Friday, Fuel Runs, and Ferrari: The Free Practice Round Up

Written by Nik and Ana

Published 9 October 2021

(Depicted above from left to right: The news of Hamilton's grid penalty, Vettel's special edition helmet, an aerial view of the Intercity Istanbul Park track, the special edition Red Bull livery, and Leclerc's team radio.)

The Russian Grand Prix was a thrilling affair of unpredictable weather, crucial slip ups, and vital outcomes for the 2021 season. Thus, coming into the Turkish Grand Prix, stakes were high as teams and fans alike rode off of the highs and lows brought by the previous weekend.

The paddock began to buzz very early with news of Red Bull’s special livery, a tribute to their engine manufacturers, Honda. The livery featured a simple yet intricate white design, with notes to highlight Honda’s Japanese heritage. The team also coupled this effort by dressing their drivers in white overalls, to further enhance the gesture.

A name that sparked chatter initially was Sebastian Vettel. The Aston Martin driver, known for his elaborate and empowering gestures around the paddock, brought in a special helmet design for this weekend. The helmet showcased a collage of marine life over his usual pink, with the off-center German flag replaced by shades of blue to represent the ocean, the message ‘WATER = LIFE’, running down the back. Vettel is known for using his platform in this manner, with him notably dawning a pride and inclusivity themed helmet at last year’s Turkish Grand Prix.

Another notable feature was the debut of new fireproof gloves, which Lewis Hamilton wore for a couple of laps in FP1. This was introduced following the harsh burns that Romain Grosjean incurred in his crash in Bahrain 2020. However, they seemed to be rather uncomfortable as Lewis was seen stretching his hands quite a lot after his stint and after returning to the garage.

These instances were just snippets of the typical energy laced into the paddock. However, the true test of the weekend begins the moment the cars get on track. The practice sessions were filled with no shortage of drama, action, and anticipation as the much anticipated 2021 Turkish Grand Prix began.

Free Practice 1 Report

Being only the second time F1 is racing in Istanbul in the turbo-hybrid era, data collection was key. First, a lot of grid penalties have been awarded to drivers. Sainz starts from the back of the grid as he gets a brand new power unit, while Lewis Hamilton only gets a 10 place grid penalty as he only brings in a brand new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) this weekend.

On track, Max Verstappen has been struggling with pace in the practice sessions, almost half a second slower than his title rival Lewis Hamilton who tops the FP1 chart with a time of 1:24.178. One has to question, is the special livery curse real?

(Airflow sensors pictured above via live broadcast)

Ferrari have had quite an interesting FP1 where they tested the airflow through the rear of the car using multiple airflow sensors to better understand how to maximise downforce. They also had rather good race pace, with Charles Leclerc putting up the 3rd fastest time of anyone, and his teammate Carlos Sainz 5th fastest, and only a few hundredths of a second slower than Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes.

A lot of drivers were also observed going beyond track limits at turn 14, the last corner before the main straight.

Free Practice 2 Report

Ferrari’s pace was no joke as they have been consistently outperforming the McLarens in both the practice sessions. Leclerc finished only 0.16 seconds off of Lewis Hamilton.

The Red Bulls continue to struggle as they finish P4 and P5 in the second practice session. Nicholas Latifi went wide early out in the practice session at turn 9, a high speed chicane, with the runoff needing to be revisited to avoid dangerous incidents during the race.

Kimi Raikkonen had issues with his hydration system as his drink bag leaked into his cockpit and onto his feet. Alfa Romeo said they would look into it after hearing a very annoyed Kimi on the radio.

Sebastian Vettel complained of a lot of understeer throughout the lap, and could only go 16th fastest in the second practice session.

At the end of Friday’s practice sessions, Lewis Hamilton seems to be the quickest on track followed, very surprisingly, by Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas. Max Verstappen seems to be struggling with the balance of the car and will need to get to grips as quickly as he can to take maximum advantage of his championship rival’s grid penalty.

Generally things are coming out hot atop the gravel of the Intercity Istanbul Park. With Charles Leclerc’s consistency blooming across the practice sessions, to Lewis Hamilton’s unadulterated pace coming into the Friday sessions. On the contrary, issues have risen for various teams, with Alfa Romeo, for instance, having key minute errors on a consistent basis, with Antonio Giovinazzi’s dysfunctional radio from Sochi, and Kimi Raikonnen’s constant drink woes.

Nevertheless, the practice sessions have sparked much intrigue and anticipation for what is to arrive. With one more practice session and qualifying to come, it begs the question, will Mercedes stay on top? Will Ferrari keep their performance up? Will Red Bull break its special livery curse? Most importantly, who will surprise us and stand out among the rest? In a sport where anything can happen, only time and fate will tell.