Written by Nikhil, Sherlene, and Ana
Published 10 October 2021
(Depicted above from left to right: Lewis Hamilton congratulates teammate Valtteri Bottas in parc ferme, Max Verstappen and Mick Schumacher looking on before the qualifying session via Getty Images.)
Saturday arrived almost as quickly as the rain did on the streets of Istanbul, as did feelings of excitement and apprehension at how the weather would affect the track.
The last free practice and qualifying sessions were characterized by a flurry of chaos—from red flags, to spins at turn 1, and to unexpected underdogs rising to the top of the pack. Nonetheless, the pinnacle was not one to miss as the cars danced in the damp on a slippery Saturday afternoon.
Free Practice 3 Report
The final free practice session saw a number of scenes, most notably Pierre Gasly spinning into turn 11, with Nikita Mazepin mirroring the action later on, and George Russell fumbling into the gravel by turn 2, causing a red flag to be imposed.
It is momentous, though, to point out that Pierre Gasly went on to top the session, following with the two white-clad red bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Numerous wet spots on the track caused incessant incidents, with Charles Leclerc, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, and Fernando Alonso all falling victim to the fickle weather situation.
Regardless, it was refreshing to see how the drivers were able to adapt and overcome the challenges presented to them. If we were to go by the trials and tribulations last year’s Turkish Grand Prix brought about, then the chaos displayed on track is only an indication of things to come.
Qualifying Report
Q1
Qualifying one was an eventful session with a mix of wet and dry conditions, thus bringing about unpredictable lap times.
Early on, drivers were keen to get going with their laps as there was the threat of rain towards the middle of Q1. Hamilton ran wide in turn 1 and got his lap time deleted, followed shortly by his teammate who did the same.
Max Verstappen set the fastest lap but was soon pushed down the table as the conditions seemed to magically improve and others set faster laps. Pierre Gasly pushing his Alpha Tauri upto P3 and only three tenths off Hamilton was a surprise.
A lot of drivers were still adapting to the slightly damp track and a lot of track limits were violated, especially turn 1 and turn 14. Sebastian Vettel and Yuki Tsunoda most notably went off track in turn 1 in Q1.
Towards the end, as the drivers went out for their second run, qualifying became chaotic as the track was full of drivers on their flying laps.
Q2
All eyes were on Mick Schumacher as he revelled in being able to drive in his Q2 appearance. The pressure that would be on other drivers upon reaching this stage was likely dulled by the fulfillment of achieving his best ever qualifying result
Meanwhile, the Mercedes pair of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton continued to dominate the time sheets, with Hamilton particularly showcasing the blistering pace he would undoubtedly utilize despite receiving his grid penalty.
Charles Leclerc was late to make his claim for the top 10, as he flew out of the elimination zone just as the session came to an end, while his teammate Carlos Sainz did not set a time, likely due to his grid penalty taking effect in the end.
Disappointment brewed for George Russell, who had been gunning to return into the top 10 once more. Alas, luck did not strike in his favor and he lines up thirteenth on the grid.
Progress was one sided, though, for the Alpine, Mclaren and Aston Martin teams, with the second half of qualifying dividing their rosters. Fernando Alonso cemented his spot in P4, his first top 5 finish in seven years, while Esteban Ocon was left in P12. Mclaren saw Daniel Ricciardo have a premature end to his qualifying, while Lando Norris went on to slot himself into P8. The same story was emulated by the pair of green cars, as Lance Stroll finished P9, with his teammate Sebastian Vettel just missing out on Q3 at P11.
Q3
The forefront of the battle of Q3 brewed between Hamilton, Bottas, and Verstappen, with the others being interesting contenders in the mix.
It was clear that the Mercedes team were not going down without a fight, and strongly desired the highest result possible. Thus, they arrived at a provisional pole position by the end.
Even though he would have to pass his pole down to the second place finisher, he could not have been too disappointed as his teammate occupied the second grid slot. Bottas, thus, is the pole sitter for Sunday’s race.
Verstappen put up a fight until the end, but just fell short. Nonetheless, he starts at the front of the grid as he lines up P2 tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how he will utilize his upper hand on Hamilton coming into Sunday.
Alonso’s spike in performance came as a present surprise, as the Spaniard surely is not a stranger to being a cut above the rest as he starts in P4. Skills and expertise were also showcased by Gasly, as he lines up fifth on the grid.
The artful chaos of today’s session brings on a new kind of thrill to what Sunday has in store, as we can never predict what tracks like these have in store.
Really good stuff