For the fifth time in this strange 2020 season, the teams and drivers were at an unfamiliar circuit. This time it was the Istanbul Park in Turkey for the FORMULA 1 DHL TURKISH GRAND PRIX 2020. It was the first time that F1 has been in the country in nearly a decade, having last run the Turkish Grand Prix in 2011.
It was a wet track that had been newly resurfaced with a shuffled grid. It was a recipe for a good race.
Lance Stroll was sitting on his pole position grid slot for longer than a pole sitter would normally want, having not backed up the pack on the formation lap. It was potentially a result of his inexperience, having never started a race from pole position before.
Ultimately, slightly colder tyres didn’t make much difference for the Canadian, as he got away well off the grid. Max Verstappen could not say that same, having a terrible start from the front row that dropped him down through the field.
Lewis Hamilton attempted to make a move on the inside of Daniel Ricciardo in the first corner. Ricciardo had to make room for the World Championship leader, accidentally tagging the rear of his Renault teammate. Esteban Ocon spun around and Valtteri Bottas did the same, braking to avoid the spinning Renault. Ocon and Bottas spun again later into the first lap, after Bottas tried to overtake Ocon on the inside of a corner.
Later on in the first lap, Lewis Hamilton locked up in turn 9, running wide. This allowed Sebastian Vettel to enter third position for the first time this season. Hamilton also lost a position to Verstappen. Hamilton was also overtaken by Alex Albon in turn 12, as he struggled for grip in the final few corners.
Both Racing Points had a strong lead early in the race, having made a good start off the grid and avoiding any early dramas.
As the race progressed, the track began to dry. Charles Leclerc was the first to ditch the wet tyres for a new set of intermediate compound tyres on lap 7. When Leclerc set the fastest lap, it proved that the intermediate tyres were the tyre to be on at that stage in the race.
The other drivers cycled through the pit lane. Sergio Perez lost some time to his teammate with a slow pit stop due to an issue on the front left tyre change. The Red Bulls were the last of the leading cars to pit for intermediate tyres.
On lap 13, Antonio Giovinazzi suffered a mechanical failure. He parked on a service road on the inside of turn 9. Given the track conditions, the virtual safety car was deployed to allow the marshals to safely remove the stricken Alfa Romeo.
When the race resumed, there were two interesting battles to watch throughout the field. The first was between Vettel and Hamilton for P4. The other was between Perez and Verstappen for second position in the race.
Hamilton was complaining that his brakes were not working well. This was evident in the hard braking zone for turn 12 when he ran wide. This allowed Albon to get by the Mercedes and he eventually also got by Vettel to take P4.
But it was the battle for P2 that caused drama on lap 18. Having been stuck close behind Perez for many laps, Verstappen was eager to get by and try to chase down the leading Racing Point. When Perez had a slow run through the turn 9 chicane, Verstappen saw an opportunity down the fast sector that followed.
Now extremely close to the Racing Point, Verstappen was right behind Perez into the quick turn 11. He lost downforce in the dirty air of Perez, causing the Red Bull to run onto the outside kerbs. In the damp conditions, the kerbs were particularly slippery, causing Verstappen to spin. He avoided the wall, but had put himself out of the battle for P2 and forced him to take another pit stop to replace his flat spotted intermediate tyres.
At the halfway point of the race, the drivers began to complain about the grip of the intermediate tyres, having worn the tread off of them. But the teams did not believe that the track was ready for slicks. To add drama to the race, race control had enabled DRS.
There was a dry line appearing on the track, but there was still too much water in areas of the track for slick tyres. With some teams losing faith that the track will ever be ready for slicks, drivers began to pit for new sets of intermediate tyres.
Albon showed just how bad the intermediate tyres were, as he spun out of P3 in turn 4.
With the cars behind quickly closing the gap, race leader Lance Stroll dove into the pit lane for a new set of intermediate tyres. Perez stayed out, but Hamilton was able to get by into the lead of the race.
Stroll rejoined the race in P4, but he quickly dropped down through the field, appearing to struggle with grip on his new intermediate tyres. It was Charles Leclerc that showed strong pace, making his way up to P3.
Both Hamilton and Perez decided not to take new tyres, opting to stay out for the rest of the race on their bald intermediate tyres. It was a gamble for both drivers, with weather radar predicting heavy rain in the closing laps of the race.
But that rain never materialized, meaning that Hamilton took the win in Turkey.
The battle for P2 was intense in the final lap. Perez locked up in turn 9, allowing Leclerc to get into P2. But Leclerc locked up in turn 12, losing the position to both Perez and Vettel and losing his podium position. Perez equalled his career best finish and Vettel scored his first podium finish in 2020.
With Hamilton’s teammate having a brutal race and grand total of 4 spins, this meant that Bottas did not score enough points to keep his championship hopes alive. This allowed Hamilton to secure his 7th World Drivers’ Championship title, equalling Michael Schumacher’s world record.
The championship title may already be decided, but there are still three round remaining in the season. The next stop will be Bahrain for a two week stay. The first Bahrain race, held at the regular circuit, will be held in two week’s time on the weekend of November 29.
Above results table does not include any post-race penalties
