Sergio Perez with special reward for stopping Lewis Hamilton. Toto Wolff explains Mercedes’ late pit stop.
The World Cup duel in Formula 1 in 2021 is Lewis Hamilton against Max Verstappen. The hymns of praise from their team bosses received the number 2 pilots of the top teams in Turkey on Sunday. “Thank God Valtteri (Bottas; d. Ed.) Won the race. Only his performance prevented Max from getting eight points more here, ”said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, praising his flying Finn.
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Red Bull team boss Christian Horner pays tribute to Sergio Perez, who not only finished third behind Bottas and Verstappen, but also gave Hamilton a tough fight on lap 34 and decisively stopped the British on the way forward. “A great job from Checo today. He drove as hard against Lewis as usually only Max does, ”said Horner happily.
After the race, Perez himself joked in the direction of Verstappen, who was standing next to him: “You owe me a couple of tequila for that!” Verstappen laughs: “You should get it, at the latest when we get to Mexico.” where we weren’t up to speed when it came to pace to leave here in second and third is a very good result. “
Verstappen also warns: “We have to find more pace, because six points (lead in the World Cup; d. Ed.) Are nothing. I can’t complain about the season so far, we’ve had great results and we’re in the fight for the World Cup. But it’s going to be tough. Mercedes has picked up speed. ”The difference in speed on the straights is a particular headache for Red Bull. “Lewis was sometimes 15 to 20 km / h faster here, that’s a lot. We have to find some speed, especially since Austin is Hamilton-Land, ”admits team boss Horner with a view to the next race in Texas.
Mercedes sports director Wolff does not see his team as a favorite for the season’s final spurt despite the strong form in Turkey. “I don’t think you can say that with absolute conviction. Yes, our car was very competitive this weekend and without the grid penalty we will probably take a one-two here. That is why we look to the future with optimism. But I have no illusions that the drivers’ championship will go to the final in Abu Dhabi, ”says the Austrian.
Mercedes boss Wolff declares a late stop
Especially since the Black Arrows, according to Wolff’s calculation, left a few points in Istanbul on Sunday. Hamilton does not stop for new intermediates until seven laps before the end: “We thought we might be able to finish third if we crossed the finish line without stopping. If it had gotten drier, we could have switched to the soft tires at the end of the day, ”explains Wolff Mercedes’ options.
“That’s why we weighed up the conservative tactics of stopping and trying to overtake Leclerc and Perez on the track for third place – or taking a risk and staying outside.” The problem: “Lewis’s times were still twelve laps before the end pretty good and like the Perez behind it. But as soon as he had his tires in the window, Lewis’s pace collapsed in comparison and we lost one and a half seconds per lap to him. From then on it was clear that we wouldn’t make it to the end like this. That’s why we brought him in so as not to fall behind Gasly. “
HERE YOU GO TO THE FORMULA 1 CALENDARR 2021
Wolff understands Hamilton’s displeasure, who criticizes his team on the radio for the late stop and first snatches chief strategist James Vowles in the paddock: “It is clear that he only has limited information in the car. Communication has to flow in both directions, because the pilot is the most important sensor on the route as far as the grip level is concerned, but of course not seeing his times in relation to all other pilots. So it is understandable that such a situation can be frustrating for him at times. Overall, however, I think that it was worth the try today. “
Hamilton himself explains: “I didn’t know that I would lose two places because of the stop, but I should have thought so. In the end, I didn’t have enough time to get through the phase when the tires were blistering. That was a bit frustrating, because third place would have been a great result from eleventh on the grid. ”For the world champion, one thing is certain:“ In retrospect, I should have either continued or had to come in much earlier. ”
A first call from his crew for a pit stop on lap 41 is blocked by Hamilton idiosyncratic. This makes the competition smile. “It looked like Lewis would outvote the team again,” said Red Bull team boss Horner, grinning. “It was clear to us that he had to go in because his tires looked pretty dangerous. The fact that he came to the stop so late was decisive because we brought Checo in at the perfect time beforehand. “
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Formula 1 Grand Prix of Turkey
1. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) – Mercedes 1: 31: 04.103 hours.
2. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) – Red Bull +14.584 sec.
3. Sergio Perez (Mexiko) – Red Bull +33,471
4. Charles Leclerc (Monaco) – Ferrari +37.814
5. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) – Mercedes +41,812
6. Pierre Gasly (France) – Alpha Tauri +44.292
7. Lando Norris (UK) – McLaren +47,213
8. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spain) – Ferrari +51,526
9. Lance Stroll (Kanada) – Aston Martin +1:22,018 Min.
10. Esteban Ocon (Frankreich) – Alpine + 1 Rd.
11. Antonio Giovinazzi (Italien) – Alfa Romeo + 1 Rd.
12. Kimi Räikkönen (Finland) – Alfa Romeo + 1 Rd.
13. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) – McLaren + 1 Rd.
14. Yuki Tsunoda (Japan) – Alpha Tauri + 1 Rd.
15. George Russell (Great Britain) – Williams + 1 rd.
16. Fernando Alonso (Spanien) – Alpine + 1 Rd.
17. Nicholas Latifi (Canada) – Williams + 1 Rd.
18. Sebastian Vettel (Heppenheim) – Aston Martin + 1 Rd.
19. Mick Schumacher (Gland / Switzerland) – Haas + 2 rounds.
20. Nikita Masepin (Russland) – Haas + 2 Rd.
Driver rating
Stand after 16 of 22 races
1. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) – Red Bull 262.5 pts.
2. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) – Mercedes 256.5
3. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) – Mercedes 177.0
4. Lando Norris (UK) – McLaren 145.0
5. Sergio Perez (Mexiko) – Red Bull 132,0
6. Charles Leclerc (Monaco) – Ferrari 119.0
7. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spain) – Ferrari 116.5
8. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) – McLaren 95.0
9. Pierre Gasly (France) – Alpha Tauri 74.0
10. Fernando Alonso (Spanien) – Alpine 58,0
11. Esteban Ocon (France) – Alpine 46.0
12. Sebastian Vettel (Heppenheim) – Aston Martin 35,0
13. Lance Stroll (Kanada) – Aston Martin 26,0
14. Yuki Tsunoda (Japan) – Alpha Tauri 18,0
15. George Russell (Great Britain) – Williams 16.0
16. Nicholas Latifi (Canada) – Williams 7.0
17. Kimi Räikkönen (Finland) – Alfa Romeo 6.0
18. Antonio Giovinazzi (Italien) – Alfa Romeo 1.0
19. Mick Schumacher (Germany) – Haas 0
20.Nikita Mazepin (Russia) – Haas 0
Constructors’ rating
Stand after 16 of 22 races
1. Mercedes 433.5 points
2. Red Bull 394,5
3. McLaren 240,0
4. Ferrari 235,5
5. Alpine 104,0
6. Alpha Tauri 92.0
7. Aston Martin 61,0
8. Williams 23,0
9. Alfa Romeo 7.0
10. Haas 0
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