Ice Skating in Istanbul

 

It's been a first of many this year and a return of racing to Istanbul only increased that tally. 

Now I know what you're thinking. The race is over. Yes, that is the case. But, I needed to highlight what probably was the most insane qualifying I've been able to witness in the 14 years that I have been following the sport. 

A rain filled session that brought out multiple red flags, paired with the extremely slippery resurfaced track meant that drivers had to drive out of their skins to not only keep the car on track, but to get a decent enough lap time in. And whilst some were able to do that, others were not as fortunate. The number of spins that took place were probably more than all the spins we have seen so far this year. 

Fast forward 2 hours and you could say that Mercedes did snatch pole in the end, albeit with their 2019 car. An intense battle between the Red Bull's and men in pink from Force India saw Lance Stroll take his first ever pole position with Verstappen and Checo Perez finishing up the top 3. Unlike the rest of the field, they had been able to light up their tyres to a reasonable temperature, increasing their grip, and causing the lap times to tumble down as the track dried simultaneously. They found pace on the intermediate (green) tyres whereas the Red Bull's were setting faster times on the wet (blue) tyres. An interesting sight to see given that the wets are supposed to be slower on a drying track. This just shows the extent to which cars depend on downforce and aerodynamic capabilities to assist in warming up the tyres. 

Now you're probably wondering, what happened to the Mercs? Well, a simple answer is that they just weren't good enough. No grip, no pace, no hot tyres. And no result for them in the end. Bottas in 9th and Hamilton in 6th - their worst start to a grand prix all season. It didn't get much better for the rest of the field either. Dani Kvyat complaining that "You could get more grip on Ice!" Echoing the thoughts of the entire grid if I'm honest. With Renault in the top 10 along with the surprise entrance of Antonio Giovanazzi, it was all to play for in a race that was predicted to be rain filled. 

A moment to remember though for young Lance. The first Canadian to be on pole since Jacques Villeneuve. Credit to the youngster it must be said. Many claim that he's just daddy's boy, and doesn't deserve a seat but his performance on Saturday was one which many will raise an eyebrow to as they witness the potential of a rising star.