Turkish Grand Prix – Race: Valtteri Bottas triumphs in the rain

A closely contested start under wet conditions was a good omen for an exciting race. Max Verstappen starting in second place was going to have a golden opportunity to regain the championship lead from his rival Lewis Hamilton, who was 11th after a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change.

A calm departure

The start was relatively cautious for all drivers, but Fernando Alonso was hit by Pierre Gasly at the first turn: the Spanish driver lost the benefit of his 5th place, while Lewis Hamilton gained two positions against Sebastian Vettel, and had to battle against Yuki Tsunoda.

In front, Valtteri Bottas kept the advantage of his pole position ahead of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Sergio Pérez took the lead over Pierre Gasly in 4th place.

The drivers remained calm at the start of this Turkish Grand Prix with far less precarious grip conditions than last year.

A hierarchy that is emerging

The positions froze from the 5th lap. Pierre Gasly still 5th at this stage, Esteban Ocon on the brink of scoring points, 11th.

Lewis Hamilton was still stuck behind a Tsunoda with an interesting defense! This allowed the Red Bull team to pull away. Even more so for Valtteri Bottas, still in the lead, with over 2 seconds ahead of Verstappen.

Hamilton had to wait until the 8th lap to finally overtake the Japanese driver. Meanwhile, Pierre Gasly was given a 5-second penalty for his contact with Alonso in the first corner.

Lewis Hamilton continued his climb: after overtaking Lance Stroll, the seven-time world champion found a way past Lando Norris. The pace of the Mercedes seems to have come from elsewhere.

Another interesting comeback, that of Carlos Sainz: starting from the back row, the Spanish driver made his way up to the points zone. By the 12th lap, he caught up with Sebastian Vettel to battle for 10th place against the Aston Martin.

Little action in Istanbul

The only real race leader is Lewis Hamilton. On the 15th lap, the British driver got rid of Pierre Gasly, almost making us forget his 11th place on the grid. However, the tires of the #44 car have started to show some signs of weakness.

The race leader has begun to accelerate slightly: Max Verstappen set the fastest lap in the race, with a time of 1:33:282, later beaten by Bottas with a time of 1:33:184 on the following lap.

Charles Leclerc has broken the 1:33 barrier! The Monegasque driver set the fastest lap in the race in 1:32:981. The Ferrari is maintaining an interesting pace and has even found some extra resources to slightly catch up with Max Verstappen in second place.

Some slick intermediate tires, nothing exciting.

The race has taken on a procession-like turn: apart from a few spins, the drivers have generally not made any mistakes.

As the track is drying out, some ideas of switching to dry tires have started to emerge. However, the rain played with the nerves of the strategists by making a few light appearances around the corners.

Lewis Hamilton made the connection with Sergio Perez at the start of the 32nd lap. A much less simple task compared to facing a Red Bull than facing an AlphaTauri!

Lewis Hamilton sounded the charge, offering a great duel in the final sector! Pérez, author of a beautiful resistance, was pushed by Lewis Hamilton at the entrance of the pits.

First pit stops: Verstappen comes out!

The strategy was finally going to come into play in this Turkish Grand Prix: Verstappen put on new intermediates on the 36th lap, followed by Bottas and Sainz, who lost 5 seconds during his pit stop…and Vettel tried the impossible: to switch to slicks, very precisely! Funny choice that forced Aston Martin to put intermediates back on the next lap. Too bad!

Charles Leclerc, with 18 laps to go in the Grand Prix, made his choice: go to the end with his old tires. Bottas seeming faster, the choice was risky. Lewis Hamilton also did not want to pit.

A choice that did not pay off: Charles Leclerc did not hold up against Bottas, just over 10 laps from the end. The Ferrari made a pit stop on the 48th lap and lost the podium to Lewis Hamilton.

The Briton finally decided to return to the pits: he is now 5th in the final laps, letting a few more points slip away to his championship rival.

Sergio Pérez has taken the lead over Charles Leclerc, who definitively loses the podium. Pierre Gasly even managed to catch up with Lewis Hamilton!

The battle for 5th place shaped up between Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, and Lando Norris, with the former managing to escape the threat of the two other drivers as they approached the final lap.

First victory of the season for Valtteri Bottas

Finally success for the future ex-Mercedes driver! Valtteri Bottas clinched his 10th victory without being really challenged. Max Verstappen takes 2nd place and the lead of the championship from Lewis Hamilton, who finishes laboriously in 5th place behind Charles Leclerc.

The results of the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix: