Bottas wins Turkish GP as Ricciardo struggles

3 years ago 369

While his teammate Valtteri Bottas enjoyed his archetypal triumph of the play astatine the Turkish Grand Prix, it was a frustrating Sunday for Lewis Hamilton arsenic helium missed retired connected a podium spot and besides mislaid the satellite title pb to Max Verstappen.

Australia's Daniel Ricciardo is besides irritated pursuing the contention astatine Istanbul Park, having started past owed to a powerfulness portion alteration and finishing 13th.

Hamilton started 11th due to the fact that of a 10-place grid penalty, drove his mode to third, but coiled up a disappointing 5th aft his squad ordered a late-race tyre change.

The Mercedes strategy allowed Verstappen to plaything the title contention from down 2 points to Hamilton to present starring by six with six races remaining.

“It was frustrating astatine the time, due to the fact that I could spot 2nd (place) and past I’m backmost successful fifth,” Hamilton said astir Mercedes' decision.

“In that infinitesimal I lone person a definite magnitude of accusation and the squad has different information. It’s hard to privation to springiness thing up erstwhile you don’t cognize the full picture.”

But Hamilton, the victor of a grounds 100 Formula 1 races, besides reflected connected what mightiness person happened.

“Could we person stayed out? Who knows," Hamilton said.

"If you look astatine a mates of different drivers that did, they dropped disconnected massively and mislaid positions, truthful it was a hazard either way. If I’d stayed retired you don’t cognize if I’d held position, but I’m a risk-taker truthful I would person wanted to instrumentality that risk.”

Formula 1 present leaves Europe and heads to the US Grand Prix connected October 24.

“With the (six) points it’s not going to beryllium easy. We’ll spot successful Austin however it’s going to go,” Verstappen said.

"I deliberation immoderate tracks tin beryllium a spot amended (for us).”

Sergio Perez capped a beardown time for Red Bull by finishing third.

Hamilton was fastest successful Saturday qualifying but wasn't credited with the rod due to the fact that of an motor alteration by his Mercedes team.

He seemed headed for a podium decorativeness but Mercedes called him successful for the tyre alteration implicit Hamilton's objections.

The telephone whitethorn person fixed Verstappen a bigger spread successful the championship.

Hamilton yet came successful for caller tyres connected thigh 51 but did not hold with the decision.

“Why did you springiness up that place?” a frustrated Hamilton barked connected squad radio, utilizing an expletive.

Ricciardo struggles astatine Turkish GP

Hamilton was getting progressively agitated aft his pit halt arsenic helium mislaid crushed to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and had Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri gaining connected him.

“Just permission it alone,” Hamilton snapped to his contention technologist erstwhile informed of Gasly’s gap.

Leclerc pitted earlier than Hamilton and finished fourth, missing retired connected a 14th vocation podium.

Gasly finished sixth up of Lando Norris of McLaren.

Carlos Sainz inferior drove his Ferrari from the backmost to a beardown eighth-placed finish. Both helium and Ricciardo started from the backmost aft implicit motor changes.

Sainz inferior was voted the day’s champion driver, to his astonishment erstwhile told astir it.

Bottas locked up his archetypal triumph of the twelvemonth erstwhile helium passed Leclerc with astir a twelve laps left. It was the archetypal triumph for Bottas since the Russian Grand Prix successful September past year.

“It’s been a while," Bottas said.

“Probably 1 of my champion races ever successful Formula 1. Everything was nether control.”

His 10th vocation triumph was a much-needed 1 during a frustrating past play with Mercedes earlier joining Alfa Romeo adjacent year. He clocked the fastest thigh connected the 5.3-kilometre Istanbul Park circuit beneath a grey entity amid persistent drizzle.

Bottas made a amended commencement than Verstappen, which has seldom been the case. The Finnish operator deed 100 kilometres per hr successful 3.09 seconds compared to 3.17 for Verstappen arsenic spray kicked up from the bedewed track.

Starting fifth, Alpine's Fernando Alonso made a determination connected the extracurricular of Gasly, who clipped Alonso’s left-rear tyre and sent him spinning off. Back connected track, Alonso besides had interaction with Haas operator Mick Schumacher. Gasly and Alonso some got five-second clip penalties for the incidents.

Hamilton soon jumped from 11th to ninth connected the commencement but had occupation getting past AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda with nary DRS. Tsunoda blocked 1 onslaught well, but Hamilton overtook connected the extracurricular past caught Aston Martin's Lance Stroll connected the adjacent lap, and Norris soon after.

Hamilton past clocked 3 fastest laps successful succession arsenic helium chased down Gasly successful fifth. He got him, too, connected thigh 15, but his relentlessly precocious velocity was wearing down his tyres.

As Sainz inferior carved his mode done the field, fastest laps switched betwixt Bottas, Verstappen, Hamilton again and Leclerc.

Drivers waited for the way to adust retired much earlier changing tires, but the rainfall started falling again.

Mercedes told Hamilton to container for caller tires connected thigh 42.

“Why?” said Hamilton, and did not travel in.

“Okay, we’ll enactment retired 1 much lap,” his technologist told him.

Hamilton refused again, past yet accepted.

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