entire session at the end and finishing eighth.

Norris managed to climb, despite the exit

“The start was probably the worst of my entire career. Every time we had clean air and we had a good distance with those in front, the car revived and we had a good pace, but it was always difficult to be in that situation. It was a game of patience. There was a complete contrast because we finished well, but we did not start the same way. Overtaking had been good, I had been lucky with Daniel and George because it was so difficult to overtake that you had to take risks. a line to follow, when you got out of it, you lost the car “, concluded the McLaren driver in words for F1i.

The Turkey race was expected to be tough since there was a chance of rain on Sunday. After the complex situation in qualifying and the enormous evolution of the track, these two factors were the ones to keep in mind in the race as it would have a strong impact. Before the start of the last session of the weekend it had rained, which made things difficult once the traffic lights went out onwards. Although the majority of drivers chose the blue tires, with the exception of the Williams, that first stint had been strategically straightforward. However, the move to Intermediates had been the first important decision for the next period. But the most relevant was when the surface of the track was neither for Intermediate nor for dry tires, which had made it difficult to roll with the green compounds up to the checkered flag. In the end, the only ones who bet on a single pit stop had been Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Pérez inside the Top 10. However, the Mexican had suffered on the last lap when his tires were in the last and the Ferraris were more competitive.

The Intermediates, keys in the Istanbul race

“From the start it was clear that this would be a very difficult race where controlling the start in the wet and dealing with the uncertain conditions would be crucial and this had been the case. Assessing the transition was key, when swapping out the extreme rain tires for the Intermediates and then, in the second half of the race, riding on a surface that did not provide enough grip to pass slicks or continuing with another set of Intermediates. The transition from rain tires to Intermediates had been relatively smooth using the Saturday’s data. However, deciding what to do for the second stop had been more difficult in these unusual conditions. “

“Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton on his incredible seventh title, starting sixth on the grid and managing his tires brilliantly to secure a place in history. He had only made one stop and his Intermediates turned to slicks late in the race to extract the maximum of them. “

The podium at Emilia Romagna had been really close for Daniil Kvyat in the final laps of the race, although he had finished less than a second behind Daniel Ricciardo. Despite not having achieved this feat, the Russian had been satisfied with the outcome as he had started from eighth on the grid. Not everything had been positive for Alpha Tauri because that abandonment of Pierre Gasly had taken away the possibility of finishing that weekend in the best possible way, but reliability was not on his side. Facing Istanbul, both Pierre like Daniil had never competed there, not even in lower categoriesSo they are faced with a complicated challenge and a complex track.

Pierre Gasly (10th – 63 points):

“It was a shame what happened in Imola because it seemed like the weekend was going to be good since training. In qualifying I had equaled my best result so it was hard for us to withdraw when we could have added a great result. Like most drivers, I have never raced in Istanbul so it will be a track that I discover for the first time. The design looks very interesting, I’m looking forward to experiencing it for myself. He had managed to complete a few laps in the simulator and has unusual corners, everyone talks about Turn 8. ”

“The first sector looks interesting with some blind parts, there are a lot of slopes and there are also a lot of curves where you have strong lateral loads. It seems to be quite complicated, but it is a plot style that I like, with many curves where you have to find the rhythm and I think I will enjoy it. It’s another chance to try and do something really good. “

Daniil Kvyat (13th – 26 points):

“We had been fast all weekend in Imola which is a positive sign for the final part of the season. It had been a good day and it was important to add a strong result for the team in their home race and also looking at the Constructors’ Championship. We can be proud and happy about that result. “

“I had never competed at the Istanbul circuit in any category and, with the current situation, I have not been able to test it in the simulator so I will start from scratch. I know the corners because I have seen old races, I know that it is rolled in the same direction Counterclockwise, as in the last race in Imola, it has many ups and downs and features the famous Turn 8 “.