2021 Turkish Grand Prix
2021 Turkish Grand Prix | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 16 of 22[1] in the 2021 Formula One World Championship
| |||||
Race details[2][3] | |||||
Date | 10 October 2021 | ||||
Official name | Formula 1 Rolex Turkish Grand Prix 2021 | ||||
Location | Istanbul Park, Tuzla, Istanbul | ||||
Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
Course length | 5.338 km (3.316 miles) | ||||
Distance | 58 laps, 309.396 km (192.249 miles) | ||||
Weather | Overcast with intermittent rain | ||||
Attendance | 190,000[4] | ||||
Pole position | |||||
Driver | Mercedes | ||||
Time | 1:22.998 | ||||
Fastest lap | |||||
Driver | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | |||
Time | 1:30.432 on lap 58 | ||||
Podium | |||||
First | Mercedes | ||||
Second | Red Bull Racing-Honda | ||||
Third | Red Bull Racing-Honda | ||||
Lap leaders |
The 2021 Turkish Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Turkish Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race, held on 10 October 2021 at Istanbul Park in Tuzla, Istanbul. It was the sixteenth of twenty-two rounds of the 2021 Formula One World Championship.[1] This was also the last Turkish Grand Prix, as the race had not been contracted for the 2022 season and beyond.
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Mercedes set the fastest lap time in qualifying but started 11th after the application of grid penalties. This promoted team-mate Valtteri Bottas to pole position. Bottas won the race, with the fastest lap, with Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez finishing second and third.
Background
The event took place from 8–10 October at Istanbul Park in Tuzla, Istanbul, with the race covering fifty-eight laps of the fourteen-turn circuit.[2] It was the ninth running of the Turkish Grand Prix, all of which have taken place at the same venue.[7][8] It had previously been scheduled for 11–13 June (replacing the cancelled Canadian Grand Prix), but was postponed due to unfavourable quarantine requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey and the travel restrictions from Turkey imposed by the British government.[9] On 25 June, the event was readded to the schedule following the cancellation of the Singapore Grand Prix, which was scheduled for 1–3 October.[10] On 28 August, it was pushed back one week to 8–10 October due to the reduction of the number of Grands Prix into the calendar.[1] This was the second consecutive year in which the Turkish Grand Prix had appeared on the calendar as a replacement round.[11]
While the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix had been held behind closed doors, the 2021 edition was to have spectators in attendance.[12] The track surface was water-blasted after the smooth tarmac provided little grip at the previous year's event.[13] Charles Leclerc said he hoped the track surface would still be slippery to boost Ferrari's hopes of a good result at this race.[14] Three previous Turkish Grand Prix winners entered this event in the form of Lewis Hamilton (who won the event twice previously in 2010 and 2020), Sebastian Vettel (who won the 2011 event), and Kimi Räikkönen (who won the inaugural Turkish Grand Prix in 2005).[15][16]
Ten constructors entered two drivers each for the race, with no changes from the regular season entry list.[17] The title sponsor of the Ferrari Team, Mission Winnow, was banned for this race. The name and sponsor logos were not used in any races from the French Grand Prix to the Italian Grand Prix for legal reasons, but were used at the Bahrain, Emilia Romagna, Portuguese, Spanish, Monaco, Azerbaijan, and Russian Grands Prix.[17] Red Bull and AlphaTauri both ran tribute liveries to Honda, their engine supplier, on what was due to be Honda's home race, the Japanese Grand Prix. The Red Bull cars ran with a predominantly white livery, inspired by the livery with which Honda won their first Formula One World Championship race, the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. The AlphaTauri cars featured arigato, a Japanese word for "Thank you".[18]
Sole Formula One tyre-supplier Pirelli supplied their middle range of compounds in terms of hardness (the C2, C3, and C4).[8][19] Following the first two practice sessions, Pirelli's Formula One boss Mario Isola stated that their tyre selection was "too aggressive". Isola stated that this was because Pirelli had only learned that the track was to be water-blasted after they had made their tyre choices.[20]
Going into the event, Hamilton held a two-point lead over Max Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship standings,[21] with third-placed Valtteri Bottas twelve points ahead of fourth-placed Lando Norris and thirty-one ahead of fifth-placed Sergio Pérez.[22] Mercedes led Red Bull Racing by thirty-three points in the Constructors' Championship standings.[23] Five drivers including Hamilton also tried out a prototype glove design in the first practice session, designed to improve safety by preventing burns similar to those suffered by Romain Grosjean at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.[24]
Free practice
A trio of free practice sessions took place on Friday and Saturday, each an hour in length.[25] Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of the first free practice session for Mercedes ahead of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.[26][27] Hamilton was fastest for the second praction session ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas.[28] Whilst the first two practice sessions were held in dry conditions, the third one was held in the wet and ended with AlphaTauri Pierre Gasly fastest ahead of Verstappen and Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Pérez.[29] The first two practice sessions ran without major incident, whilst the third one was briefly red flagged after Williams driver George Russell beached his car in the gravel.[30]
Qualifying
The qualifying practice session started at 15:00 local time (UTC+03:00) on the Saturday.[25] Hamilton set the fastest time, with Bottas second, Verstappen set the third fastest time, with Leclerc fourth fastest in the session for Ferrari.[31] Hamilton was penalised 10 places for a new ICE unit,[5] which meant that Bottas would take pole position.[6] Sainz had extra power unit components installed which meant that he would start the race in last position no matter where he qualified.[32][15]
Schumacher qualified in to the second part of qualifying for the second time in his Formula One career and Tsunoda reached the third part for the first time since the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix.[33][34][35] This pole was Bottas's 18th in Formula One, with his last one being at the Portuguese Grand Prix in May.[36][37][38]
Qualifying classification
Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Qualifying times | Final grid | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | |||||
1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:24.585 | 1:23.082 | 1:22.868 | 111 |
2 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:25.047 | 1:23.579 | 1:22.998 | 1 |
3 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-Honda | 1:24.592 | 1:23.732 | 1:23.196 | 2 |
4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:24.869 | 1:24.015 | 1:23.265 | 3 |
5 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1:24.704 | 1:23.817 | 1:23.326 | 4 |
6 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine-Renault | 1:25.174 | 1:23.914 | 1:23.477 | 5 |
7 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Racing-Honda | 1:24.963 | 1:23.961 | 1:23.706 | 6 |
8 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:25.138 | 1:24.642 | 1:23.954 | 7 |
9 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1:25.511 | 1:24.601 | 1:24.305 | 8 |
10 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1:25.409 | 1:24.054 | 1:24.368 | 9 |
11 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1:25.787 | 1:24.795 | N/A | 10 |
12 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1:25.422 | 1:24.842 | N/A | 12 |
13 | 63 | George Russell | Williams-Mercedes | 1:25.417 | 1:25.007 | N/A | 13 |
14 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Haas-Ferrari | 1:25.555 | 1:25.200 | N/A | 14 |
15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | 1:25.177 | No time | N/A | 192 |
16 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:25.881 | N/A | N/A | 203 |
17 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1:26.086 | N/A | N/A | 15 |
18 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari | 1:26.430 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
19 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari | 1:27.525 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
20 | 9 | Nikita Mazepin[b] | Haas-Ferrari | 1:28.449 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
107% time: 1:30.505 | |||||||
Source:[40][41] |
Notes
- ^1 – Lewis Hamilton received a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota of internal combustion engines.[5]
- ^2 – Carlos Sainz Jr. was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.[42][43]
- ^3 – Daniel Ricciardo was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.[44]
Race
The race started at 15:00 local time (UTC+03:00) on the Sunday.[25] Ferrari and McLaren replaced the hybrid systems on Sainz's and Ricciardo's cars, respectively, which resulted in them starting from the back of the grid.[32][43] Hamilton also received a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding his number of permitted internal combustion engines.[26]
On the first lap, Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly made contact at the first corner, with Gasly receiving a five-second penalty. Alonso later made contact with Mick Schumacher, with Alonso receiving the same penalty.[45] After passing Vettel, Hamilton got past Yuki Tsunoda after the latter defended the position until Hamilton passed on the eighth lap.[46] On the fourteenth lap, Carlos Sainz Jr. dived down the inside of Vettel at the eleventh turn, but he had to go on the inside kerb to stay on the race track in the damp conditions. This upset the car and Sainz hit Vettel's front left tyre. Sainz made multiple overtakes in the opening phase of the race, progressing from his nineteenth-place starting position to ninth by lap eighteen.[47]
Bottas won the race ahead of Verstappen. Verstappen retook the lead in the Drivers' Championship standings from Hamilton, who finished fifth after a late pit stop. Ocon finished the race in tenth place after not making any pit stops, losing forty-eight seconds to Sainz over the last ten laps. Ocon was the first driver to complete a full race distance without making a pit stop in twenty-four years since Mika Salo at the 1997 Monaco Grand Prix.[48] There were no retirements.[49]
Post-race
Martin Brundle believed that Hamilton should take responsibility for his initial pit strategy saying he should have respected the initial instructions to pit.[50] 2009 World Champion Jenson Button, who was commentating on the race, also stated he felt Hamilton only pitted at all because he was unaware he would lose track positions after his stop.[51] Gasly said following the race the drivers would intend to speak with race director following controversy over recent stewards decisions, with Gasly penalised in the race for his first lap contact with Alonso and the decision not to penalise Alonso for improving his laptime in Saturday qualifying under double waved yellows.[52] In light of the Alonso qualifying incident, Masi said the sport would "quite possibly" adopt a system from the following race onwards whereby any lap completed under double waved yellows would automatically be deleted.[53] Alonso apologised to Schumacher over the collision on the opening lap of the race.[54] Verstappen felt Mercedes had stepped up their performance significantly compared to previous races during the weekend.[55] Christian Horner was surprised by Mercedes's recent improvement in straightline speed.[56] Both Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda complained of having their visibibility hindered by "dirty spray" (surface water mixed with oil, dust, and dirt), with the latter feeling it contributed to a spin which he believed lost him a points-scoring position. Masi said he had not heard complaints from other drivers and never believed the conditions in Turkey were bad enough to warrant suspending the race.[57]
Race classification
Notes
- ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.
Championship standings after the race
|
|
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
Notes
- ^ Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in qualifying, but received a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota of internal combustion engines.[5] Valtteri Bottas was promoted to pole position in his place.[6]
- ^ a b Nikita Mazepin is Russian, but he competed as a neutral competitor using the designation RAF (Russian Automobile Federation), as the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a ban on Russia competing at World Championships. The ban was implemented by the World Anti-Doping Agency in response to the state-sponsored doping program of Russian athletes.[39]
References
- ^ a b c Smith, Luke (28 August 2021). "Formula 1 reveals updated 2021 calendar, drops to 22 races". Autosport. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Turke 2021". Formula1. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Dodgins, Tony; Hamilton, Maurice; Hughes, Mark; Kirby, Gordon (8 January 2021). Autocourse 2020-2021. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Icon Publishing Limited. pp. 272–281. ISBN 978-1910584-42-2.
- ^ "Formula 1 announces TV, race attendance and digital audience figures for 2021". Formula1.com. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ a b c "Hamilton set for Turkish GP grid penalty after taking new Mercedes engine". formula1.com. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Bottas claims pole for Turkish GP as fastest driver Hamilton takes grid penalty". Formula1.com. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "Turkey: Grands Prix". Forix. Autosport. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Race preview / 2021 Turkish Grand Prix, 08 - 10 October" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Richards, Giles (14 May 2021). "Turkish Grand Prix replaced by Austrian double-header after going on red list". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (25 June 2021). "Formula 1: Turkey to replace Singapore on calendar". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ Gumrukcu, Tuvan (13 November 2020). "Turkey rules out Vietnam's F1 slot but still hoping for 2021 race". Reuters. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Baldwin, Alan; Radnedge, Christian (6 October 2021). "Motor racing-Hamilton and Verstappen renew battle in Turkey". Reuters. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Williams-Smith, Jake (6 October 2021). "Hamilton braced for grid penalty?: Turkish Grand Prix what to watch for". Motor Sport magazine. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Kalinauckas, Alex (7 October 2021). "Leclerc hopes Turkey F1 track "still slippery" to boost Ferrari's hopes". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ a b Baldwin, Alan; Radnedge, Christian (6 October 2021). "Formula One statistics for the Turkish Grand Prix". Reuters. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "Grand Prix Turkey". statsf1.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ a b "2021 Turkish Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "Red Bull and AlphaTauri to run special Honda tribute liveries at Turkish Grand Prix". Formula1.com. 6 October 2021. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ Collantine, Keith (1 October 2021). "Softer tyres chosen for F1's Istanbul return, hardest rubber for Losail". Race Fans. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Cooper, Adam (8 October 2021). "Pirelli fears Turkey F1 tyre choice 'too aggressive'". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ Morlidge, Matt (5 October 2021). "Turkish GP: Mercedes considering Lewis Hamilton engine penalty at Istanbul as title battle hots up". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "2021, Russia: Drivers Championship". Forix. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "2021, Russia: Constructors Championship". Forix. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Mitchell, Scott (8 October 2021). "F1 drivers trialling new gloves informed by Grosjean crash". The Race. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ a b c "2021 F1 Turkish GP – how to watch, session timings and more". Autosport. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ a b Benson, Andrew (8 October 2021). "Turkish Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton takes engine penalty". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ Smith, Luke (8 October 2021). "F1 Turkish GP: Hamilton leads FP1 with new Istanbul Park track record". Autosport. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "FP2: Hamilton fends off Leclerc to set pace in second Turkish GP practice". Formula1. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ "FP3: Gasly fastest over Verstappen in wet final Turkish GP practice session". Formula1. 9 October 2021. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ Smith, Luke (9 October 2021). "Turkish GP: Gasly leads damp FP3 as Russell spin causes red flag". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Slater, Luke; Cary, Tom (9 October 2021). "Lewis Hamilton quickest in Turkish GP qualifying with Max Verstappen third". Retrieved 10 October 2021.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Benson, Andrew (6 October 2021). "Turkish Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz to start from back of grid". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Straw, Edd (9 October 2021). "Schumacher dreamed of Q3 in his 'dance' with the Haas". The Race. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Gasly relishes 'one of our best Saturdays' after double-Q3 appearance for AlphaTauri at Istanbul". Formula1. 9 October 2021. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Elated Schumacher daring to dream of first F1 points after Q2 appearance in Turkish GP qualifying". Formula1. 9 October 2021. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Truchon, Gérard. "Valtteri Bottas secures F1 GP pole position in Turkey for fastest man Lewis Hamilton". Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Richards, Giles (9 October 2021). "Valtteri Bottas gets Turkish F1 GP pole in boost for fastest man Lewis Hamilton". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ McDonagh, Connor (10 October 2021). "Can Bottas resist Verstappen to end F1 win drought in Turkey?". Crash. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Luke Smith (5 February 2021). "Mazepin set to race under neutral flag after CAS ruling extends to F1". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ "Formula 1 Rolex Turkish Grand Prix 2021 – Qualifying". Formula1.com. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Formula 1 Rolex Turkish Grand Prix 2021 – Starting Grid". Formula1.com. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "Sainz to start Turkish GP from the back of the grid after taking on new Ferrari power unit". Formula1. 6 October 2021. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ a b Cobb, Haydn (6 October 2021). "Sainz set for Turkish GP grid penalty with upgraded F1 hybrid system". Autosport. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Ricciardo to take Turkish GP grid drop after F1 engine change". Autosport. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Unwin, Will (10 October 2021). "F1: Bottas wins Turkish GP as Verstappen leads Hamilton in race for title – as it happened!". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Rencken, Dieter; Collantine, Keith (10 October 2021). "Tsunoda says he 'wants Max to win' and tried to keep Hamilton behind for longer". RaceFans. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ Cline, Ashley. "Sainz excels with series of bold, late-braking overtakes in Turkey". Drivetribe. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ Cooper, Adam (13 October 2021). "How Ocon's 'dangerous' non-stop Turkey F1 strategy paid off". Autosport. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ Williams-Smith, Jake (11 October 2021). "Comms errors and risky gambles: Turkish Grand Prix what you missed". Motor Sport magazine. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ 'He has to respect his team' | Brundle on Hamilton's Turkish GP pit-call fiasco. Sky Sports F1. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ 'Lewis didn't know he would lose places' | Button on 'frustrated' Hamilton & Mercedes communication. Sky Sports F1. 12 October 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ Rencken, Dieter; Collantine, Keith (12 October 2021). "Drivers to ask Masi why Alonso and Norris went unpunished for 'very clear' incidents". RaceFans. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Mitchell, Scott; Beer, Matt (11 October 2021). "F1 plans automatic lap deletions for yellow flag offences". The Race. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Smith, Luke; Kalinauckas, Alex (12 October 2021). "Alonso sorry for Schumacher F1 clash early in Turkish GP". Motorsport. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Smith, Luke; Kalinauckas, Alex (10 October 2021). "Verstappen: F1 title fight won't be 'easy' despite points lead". Motorsport. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (11 October 2021). "Red Bull's Christian Horner questions Mercedes speed gains". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan; Kalinauckas, Alex (12 October 2021). "Norris: "Scary" spray made Turkish GP F1 much harder". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ "Formula 1 Rolex Turkish Grand Prix 2021 – Race Result". Formula1.com. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Formula 1 Rolex Turkish Grand Prix 2021 – Fastest Laps". Formula1.com. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Turkey 2021 - Championship". www.statsf1.com.