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(Motorsport-Total.com) – Anyone who thought things couldn’t get any worse when it came to getting grip on Friday’s practice in Istanbul was better educated in the third free practice session of the Turkish Grand Prix (Formula 1 2020 live in the ticker!). Because such a slide, as it was presented in the final training, the premier class did not live for many years.
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Conditions in FT3 were even more extreme than in Friday’s free practice Enlarge
The mixture of the newly applied asphalt with a thin film of bitumen on the surface and the rain, which became stronger and stronger just in time for the start of the 60 minute session, proved to be a real fun killer even for the best drivers in the world. “It can’t be driven like that. The tires are too cold,” complained Charles Leclerc on the pit radio.
The Ferrari driver was one of the drivers who stopped sideways several times and crossed the road uncontrollably. “I spin every lap,” said Daniil Kwjat (AlphaTauri), and Sebastian Vettel even had to laugh once when he reported on the box radio: “And the tires, well, they just don’t work!”
“We don’t have any tire temperatures. At the moment it’s almost worse than yesterday,” Andreas Seidl reported live from the command post via ‘Sky’ at the start of the last training session. “We assume that conditions will remain the same today and that it could rain tomorrow as well.”
Vettel does more laps than anyone else
This was why, despite the extreme conditions, there was a lot of training. The toughest was Vettel, who completed 14 laps. At the other end of the spectrum was world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who (just like the two Williams drivers) returned to the pits after a setup lap and let it go well. The hold was “shocking,” he says.
“Normally, when the asphalt is new, the grip is very aggressive. The bitumen and rubber create an aggressive grip,” explains Pirelli sporting director Mario Isola. “But here we don’t see it at all. Simply because there is so little grip that the tires never reach temperature.” A fatal cycle.
Lap times were completely in the background on the figure skating course in Istanbul. After a full 35 minutes, most of the drivers realized that there was no point in risking sheet metal damage so shortly before qualifying. Carlos Sainz was very lucky when his McLaren exploded at high speed: “He was close,” he radioed.
Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) was less fortunate than the Spaniard when he went out again ten minutes before the end, spun in the same spot and damaged the end plate of the front wing. “These conditions are so bad,” he said over the radio as he slowly walked back to the pits.
Luck in two (almost) collisions
Apart from these pirouettes, from which no one was spared, there were two other noteworthy incidents. After the collision between Esteban Ocon (Renault) and Leclerc, in which Leclerc’s front went against Ocon’s rear. And then there was the near accident between Sergio Perez (Racing Point) and Lando Norris in the pit street where the McLaren crew slept.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) set the fastest time in 1: 48.485 minutes, leaving Leclerc behind by 0.945 seconds and his teammate Alexander Albon by 1.574 seconds. Vettel was already 6.005 seconds behind in sixth place. The best times were achieved at the start of the session. The track was the driest there.
Qualifying (Formula 1 from 12:55 CET live in the ticker!) Could turn into an amazing roulette game for the best starting positions. Exteriors that best manage tire temperatures could create a stir. Just like Nico Hülkenberg did at the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix …
If the qualifications start at all. Because Formula 1 expert Johnny Herbert fears: “If conditions stay like this, you shouldn’t start qualifying. This isn’t a test, this is a race weekend. And these conditions are ridiculous. You drive like on ice. It’s a sin. “
(F1 Paddock live: Saturday qualifying in Istanbul)
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