2020 Turkish - Istanbul Park

[Nitrodaze]

https://www.piston.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Intercity-Istanbul-Park-Circuit.jpg

https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fom-website/manual/Misc/2020/2020races/Turkey/GettyImages-113843060.jpg

We return to Istanbul Park after a nine year absence from the F1 calendar. The last race at this track was in 2011, right in the thick of the Redbull golden years. Sebastien Vettel won the last race on this track with Webber 2nd and Alonso in the Ferrari, 3rd. Vettel set poll on this occasion at 1:25:049. A time that is most likely to be smashed this weekend.

Filipe Massa is the most successful driver to race this track with three consecutive wins [2006 to 2008] in the scarlet Ferrari. Ferrari is the most success constructor to race on this circuit also. On the current grid, only Raikonen, Hamilton and Vettel have each won this race in the past.

This is typically an anticlockwise race track of 5.3km of some torturous 14 corners. It is a mix of various types of corners and one kinked straight. This track would suit the Redbull to a tee. We should expect Mercedes to get a proper challenge from Verstapenn's Redbull. It is also an unforgiving track that usually spit drivers out into the gravel traps.

Istanbull Park is also very punishing to tyres. Hence, it would be interesting to see how the Pirellis hold up to 58 laps of the famous turn 8.

Lewis Hamilton has the unique opportunity to close out the drivers title early, if he wins this race. That said, Hamilton can afford to finish second for the rest of the season and still comfortably win the title. Bottas can only win the title if Hamilton recieves zero point at this race and the rest of the season or Hamilton finish 2nd at this race and thereafter have zero points for the rest of the season. If Hamilton wins this race, he can also afford not to race for the rest of the season. Bottas still need to keep an eye out for Verstapenn, who is likely to gain some grounds on him at this race.

[truefan72]

Why was Albon brought in after only 6 laps on the softs. Yet another baffling move by RBR. Ridiculous

[Nitrodaze]

Why was Albon brought in after only 6 laps on the softs. Yet another baffling move by RBR. Ridiculous

He is the guinea pig for setting up Verstapenn's car, that's why.

[Nitrodaze]

Slippery tarmac with rain, what a dodgy qualifying session we have here.

Watching a helicopter pan around the full track, l am reminded what a great track Istanbul Park is. We are in for an unusual race this weekend. It would be good if someone else other than the mercedes drivers and Verstapenn win this race tomorrow. Maybe Ocon, Albon or Perez would be great l think.

[truefan72]

Masi and the stewards are a complete joke. Half the field violates the double yellows and he lets those drivers go. While those who backed off effectively get penalized for following the rules. Wtf is this nonsense of investigating after the session? It is beyond ridiculous

[The Black Knight]

Boy oh boy did RBR mess up there. It was Max’s pole to lose. I can’t believe that useless mess Stroll managed to get pole.🙈I’d be congratulatory if he deserved a place on the grid, which he doesn’t.

Was hoping Perez would get it, he deserves a pole position.

Shocking from Mercedes. That car just didn’t work in the cold wet weather.

[truefan72]

Congrats to stroll and Perez. Every one of Hamilton’s laps was impeded by a yellow forcing him to back off every time. Oh well, that’s what Mercedes gets for trying to always be last out of the pits. Perhaps next time they will drop their arrogance and try and be out earlier and quicker especially when they knew their cars struggled to warm their tires.
Verstappen race strategy potentially cost them the pole by sending verstappen out right behind Kimi.
Now for the post session fiasco of assessing Q1 double yellow incidents. Ugh

[Bagwan]

Boy oh boy did RBR mess up there. It was Max’s pole to lose. I can’t believe that useless mess Stroll managed to get pole.��I’d be congratulatory if he deserved a place on the grid, which he doesn’t.

Was hoping Perez would get it, he deserves a pole position.

Shocking from Mercedes. That car just didn’t work in the cold wet weather.

See , all young Lance needed was a big ol' hug and he's immediately on the pole .
Maybe you need a hug now , too ?

[Zico]

Boy oh boy did RBR mess up there. It was Max’s pole to lose. I can’t believe that useless mess Stroll managed to get pole.🙈I’d be congratulatory if he deserved a place on the grid, which he doesn’t.

Was hoping Perez would get it, he deserves a pole position.

Shocking from Mercedes. That car just didn’t work in the cold wet weather.


I missed Qualy but was actually impressed that Stroll was on pole when I saw the results.
With the new super slick surface and the conditions being so poor, I was thinking anyone who masters that deserves it..

Was it pure luck of being on the right tyres at the right time? Did he not deserve pole?

[Nitrodaze]

Boy oh boy did RBR mess up there. It was Max’s pole to lose. I can’t believe that useless mess Stroll managed to get pole.��I’d be congratulatory if he deserved a place on the grid, which he doesn’t.

Was hoping Perez would get it, he deserves a pole position.

Shocking from Mercedes. That car just didn’t work in the cold wet weather.

Here you go again Richbashing. That he got pole, is evidence that he deserves a place on the grid. Money cannot buy that, that is pure skill.

[Nitrodaze]

I hope it rains tomorrow as well. What a race it would be.

[airshifter]

Interesting qually. The setups on certain cars seemed to give them an edge, and with that edge some unexpected results. RB made a good charge, but when the RP cars went to the intermediates they got them to work. Good job by Max to salvage what he did.

Likewise good job by Lewis and Bottas trying to salvage what they could when it was apparent the cars weren't great in the wet. The Renault and Alfa cars got in the mix fairly well too.

Save of the day to Kimi doing his 180 reverse and staying on track. Guess that rally time paid off.

[truefan72]

Another ridiculous situation from the stewards. Investigating verstappen after the race???? Wtf is this clown show?

[truefan72]

Unbelievable by Ferrari pit crew. Shambolic

[truefan72]

Hmm not sure about the stroll pit stop
However, Perez tires are cooked

[truefan72]

Wow what has happened to the Racing point cars ?
The Ferraris are looking mighty now
...as is Hamilton 😁

[truefan72]

Perez and Hamilton have done an amazing job with their tires. Perez managed to go through the troublesome phase.

[truefan72]

Thankfully Hamilton overruled his team. There was absolutely no need to pit whatsoever

[truefan72]

What a finish for Perez and Vettel. That is a redemption podium

[truefan72]

Amazing by Hamilton. What an astounding performance to claim his 7th WDC championships. An incredible drive by an incredible champ.

[Tazio]

Congrat's "The Boss"! Nice drive by Perez, and McVet as well!

[truefan72]

The stroll interview is funny lol. He doesn’t understand what happened to his pace. Simple answer. He pushed his tires too hard and then was unable to get his 2nd inters to switch on and had a few shoddy laps.

[truefan72]

And Perez is 41 points ahead of stroll in p4 in the WDC. It was a dumb decision to release him from the Racing point seat. One that looks more ridiculous every day. Perez and Hamilton are the only 2 drivers to score in every race they participated in this season.

[Zico]

Congrats to Lewis on his 7th WDC.. really wasnt expecting him to win today but that was a very befitting drive to clinch it. Fully deserved.

Unpredictable but enjoyable race IMO..

[The Black Knight]

I missed Qualy but was actually impressed that Stroll was on pole when I saw the results.
With the new super slick surface and the conditions being so poor, I was thinking anyone who masters that deserves it..

Was it pure luck of being on the right tyres at the right time? Did he not deserve pole?

Right tires right time. Actually I was more impressed with him today and RP’s decision to switch him to new intermediates cost hims solid second place. It worked to Checo’s advantage as they then knew not to switch. I still don’t think he deserves a place on the grid. He has flashes every now and then. This weekend was a flash, I doubt it’ll continue.

Delighted for Vettel today. He deserved some luck this season and he drove extremely well.


Here you go again Richbashing. That he got pole is wevidence that he deserves a place on the grid. Money cannot buy that, that is pure skill.

Mate, you keep on mentioning money and rich, not me. Seems like you’re the one with the issue here.

[Nitrodaze]

CONGRATULATIONS LEWIS HAMILTON - SEVEN TIMES DRIVER WORLD CHAMPION

What a topsy torvy race. Redbull underperformed today. This was a race they should have comfortably won. Verstapenn showed he still has some learning to do, to be in the league of World Champions properly. He has the speed but a measured head to win the war and not the battle is still not in his experience. Albon was too cautious which is evident of him not wanting to make any mistakes. Thus, playing it safe rather than take a risk of going for the win which was realistic for him really.

Racing Point also showed that they do not have a race winning team on their pitwall. This was a race in the bag that got away due to some poor performances by the pitwall and the pit crew. That four second plus stop, cost Perez dearly. That said, Hamilton may have passed him eventually. Both cars just sapped away their speed advantages as the race went on. They have not extracted the full potential of the awesome car they have. Which would suggest that they have some way to go to be on Vettel's standard when he joins them next year.

One thing is clear, Racing Point got rid of their most successfull and loyal driver; Sergio Perez and they know it. Now they must live with the guilt of it as they head towards 2021.

What a drive from Leclerc. He almost stole 2nd position from what started out as a sad day for him. The wise old head on Vettel got him comfortably onto the podium, from what has been a disastrous year of racing for him. We see the smiles again and are reminded of what a great driver he is.

Bottas had a nigthmare of a race. His race got from bad to worst with each lap, as he spun nearly every other lap. Then was lapped by his teammate and his nearest rival Verstapenn; whom has taken a chunk off the difference in points between them.

[truefan72]

CONGRATULATIONS LEWIS HAMILTON - SEVEN TIMES DRIVER WORLD CHAMPION

What a topsy torvy race. Redbull underperformed today. This was a race they should have comfortably won. Verstapenn showed he still has some learning to do, to be in the league of World Champions properly. He has the speed but a measured head to win the war and not the battle is still not in his experience. Albon was too cautious which is evident of him not wanting to make any mistakes. Thus, playing it safe rather than take a risk of going for the win which was realistic for him really.

Racing Point also showed that they do not have a race winning team on their pitwall. This was a race in the bag that got away due to some poor performances by the pitwall and the pit crew. That four second plus stop, cost Perez dearly. That said, Hamilton may have passed him eventually. Both cars just sapped away their speed advantages as the race went on. They have not extracted the full potential of the awesome car they have. Which would suggest that they have a way to go to be on Vettel's standard when he joins them next year.

One thing is clear, Racing Point got rid of their most successfull and loyal driver; Sergio Perez and they know it. Now they must live with the guilt of it as they head towards 2021.

What a drive from Leclerc. He almost stole 2nd position from. what started out as a sad day for him. The wise old head on Vettel got him comfoirtably onto the poduim from what has been a disastrous year of racing for him. We see the smiles again and are reminded what a great driver he is.

Bottas had a nigthmare of a race. His race got from bad to worst with each lap as he spun nearly every other lap. Then was lapped by his teammate and nis nearest rival Verstapenn; whom has taken a chunk off the difference in points between them.

that pretty much sums it up.
Excellent post!

[N. Jones]

I can't believe Lewis won this race.
Best driver ever, in my opinion. Just incredible.

[Nitrodaze]

What a finish for Perez and Vettel. That is a redemption podium

Exactly! REDEMPTION PODIUM

[Nitrodaze]

Amazing by Hamilton. What an astounding performance to claim his 7th WDC championships. An incredible drive by an incredible champ.

This was Hamilton at his very best. On his back foot but just hanging in there carefully. Only pushing to maintain position and bidding his time. From 6th to 3rd in the first lap and dropping back to fifth after a moment off track. Then just letting the track come to him.

Today was a day of rekoning of each driver's true experience. And experience took Hamilton to the front of the race and the win. As he demonstrated what sets him apart from the rest of the field. SPEED, JUST IN TIME STRATEGIC THINKING, ABILITY TO READ THE MOMENT ACCURATELY. And incredible car control on literally bald intermidiate tyres, to be fast enough to stay ahead and bring the car home for what seemed an unlikely win for Mercedes.

Experience also kept Perez in 2nd place while Stroll faded away to 9th and lifted Vettel to 3rd. The rekoning also exposed Verstapenn's inexperience and punished Ocon severely. And deprived Stroll of a win that was his to lose.

This race is special for Hamilton also, because he won the championship and his seventh driver's title with an unlikely race win. Not on percentages or number of points, as he has done on most of his other titles. But capping it all with a brilliant win.

He won it in the most deserving way to become a seven time world champion. Even Schumacher would have been in awe of his performance. Every world champion with four titles or more would trully appreciate and acknowledge the brilliance of this win. After this race, the record books shall be rewritten at every race onwards. What a fantastic experience for us fans.

[gm99]

What a finish for Perez and Vettel. That is a redemption podium

And quite telling Ferrari's best performance came on the one week-end that Binotto wasn't at the track.

[The Black Knight]

I just want to say that I think today proved once again that Verstappen is not the driver he has been made out to be from
The start of his career. Personally I rate LeClerc as a superior than Max and a number of others on the grid. He has the talent but I’m unsure he has the intelligence to become an all time great. LeClerc clearly has it all and I believe will be one of the GOATs. Max has a longer way to go to get there imo.

[truefan72]

And quite telling Ferrari's best performance came on the one week-end that Binotto wasn't at the track.
Yup! They still tried to mess him up with a 5.3sec slow pit stop.

[Bagwan]

And Perez is 41 points ahead of stroll in p4 in the WDC. It was a dumb decision to release him from the Racing point seat. One that looks more ridiculous every day. Perez and Hamilton are the only 2 drivers to score in every race they participated in this season.

There were others out there that tried to turn on the inters , and couldn't at that point on the drying and cold track , so Stroll should get a bit of a break there .
And , Checo should thank Lance for being the guinea pig , showing him the inters were not the way to go .
Checo made them last , so deserves praise for that , but he stated after the race that it looked like the tires would not have lasted another lap .

So , there was luck involved in his second place .

Mind you , Lance wanted slicks , so who knows how that would have worked out .
The car was working it's tires hard , which is the reason for the graining starting as the dry lines appeared , but also likely the reason Lance could drive away from them in the first stint , so maybe slicks would have worked .

[Nitrodaze]

There were others out there that tried to turn on the inters , and couldn't at that point on the drying and cold track , so Stroll should get a bit of a break there .
And , Checo should thank Lance for being the guinea pig , showing him the inters were not the way to go .
Checo made them last , so deserves praise for that , but he stated after the race that it looked like the tires would not have lasted another lap .

So , there was luck involved in his second place .

Mind you , Lance wanted slicks , so who knows how that would have worked out .
The car was working it's tires hard , which is the reason for the graining starting as the dry lines appeared , but also likely the reason Lance could drive away from them in the first stint , so maybe slicks would have worked .

It was simply inexperience that punished Stroll. He caned it from the get go and grained the tyres. He did not gradually build temperature into the tyres like everyone else was doing. Once it grained, it was a slippery slope to losing more temperature and consequentially grip, from the tyres. Simply poor tyre management that made him fade from 1st to 9th. No excuse. He cannot blame the car for his misfortune, it was all him.

There were still lots of wet patches on the racing line at a number of places to not warrant the use of slicks. With the fear of more rain coming, l can see why they did not consider it.

I think Perez may have made the inters work if he were changed to it. He probably may have also won the race on inters.

[Firstgear]

Actually it wasn't tire management. The team is saying he had wing damage which caused lack of front downforce (remember him complaining of severe understeer) which resulted in the tire wear.
https://www.pitpass.com/68606/Strolls-race-compromised-by-wing-damage

[Nitrodaze]

Actually it wasn't tire management. The team is saying he had wing damage which caused lack of front downforce (remember him complaining of severe understeer) which resulted in the tire wear.
https://www.pitpass.com/68606/Strolls-race-compromised-by-wing-damage

He didn't have wing damage when he was leading the race by 10 seconds. So it must have happened after he went unto the inters. Hence it could have happened at some point when he was on inters. I don't buy the talk about the wing being the reason why he faded backwards. It is m,iore like the wing got damaged due the the tyres lossing grip

[Nitrodaze]

Actually it wasn't tire management. The team is saying he had wing damage which caused lack of front downforce (remember him complaining of severe understeer) which resulted in the tire wear.
https://www.pitpass.com/68606/Strolls-race-compromised-by-wing-damage

He didn't have wing damage when he was leading the race by 10 seconds. So it must have happened after he went unto the inters. Hence it could have happened at some point when he was on inters. I don't buy the talk about the wing being the reason why he faded backwards. It is more like the wing got damaged due the the tyres losing grip

[Bagwan]

It started pretty early , somewhere around 17 laps in , as that was when he started complaining about grip .
And , nobody could see any issue from the appearance of the top of the wing , so all and sundry were baffled about why Lance was all of a sudden going backwards .

Then folks started laughing about him being baffled about it , saying he just simply cooked the tires .
Then , they said the wing got damaged somehow by the tires being cooked .

The guy can't win , at least not with a busted front wing .

[Jag_Warrior]

Here you go again Richbashing. That he got pole, is evidence that he deserves a place on the grid. Money cannot buy that, that is pure skill.

I did the best I could not to like Lance Stroll, and haven't wanted to believe that he should be in F1. And yep, it was because I saw him as just another rich kid who got a seat based on daddy's money. And OK, while that part is true, he's shown me that he has some speed and skill in his pocket. He'll never win the WDC, but he's not the slouch that I tried to make him out to be. And even though things fell apart during the race, the kid doesn't have anything to be ashamed of. I have to take my hat off to him.


Amazing by Hamilton. What an astounding performance to claim his 7th WDC championships. An incredible drive by an incredible champ.

Over the years I've been blessed enough to watch some of the true greats of our beloved sport: Lauda, Prost, Senna and Schumacher. I've watched Hamilton build on the brilliance that I first saw when he was in F3. I've seen him grow and mature from a kid who was hard on his tires to a racing genius, who is now probably easier on his tires than anyone out there, knowing how to force others to eat theirs up, and then he turns up the wick and pounces. I don't care whether his critics want to nitpick his lifestyle, politics or anything else. This guy is nothing short of amazing!!! I personally never liked Prost (Senna fanatic here), but I certainly respected his driving and racing skills. But on his best day, he wasn't close to the league that Hamilton is in right now. How he did what he did on Sunday, I'm still trying to figure out.

Mercedes-AMG F1: PAY THAT MAN! If he asks for the Merc factory in Alabama to be named after him, order a new sign today. :D

[N. Jones]

He didn't have wing damage when he was leading the race by 10 seconds. So it must have happened after he went unto the inters. Hence it could have happened at some point when he was on inters. I don't buy the talk about the wing being the reason why he faded backwards. It is more like the wing got damaged due the the tyres losing grip

So nice you had to post it twice? :D

[Nitrodaze]

So nice you had to post it twice? :D

Not sure how that happened. But it defo made me laugh that it did. If l could get rid of one of them, l would have. Well, my Lance bashing is done.

[Nitrodaze]

It started pretty early , somewhere around 17 laps in , as that was when he started complaining about grip .
And , nobody could see any issue from the appearance of the top of the wing , so all and sundry were baffled about why Lance was all of a sudden going backwards .

Then folks started laughing about him being baffled about it , saying he just simply cooked the tires .
Then , they said the wing got damaged somehow by the tires being cooked .

The guy can't win , at least not with a busted front wing .

That is very possibly the case as Perez reduced the 6 second gap from Lance by the time he was called into the pits. It is possible that he hit debris from the Grosjean-Latifi crash. Or damaged it on the curbs. You would think the Racing Point would have sensors to monitor downforce loads on the wings. Hence, they should have seen something in their telemetry before he was called into the pits.

Whichever way you look at it, it was still driver error of some sort.

[Bagwan]

That is very possibly the case as Perez reduced the 6 second gap from Lance by the time he was called into the pits. It is possible that he hit debris from the Grosjean-Latifi crash. Or damaged it on the curbs. You would think the Racing Point would have sensors to monitor downforce loads on the wings. Hence, they should have seen something in their telemetry before he was called into the pits.

Whichever way you look at it, it was still driver error of some sort.

I thought you wrote that your Lance bashing was done .

You said it was possible he hit debris , but then said that whichever way you look at it , he screwed up .

That sounds like a bit of a bash , doesn't it ?


The useless Lance took pole and was driving away from them all , and , at 17 laps in , went suddenly backwards to ninth because he's so useless .
Now , that's a bash .

[Nitrodaze]

I thought you wrote that your Lance bashing was done .

You said it was possible he hit debris , but then said that whichever way you look at it , he screwed up .

That sounds like a bit of a bash , doesn't it ?


The useless Lance took pole and was driving away from them all , and , at 17 laps in , went suddenly backwards to ninth because he's so useless .
Now , that's a bash .

Now you are being dramatic. You and I know Lance Stroll is not useless. Even so, the fact remains that he damaged the front wing. As we all know the front wing would not damage itself. How the damage occured may well have been outside his control, we may never know that for sure. But as these things go, he did not convert a very clear advantage into what would have been a highly impressive win. Which would have done wonders for his status among other drivers and fans alike.
It is not bashing to state the fact. I am just disappointed that he did not do it. I am still very much in his corner as you would find from all my previous posts.

[Bagwan]

Now you are being dramatic. You and I know Lance Stroll is not useless. Even so, the fact remains that he damaged the front wing. As we all know the front wing would not damage itself. How the damage occured may well have been outside his control, we may never know that for sure. But as these things go, he did not convert a very clear advantage into what would have been a highly impressive win. Which would have done wonders for his status among other drivers and fans alike.
It is not bashing to state the fact. I am just disappointed that he did not do it. I am still very much in his corner as you would find from all my previous posts.

My point there would be that neither the team nor Lance knew until after the race that the wing had been damaged , implying that neither saw a reason to suspect it was .
That says he likely didn't bust it on the curbs , but rather hit some debris .
It explains his bewilderment at why he could no longer drive the thing .

Don't be disappointed , be impressed .

[Nitrodaze]

My point there would be that neither the team nor Lance knew until after the race that the wing had been damaged , implying that neither saw a reason to suspect it was .
That says he likely didn't bust it on the curbs , but rather hit some debris .
It explains his bewilderment at why he could no longer drive the thing .

Don't be disappointed , be impressed .

C'est la vie mon amis!

[Zico]

Looks like a front wing setup mess up by Max's RB pit crew may have also contributed to his poor performance in Turkey... 7 degree angle difference between both sides.. Doh! :D

[Nitrodaze]

Looks like a front wing setup mess up by Max's RB pit crew may have also contributed to his poor performance in Turkey... 7 degree angle difference between both sides.. Doh! :D

Somebody has messed up. Redbull has not given their best service to Verstapenn this season. He should have been challenging for the title this season. Or at least be comfortably second.

[pantealex]

Somebody has messed up. Redbull has not given their best service to Verstapenn this season. He should have been challenging for the title this season. Or at least be comfortably second.

NO

Mercedes is so much quicker car.

[Zico]

Somebody has messed up. Redbull has not given their best service to Verstapenn this season. He should have been challenging for the title this season. Or at least be comfortably second.


Well I wasn't expecting them to be able to split the 2 Mercs in the WDC standings never mind challenge for the title... especially considering their fubared No2 driver situation which is a real disadvantage but is also really a seperate topic.

Sure Max and RB both messed up in Turkey but over the rest of the season as a combo, IMO they have otherwise been best of the rest.

[Nitrodaze]

Well I wasn't expecting them to be able to split the 2 Mercs in the WDC standings never mind challenge for the title... especially considering their fubared No2 driver situation which is a real disadvantage but is also really a seperate topic.

Sure Max and RB both messed up in Turkey but over the rest of the season as a combo, IMO they have otherwise been best of the rest.

They have been best of the rest, only because Ferrari was not in contention this year. RBR has not taken full advantage of the situation. They have under-performed IMO.

[Zico]

They have been best of the rest, only because Ferrari was not in contention this year. RBR has not taken full advantage of the situation. They have under-performed IMO.

Yes, well I guess you could say that every team who hasnt won the WCC has underperformed compared to Merc.
Other than their messed No2 driver situation I'm not seeing what Red Bull have done worse than everyone else for thier No1 driver though... if anything they have generally over focussed and over provided for Max.. to the detriment of Alex.

[gm99]

They have been best of the rest, only because Ferrari was not in contention this year.

Doesn't that mean Red Bull have done a better job than Ferrari (and everyone else except Mercedes)?

[globaltech]

I would like to be in Istanbul and watch this race. (https://bigdata-world.net/)sad.. :mad: