Valtteri Bottas has won its first victory of the season in the Turkish Grand Prix and has perfectly fulfilled Mercedes’ mission to safeguard the interests of Lewis Hamilton at the World Cup. Finnish has contained Max Verstappen, who has been second although he leaves Istanbul as the new leader, now six points ahead of his British rival, who finished 5th.
Rain and intrigue
The race has started under a thin layer of rain and with a plus of uncertainty. The teams have fitted the tires intermediate, with the conviction that the situation on the track would progressively improve to switch to dry compounds.
Bottas, who will not continue at Mercedes next season and will start a new stage at Alfa Romeo, has done one last service to the star’s team and has maintained the pole that he inherited yesterday from Hamilton, to stop Max Verstappen from the first lap, waiting for the British seven-time champion, 11th on the grid due to suspension after changing the engine, to reach the top positions. The Finn has not had to sacrifice anything. He has come out for a victory that suited both him and Mercedes and above all, to prevent ‘Mad’ Max will deal a new blow to the championship.Alonso’s disappointment and Sainz comebackFernando Alonso luck has turned against him again. The Asturian, who started fifth on the grid, his best classification in seven years, tried to overtake Gasly at the start but the Frenchman, who rolled almost in parallel with Sergio perez, could not avoid the touch and sent the Alpine to Ferdinand at the bottom of the grill (17º). The maneuver has cost Gasly 5 & rdquor; penalty, the same punishment that his own received shortly after Alonso for causing the collision of Mick schumacher when he has hindered the German in the tail of the platoon. The Asturian, 16th at the end, certainly did not have the race he dreamed of.
Hamilton has kept a vibrant pulse with Tsunoda for the 8th position and has ended up surprising the Japanese with an incredible exterior, to, from here, start his particular climb, successively surpassing Stroll, Norris and Gasly more easily to reach the ‘top five’.
The rider who has made the most progress in the race has been Carlos Sainz. The Madrilenian started second to last (19th) and with the new Ferrari engine, which he made the most of to climb ten positions in just 20 laps and ended up winning a total of eleven, to be eighth at the finish line.
The track has not dried. Nobody wanted to enter but it was to ride slicks, but the conditions did not allow it. Bottas has reassured his team: “We can continue like this, the tires hold & rdquor ;. The Finn has even increased the pace, distancing Verstappen above 5 seconds, while Hamilton subjected brutal pressure to ‘Czech ‘Pérez, fourth more than 10 seconds behind the leading trio that Leclerc closed. The melee with the Mexican, with nothing to lose, has been spectacular and has pushed a Hamilton that at times he has forgotten that the World Cup is being played.
Hamilton’s anger
Vettel He has experimented at his stop with the middle Pirelli and his disastrous result, with the track still very wet, has marked the way for all the undecided to enter the intermediate riding again until the end. Leclerc has delayed his stop and has returned to track behind Hamilton, the only one who was reluctant to change and remained on the virtual podium next to Bottas and Verstappen with ten laps to go.
At this point, the wall of Mercedes has decided not to expose itself to a zero of English and has instructed him to stop. Hamilton returned to the track without time to reverse the graining of his new tires and could not prevent Pérez and Leclerc from finishing ahead. “Leave me alone,” he blurted out on the radio when he was warned that Gasly was threatening his fifth place, which in the end he has retained. Little reward for which Lewis expected but without a doubt a good result for the interests of the seven-time champion and his team. Bottas’ victory, ahead of the two Red Bulls of Verstappen and Pérez, leaves the Dutchman in the lead, although the gap to Hamilton is only six points with six grands prix ahead. The most exciting World Cup in recent years does not let up.