Already the best time in the first free practice session of the Turkish Grand Prix on the Istanbul circuit, earlier today this Friday, Lewis Hamilton, with his new engine, was again the fastest in the race. of the second session. The Briton beat Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas. Max Verstappen is ranked 5th.
With his new engine, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) is running at full speed. Already the fastest time in the first free practice session of the Turkish Grand Prix, late in the morning, shortly after changing his power unit for the fourth time this season, the winner of last year on the Istanbul circuit once again left all his competitors in his rearview mirror, this Friday in the middle of the afternoon at the wheel of a decidedly very fast Silver Arrow at the start of the week -end. Hamilton, untouchable, has also again broken the track record, which dates back to 2005 and was owned by Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya. The seven-time world champion improved the Colombian’s time in FP1. Always so easy on this circuit which has certainly gained in grip compared to last year but is not much more lenient on the other hand towards the pilots’ tires, Hamilton turned even faster in FP2, relegating Montoya’s ex-record even further, with a time of 1’23 ”804, against 1’24” 178 at the end of the morning. While his Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas is third in the session, four tenths behind, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 3rd in FP1, is inserted (2nd) between the two Mercedes.
Verstappen only fifth, the rain announced
Our full classification from second practice!
Hamilton leads the way, but Leclerc isn’t far behind ?#TurkishGP ?? # F1 pic.twitter.com/cHEIUuxRNA
– Formula 1 (@ F1) October 8, 2021
If Hamilton has confirmed, this is not the case with his rival Max Verstappen (Red Bull). The Dutchman and runner-up to the Briton in the general classification of the World Championship had to settle for fifth time, moreover behind his teammate Sergio Perez, even if it was played to a tenth. Lower in the standings, Sebastian Ocon (Alpine, 8th), remained stuck on the grid at the time of the starting procedure, and Fernando Gasly (AlphaTauri, 9th) both finished in the Top 10 again, a few rows behind Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who does not work on the same program as the other drivers. Having changed several parts on his single-seater in Istanbul, the Spaniard already knows that he will start at the back of the grid on Sunday. This could also be the case with Hamilton. Mercedes will do everything to ensure that a new pole position, Saturday during qualifying, allows its leader to limit damage by starting from 11th place (he will be penalized by ten places), but the rain is announced for the rest of the race. weekend. And the team dear to Toto Wolff might have no choice but to change any part other than the simple engine. To be continued…
