The voice of his race engineer Peter Bonnington creaked in Lewis Hamilton’s headphones: “Box, box!” – the unmistakable and internationally known code for an urgently recommended tire change. “Why?” Hamilton growled back. Well, Bonnington, nicknamed Bono, replied, “I think a new set of all-weather tires would be the go-to option now.” Hamilton saw it differently. “I have the feeling we should stay on the track a little longer!” And so he drove on for a while and said: “I’m sliding around here, but it’s okay at the moment!” But Bono persisted and ordered Hamilton to go to the Mercedes garage. With seven laps to go, Hamilton got new tires, which threw him back from third to fifth. And so the safety maneuver brought a brilliant insight: Even Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion from Stevenage, cannot walk on the water. Or: after a penalty transfer to starting position eleven in rainy conditions, he cannot fly over the puddles to the podium on just one set of worn tires.
Or does it?
Because the debate between the driver and the team as to whether Hamilton might have made it onto the podium with a little more risk was only just picking up speed after the end of the race. “Esteban Ocon did it. So it could have worked,” said Hamilton, referring to the French who finished tenth with one set of tires. “It felt good to be in third place. I said to myself: Hold on!” His team boss Toto Wolff, in turn, lectured on Sky that Hamilton could very well have finished third if he had stopped as early as Bonnington had planned. Because then he could have run in his second set of tires longer. But it was also complicated.
The fourth combustion engine in one season – Hamilton starts ten places down
Shortly before, Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas was the first to dash across the line after a start-and-finish victory at the Turkish Grand Prix – followed by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in their Red Bulls. The Dutchman took the lead in the overall standings again. With six races before the end of the season, Verstappen is six points ahead of Hamilton. “The best we could hope for,” said Red Bulls motorsport advisor Helmut Marko. “We were a bit afraid that Hamilton would drive through. But given the condition of his tires, the risk of a puncture would have been very high.”
Hamilton was puzzled on Saturday when he learned that the fastest lap he had driven in the time hunt in Istanbul would not be included in the statistics as the 102nd pole position in his eternal career. “What? I don’t have any poles? Damn it!” He shouted. Knowing that the fourth combustion engine of the season had to be placed in its Silver Arrow – one more than allowed – for which the regulations provide for a penalty transfer of ten places. At the press conference on Saturday, Bottas, who inherited the best starting position, teased the obligatory miniature tire, which the fastest of the qualification receives as a trophy, should he still hand him over. And amazingly, even Verstappen made the not so bad joke that Hamilton could “set up his own tire factory” because he had already received so many rubbers for his qualifying rounds. The Dutchman moved to parking lot two because of Hamilton’s engine change.
When the race started, all the drivers rolled off on all-weather tires in drizzling weather and an outside temperature of 16 degrees. The first three drivers turned the first corner without an accident. Behind it, however, the racing cars of Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly touched. The Frenchman held his line, the Spaniard tried it outside, turned – and lined up eleven places further back in position 16. “What a stupid guy, that Gasly,” radioed Alonso. When he reached the back of the field, Alonso was in a great hurry: For his part, he impetuously turned Mick Schumacher after he had reached the second part of the qualification for the first time on Saturday and had started from 14th on the grid. Both accidents were investigated. Gasly received a five-second penalty for the first incident, and Alonso received a five-second penalty for the second. With which the stewards, to dwell in Alonso’s language, clearly judged that Gasly and Alonso were exactly the same stupid guys.
Hamilton had already overtaken Vettel after two laps and was ninth – but was now firmly behind Yuki Tsunoda. Only after eight laps did he make it past the Japanese. The next traffic obstacles – Lance Stroll and Lando Norris – he grabbed much faster. After twelve laps, Hamilton was sixth, and in keeping with style, he plowed the fastest laps into the puddles.
Sebastian Vettel provided the proof that dry tires were out of place here
The track dried only very slowly. “It’s still very greasy,” complained Verstappen, who temporarily let Bottas escape for more than three seconds at the top. Greasy, but not difficult, thought Hamilton. He moved closer and closer from behind, grabbed Gasly next and only had four cars in front of him. Carlos Sainz’s race to catch up was even more remarkable: the Spaniard started in 19th place and finished eighth in the end.
Next, Hamilton appeared in full format in the rearview mirror of Verstappen’s team-mate Perez. The racing cars danced side by side through the curves in Istanbul, at the entrance to the home straight, Perez was pushed so far that he drove along to the left of the bollard that separates the pit entrance from the track. The Mexican stayed in front, it was tough but exemplary fair racing, with which he stopped Hamilton decisively.
The proof that switching to dry tires was not advisable was provided by Sebastian Vettel as a guinea pig. He was the only one to put on slicks and slide wildly over the track. “It doesn’t work,” he radioed, then corrected the mistake at another stop – and turned 18.
Verstappen stopped at the garage for a new set of all-weather tires. Bottas too. Charles Leclerc, who had temporarily flirted with the option of reaching the finish line on his old rubbers, also stopped. Just like after some persuasion also Hamilton, who had actually made the plan to continue driving. Always on.