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For a brief moment, numerous Formula 1 fans during qualifying in Istanbul recalled the saddest moment in Formula 1 of the past 25 years.
The first qualifying session had resumed moments earlier after being interrupted by the red flag, even though Williams rookie Nicholas Latifi had not yet moved the car completely out of the danger area. (Formula 1: Race for the Turkish Grand Prix from 11.10 in SPORT1-Liveticker)
Instead, a crane drove the Williams through the gravel bed as the first cars passed fast, which particularly angered Red Bull driver Alexander Albon. “It was stupid. I’m sure we could have waited five minutes until the crane was gone,” scolded the Thai.
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Rescue vehicles on the course have been a sensitive issue in the premier class since the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix at the latest.
Memories in Bianchi – Albon sour
At that moment, Jules Bianchi had lost control of his car as he waved two yellow flags and slipped onto a crane. The Frenchman died nine months later from complications from head injuries.
Also this time the conditions were difficult at this point and the riders had great difficulty in not going off the track. However, Albon did not understand that the race direction had cleared the track so quickly.
“It is difficult to understand where this decision came from. The crane was still on the track and lifted Latifi’s car and we were sent off,” Albon said. “I would have expected a five minute signal. But it did. it was only a minute, then it turned green. “
The 24-year-old does not believe that the race management was aware of the risk when he made his decision, but he simply acted rashly: “I think there was an error in judgment, because they certainly didn’t do it on purpose.”
Albon suspects the temporal reasons for the decision
Albon suspects race management made this bold decision due to lack of time: “I think they tried to do it before sunset and rushed everything.”
Indeed, darkness was fast approaching, as qualifying had been suspended for 45 minutes before Latifi and Romain Grosjean kicked off. Water had always formed on the course until a pilot turned every few seconds.
“If you shift into sixth gear, slip into seventh again and the car is gliding on aquaplaning, that’s not fun. It was more dangerous than anything,” said Albon, who stressed that he liked the rough conditions. but that was “excessively dangerous”.
His conclusion from qualifying was therefore: “I think we were very lucky today not to have had a bad accident. We had a few moments of shock at the entrance to turn three.”
Hamilton complains about the route
But not only was Albon annoyed by the conditions in Istanbul. For the world champion Lewis Hamilton “the whole weekend is a nightmare”, which is not only due to the sixth starting position: “I have never experienced such negative grip on any track. It was a challenge”.
Only Max Verstappen seemed to have little trouble for the most part, but the Dutchman also made a move. “Let’s hope it doesn’t rain, so we’ll really ride like on ice. Maybe we’ll need the tips then,” Verstappen had already pointed out on Friday.
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The conditions of the Bosphorus track are undoubtedly due to the hastily improvised Formula 1 racing calendar due to the crown pandemic. Formula 1 last stopped there in 2011. In order to be able to intervene this year, the organizers have done everything possible.
A completely new layer of asphalt was introduced, but it was finished late and was not used until this weekend. The surface was therefore oily and smooth as a mirror, Hamilton even called the condition of the track “Shit with a capital S”.
The fact that the operator had the idea on Friday morning to wash the new asphalt road to dissolve the lubricants only made matters worse. In the first free practice session, rally skills were particularly important.
The route operator is satisfied with rental cars
How Motorsport-Total The rental cars were reportedly obtained that night, which drove three hours on the route to increase grip. The well-meaning idea, the effect of which was open, was however torpedoed by Saturday’s wet conditions.
The fact that a dog crossed the track just before qualifying started suited the sometimes chaotic conditions. Fortunately, apart from safety car driver Bernd Mayländer, who had to reduce his speed, there were no drivers on the track at this point.
Stray dogs were a frequent occurrence in Istanbul, luckily they always ended up without collisions. However, to protect the dogs and pilots, organizers should double check their fences.
After all, Turkey is still hoping for a long-term return to F1, even if it is not initially on the racing calendar for 2021. Organizers still have a lot to do to make it realistic.
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