Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) faces this Sunday (11.10, Spanish time) his primer match
ball
for his seventh crown of F1 at the Instanbul Park circuit. Will do it from 6th position, with all the predictions of face to proclaim world champion and equal Michael Schumacher’s Most Impossible Record. The Englishman has enough with one more victory to secure the title, without depending on anyone, or lose a maximum of 7 points with Valteri Bottas, 9.º output.
The worst starting position
In the 14 races this year, Hamilton starts from 6th position, the most delayed, although ahead of Bottas, 9th
In fact, only his companion Valtteri
Bottas it may delay Hamilton’s coronation. The Finn, to 85 points (with 100 + 4 at stake), he is mathematically the only one who could argue with the World Cup, since Max Verstappen (Red Bull) already stayed off hook a 120
points in the previous Imola race, Bottas, from ninth place, will have a difficult time: he should win and get the best lap career as the only formula for prevent the Hamilton proclamation.
To the problems of lack of grip of the first day of practice, on a circuit without F1 since 2011, this Saturday the rain, which turned the third free practice and qualifying session into a torture. I do not miss a dog invading the track and the cold.
The qualifying session is suspended with Red flag due to the accumulation of water on the asphalt in the absence of 7 minutes for the conclusion of the Q1. Until then I was being led by Ocon (Renault), followed by Bottas, Stroll Y Hamilton, fourth, in the first lap that the Englishman gave in the wet (since he did not participate in free practice 3). Carlos Sainz era 14.º.
The classification is resumed after a blower truck helped move water off the runway at Turns 7 and 12, where more puddles were concentrated. After almost an hour the cars returned to the track for the remaining 7 minutes. But in 3 and a half minutes the session was stopped again due to another red flag, for leaving Romain Grosjean to the pozzolana. Start again.
Hamilton’s substitute
The Englishman rushed to Q2, in 14th position, after the red flag had dried up the track further
With enough time to take a thrown lap, qualifying gave an overturn, with the track drier and faster, but still for extreme water tires. Both Red Bull, Verstappen and Albon, were placed in head, while Hamilton, with stability problems and some exit from the track, achieved market to Q2 just, 14.º, 10s behind the Dutch. Bottas was 9th and Sainz, 13.º.
In the Q2 it was Verstappen again who took the cat to the water. The Dutchman had already been the fastest in the three practice sessions, all in low grip conditions. In this batch the two McLaren and the Ferrari: Sainz 14th, 5s behind Verstappen, Vettel 12th, Leclerc 14th, both beaten by both Alfa
Romeo, to the blush of the Scuderia. Hamilton set the third fastest time and Bottas the 7th.
The final surprise
Sergio Pérez surprised with the intermissions, but it was his teammate Lance Stroll who took the cat into the water on the last lap
In the final Q3, solo Ocon (Renault) and Pérez (Racing Point) they played it with intermissions; the rest with rain tires. And the Mexican gave the surprise, by marking the Best time on the first attempt, lowering the benchmark time of almost 3 tenths Verstappen, who was enjoying himself in the puddles. Hamilton was only eighth and Bottas sixth.
By opening the way of the intermediate
Czech Pérez, the 10 cars on the track changed their tires to try their luck. The Mexican made Verstappen’s party bitter, but it was his partner Lance Stroll who stole his success with a pole Unexpected on the last lap by 290 thousandths over the Dutchman. It is the first pole for the Canadian in F1. Hamilton scored the 6th time and Bottas the 9th.
Grille output
1. Lance Stroll (Racing Point)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Sergio Pérez (Racing Point)
4. Alex Albon (Red Bull)
5. Daniel Ricciardo (Renault)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
7. Esteban Ocon (Renault)
8. Kimi Räikkönen (Alfa Romeo)
9. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
10. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfar Romeo)
11. Lando Norris (McLaren)
12. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
13. Carlos Sainz (McLaren)
14. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
15. Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri)
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
17. Daniil Kvyat (Alpha Tauri)
18. George Russell (Williams)
19. Romain Grosjean (Haas)
20. George Latifi (Williams)
