Several Formula 1 drivers weren’t afraid to share their honest thoughts on Sunday’s chaotic Turkish Grand Prix, in which Lewis Hamilton won a seventh consecutive World Championship.
Due to a redesign of the 2020 calendar after the coronavirus lockdown, the first F1 race in nine years took place in Istanbul Park on the weekend.
In slippery conditions, Hamilton prevailed over his rivals in the final laps to take his 10th win of the season.
It was an upside-down race with drivers regularly driving around during the 58 lap event, but Hamilton managed to keep his nerve.
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But not everyone enjoyed the unpredictable nature of the race on Sunday, and many drivers expressed their frustration afterward.
LANCE STROLL
Lance Stroll couldn’t have hoped for a better start to his weekend in Istanbul. The Racing Point driver secured the first pole position of his F1 career and was in the middle of the race on Sunday 10 seconds before the competition.
But a second tire change proved his undoing and tragically slipped from a podium to finish in ninth place.
“I don’t know what happened,” Lance told Sky Sports. “I do not understand.
“We had so much grit on the first set of intermediates – we lost seconds per lap – but I just don’t know where it came from.
“Massive grain and no speed. We have to take care of it, it was pretty terrible today.
“It’s just frustrating when you’re at the top for 10 seconds and then suddenly you’re in ninth place.”
MAX VERSTAPPEN
After a terrible start, Red Bulls Max Verstappen quickly recovered and fought for a podium.
But while fighting for second place against Sergio Perez from Racing Point, the Dutch driver turned dramatically from the track and eventually finished sixth.
“It’s just very frustrating to be honest,” Verstappen told Sky Sports. “I tried to follow (Perez) through this kink and suddenly I just washed myself out massively and you come to the green part.
“It was a big turn. I tried to keep it off the wall, of course, and then flattened the tires.
“After that you can catch up with the guys quickly, but you can’t pass because it’s only one lap here. And already this line is very slippery, so it’s super frustrating. We just had to wait for people to pit or whatever.
“Just follow, no hold, try to survive, so definitely not a great day. But hopefully we’ll never be in this situation again that it’s so slippery. “
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CHARLES LECLERC
Charles Leclerc was on track for his best end of the 2020 season when a disaster struck on the final lap of the race on Sunday.
In second place, the Ferrari driver’s wheels blocked at Turn 12 and he was immediately overtaken by Sergio Perez from Racing Point and his teammate Sebastian Vettel.
“I’m so mad at myself now,” Leclerc told Sky Sports. “I’m just disappointed.
“I can’t afford to make a mistake with three corners until the end. I was fighting for second place and knocked off the podium because of that mistake. That feels very bad.
“But congratulations to Seb, the first podium of the season. It’s been a very difficult season for him and I’m glad that he can finally show what he’s worth.”
ALEX ALBON
Aside from his first F1 podium at the Tuscany Grand Prix in September, Alex Albon had an unforgettable second season with Red Bull.
And unfortunately the Thai driver’s suffering continued on Sunday. After a promising start to the race, Albon’s pace dropped to the intermediate tire and eventually finished seventh.
“I’m a little confused about the race,” said Albon. “Our starts were very bad from the start, but then we had very good grip and were able to prevail.
“When we boxed for Inters, we had incredible grip and honestly at that point I felt like we were going to win and I thought everything was going according to plan. Then I did a little pirouette but I still felt fine and it was a long race and anything could happen.
“But then we put on a different set of tires, the same set of tires, and we simply had no grip and no speed. Much head scratching. “
GEORGE RUSSELL
George Russell was particularly frustrated with the poor grip conditions at the Turkish GP, mainly due to the late resurfacing.
The Williams driver finished 16th after an uneventful race in 16th place.
“I think everyone was so excited to come here and from the first lap in race one we just had absolutely no grip,” said Russell.
“The biggest factor was without a doubt the new surface renovation. From what I hear and understand, everything had to be done at the last minute and the Turkish company or whoever ran the race did a really good job of getting everything done on time and they were delayed by really bad weather .
“It was like driving on ice and when I got off the track onto the old concrete I had a lot more grip than I did and the concrete apron in the pit lane, which is usually incredibly slippery compared to the track, had a hell of a lot more grip than the actual racetrack.
“I don’t think a single driver enjoyed these conditions.”
DANIEL RICCIARDO
When Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo approached the first corner, he was between Lewis Hamilton and his team-mate Esteban Ocon. The Australian eventually cut off his comrade, who saw both riders slide back in the field from which they never recovered.
Ricciardo finished tenth – his worst result since the Spanish Grand Prix in August – while Ocon was one place behind in 11th place.
“We got off to a great start today but I got squeezed between Lewis and Esteban at Turn 1 so I had nowhere to go and cut off my teammates which is the last thing they want to do,” said Ricciardo.
“We lost a few positions as a result of the incident and then switched to the intermediate tires and we just couldn’t hold them.
“There were moments during the race when I was told I was one of the fastest out there and just a few laps later my tires were completely gone so it was a bit of a lottery.”
– With Andrew McMurtry
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