TURKISH GRAND PRIX

This entire weekend was a circus. Another disappointing race where all the pins were set up right for an exciting, surprising end to the race, but it became abundantly clear that - again - Mercedes would somehow reshuffle the board mid-race and come out on top. This was also the weekend that Hamilton won his world championship. I don't even remember if this was number seven or eight and I don't care, either.

The major points of this weekend were: this was the championship winning race. This track's new surface made it like ice. The surface was made worse by a ton of rain. Stroll got pole. And a whole bunch of other nonsense.

FP1

• first time we’ve been back here in a really long time and most drivers haven’t driven here even in the sim

• This track has a lot of elevation changes

• It’s Lando’s 21st birthday and they gave him a cake!

• The track was resurfaced 10 days ago and oils can rise up from a new track for a few months even

• As soon as everyone goes out they say it’s like ice

• Charles collected the pit lane bollard because he was sliding around because it was so icy

• Red flag before even ten minutes have passed because they have to install the bollard again and there are bolts sticking up on track so that’s why the red flag

• Gasly has a spin on turn one but everyone has been spinning in this icy surface

• With a half hour left Sainz pulls over by the side of the track for an electrical issue with the power steering and it triggers the virtual safety car

• Bottas has a spin in turn 9 but he’s fine

• Kvyat has a spin

FP2

• George has a spin and Latifi has a spin back to back

• Charles has a little off

• Kimi has a spin

• The track did have some evolution so that times were getting faster

FP3

• it’s RAINING today and the whole thing is just nonsense and nobody can stay on this completely new track. I’m not even going to bother reporting all the spins and offs because it’s constant

• Charles got Ocon who was trying to get around Sainz and Charles couldn’t stop because it’s so wet out there

Qualifying

• it’s raining so hard and they’re still going to run on this super slick track

• Martin Brundle has never seen this little grip

• There is literally just the impression of ice on this track

• With six minutes left in Q1, they throw the red flag to wait out the rain

• People were spinning and going through the grass like crazy

• The red flag last soooo long ugh

• It finally starts again and when Kimi goes out of the pit lane second and he is aquaplaning off on a straight

• Charles has a big off but does well to keep the car in momentum and goes through gravel and grass and goes back through to keep going

• Grosjean loses it and gets beached in the gravel and it throws the red flag again but it’s very short

• They have enough time to go out and do one lap

• Max is in 15 and Charles in 16 when the session starts again

• Everyone keeps improving their times and Max and Charles put in good times in under pressure and make it into Q2!

• Somehow Latifi crashes at the last minute on Q1 and they bring out the trucks to clean up

• Out in Q1: Magnussen, Grosjean, kvyat and both Williams

• they start Q2 while still cleaning up the Williams is Latifi and no one knows why they started before the trucks were clear

• Sainz and Perez to see stewards about alleged impeding incident

• Out in Q2: Norris, Vettel, Sainz, Leclerc and Gasly

• this was just madness

• Looked like Max was going to get pole then Perez looked like he was going to get pole

• In the end it was STROLL on pole and then Max and then Perez

Race

• apparently George Russell and Gio crashed on the way to the grid so both have a pit lane start

• The track is SO WET even though it’s not raining

• Sainz and Lando also have penalties too

• The Red Bull’s just didn’t go anywhere on the first lap

• Stroll retains the lead and Perez in second and then VETTEL of all things

• Max is trying to catch Seb for third

• Bottas ans Ocon had two separate incidents on the first lap which were with both of them. Hamilton was going by Ocon and caused him to crash into Bot in the first few corners. So now Bot is in 16 and he needed to be in 6 or higher today to keep the championship battle alive with hamilton but wow who is surprised that something happened to take Bot out of that

• People are going in for early pit stops as the track dries out to change wets to inters

• Max’s pit stop is a little long but they keep him still ahead of Hamilton crucially

• 13/58 Gio pulls over for a mechanical problem and triggers virtual safety car

• Bottas has a third spin but keeps going and loses four places

• 18/58 MAX trying to pass Perez for second got into the spray and did a double spin all across the track but he keeps it going and pits and now he is in 8th. It totally looked like he was going to save it mid spin and he could have but he got out there on the paint

• Now max is under investigation for crossing the line at the pit exit NO

• Is that Bot spinning AGAIN??

• Now stewards are saying they’re going to investigate Max after the race

• 30/58 they finally enabled DRS now

• NOOO Seb has a slow pit stop

• ALEX SPINS and lets hamilton into 3rd and now Alex is in 4th

• Kevin stops after his pit stop on the grass, push him back into the pit and then put in the new tires and sent him back out

• Charles gets past Seb into 4th!

• Grosjean and Latifi came together and spun

• Bottas spins AGAIN

• Stroll is panicking and his entire lead fell apart after the pit stop and now he’s in 8th

• Latifi retires after the collision with Grosjean

• Now Hamilton is somehow in the lead again and is about to lap Bot

• Grosjean has another off

• Lando trying to get past Daniel and Daniel spins on his own but keeps going

• Spots of rain coming at lap 50/58

• Kimi had a spin and then Max has a spin where he does a 360 and keeps going but this one corner just looks so wet

• Perez went wide on the last few corners and Charles passed him into second but then he didn’t have enough traction to keep it so Seb gets past him and takes third at the last second

• Hamilton wins, and also the world championship, wow who is surprised, what is this, seven now? Ugh