Several Formula 1 drivers didn’t mince their words while sharing their honest thoughts on Sunday’s chaotic Turkish Grand Prix.
Several Formula 1 drivers weren’t afraid to share their honest thoughts on Sunday’s chaotic Turkish Grand Prix, which saw Lewis Hamilton secure a seventh consecutive world championship.
Due to a rejig of the 2020 calendar following the coronavirus lockdown, Istanbul Park hosted its first F1 race in nine years on the weekend.
In wet conditions, Hamilton steamed ahead of his rivals in the final few laps to claim his 10th victory of the season.
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But not everyone enjoyed the unpredictable nature of Sunday’s race, with many drivers voicing their frustration afterwards.
LANCE STROLL
Lance Stroll couldn’t have hoped for a better start to his weekend in Istanbul. The Racing Point driver snared the first pole position of his F1 career, and found himself 10 seconds ahead of the competition halfway through Sunday’s race.
But a second change of tires proved his undoing, tragically slipping from a podium contender to finish in ninth place.
“I don’t know what happened,” Lance told Sky Sports. “I don’t understand.
“We had so much graining on the first set of intermediates – we were losing seconds a lap – but I just don’t know where it came from.
“Massive graining and no pace. We have to look into it, it was pretty terrible today.
“It’s just frustrating when you’re in the lead by 10 seconds and then all of a sudden you finish ninth.”
MAX VERSTAPPEN
After a dreadful start, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen quickly recovered to find himself in contention for a podium finish.
But while battling Racing Point’s Sergio Perez for second place, the Dutch driver dramatically spun off the track, eventually finishing in sixth.
“It is just very frustrating to be honest,” Verstappen told Sky Sports. “I tried to follow (Perez) through that kink and suddenly I just massively washed out and you get on to the green bit.
“It was a big spin. I tried to keep it out of the wall of course and then flat-spotted the tyres.
“After that, you can quickly catch up with the guys, but you can’t pass, as it is just one lap around here. And already that line is very slippery so it is super-frustrating. We had to just wait for people to pit or whatever.
“Just following, no grip, trying to survive, so definitely not a great day. But hopefully we will never be in this situation again that it is so slippery.”
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CHARLES LECLERC
Charles Leclerc was on track for his best finish of the 2020 season, when disaster struck on the final lap of Sunday’s race.
Cruising along in second place, the Red Bull driver’s wheels locked up on turn 12, and he was immediately overtaken by Racing Point’s Sergio Perez and teammate Sebastian Vettel.
“I‘m so angry with myself now,” Leclerc told Sky Sports. “I only feel disappointment.
“I cannot afford to do a mistake with three corners until the end, I was fighting for second place and to finish out of the podium because of this mistake feels very bad.
“But congratulations to Seb on the other hand, first podium of the season, it‘s been a very difficult season on his side, and I’m happy he can finally show what he’s worth.”
ALEX ALBON
Apart from his maiden F1 podium at the Tuscan Grand Prix in September, Alex Albon has had a forgettable second season with Red Bull.
And sadly, the Thai driver’s woes continued on Sunday. After a promising start to the race, Albon’s pace fell away on the intermediate tires, eventually finishing in seventh.
“I feel a little bit confused from the race,” Albon said. “From the beginning, our starts were very poor but then we had very good grip and we could make our way through.
“Then, when we boxed for inters, we had incredible grip, and honestly at that point I felt we were in for a win, and I thought everything was going to plan. Then I had a little pirouette but I still felt good and it was a long race and anything could happen.
“But then we put another set of tyres on, the same set of tyres, and we just had no grip and no pace. A lot of head scratching.”
GEORGE RUSSELL
George Russell was particularly frustrated by the low-grip conditions at the Turkish GP, which was primarily due to late resurfacing.
The Williams driver finished in 16th place after an uneventful race at the back of the pack.
“I think everybody was so excited to come here, and from the very first lap in FP1, we just had absolutely no grip,” Russell said.
“The biggest factor, without a shadow for a doubt, was the new resurfacing. From what I hear and I understand, it all had to be done very last minute, and the Turkish corporation or whoever ran the race did a really good job to get everything done in time, and they were delayed by some really poor weather.
“It was like driving on sheet ice, and actually the times I went off the track onto the old concrete, I had much more grip than I did, and the concrete apron in the pit lane, which is normally incredibly slippy 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.”
