Lewis Hamilton slams 'terrifying' Turkish Grand Prix track as he targets F1 championship
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Updated 13/11/2020 at 17:05 GMT
The Turkish Grand Prix is being held for the first time in nine years but, with the surface re-laid and lap times down, Lewis Hamilton, chasing the drivers' championship, has described the track as "terrifying" and likened it to an ice rink. He was fourth fastest in Friday's practice session.
Lewis Hamilton (44) of Mercedes drives during the practice session at the Intercity Istanbul Park circuit in Istanbul, Turkey on November 13, 2020 ahead of the Formula 1 DHL Turkish Grand Prix 2020
Image credit: Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton has described the freshly resurfaced track at Istanbul Park as "an ice rink" as he looks to seal the Formula 1 drivers' championship at the Turkish Grand Prix this weekend.
A Grand Prix in Turkey was added to the shortened 2020 schedule in August, with many of the original races cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is the first time the F1 championship has come to Istanbul since 2011.
With temperatures dropping in Istanbul and a freshly re-laid surface, Hamilton, the 2010 winner at this venue, was forced to reflect on a "disaster" Friday practice session.
"It was a bit of a disaster today, to be honest," said Hamilton, who could clinch his seventh world title in Sunday's race.
"This track is such a fantastic circuit and I really don't fully, fully understand when they spend millions to redo a surface of a track.
"I know it had been sitting around for a long time [without any racing] so they probably could have just cleaned it maybe instead of waste all the money.
"And now the track is worse than Portimao was when we had the brand-new surface there. So for us at least the tyres aren't working.
You see it, it's like an ice rink out there so you don't get quite the enjoyment of the lap you would normally get of Istanbul. I don't see that changing. It's terrifying the whole way around. It's almost like there's wet patches all over. As you're on the slicks, you're accelerating and it just goes so fast because you're way, way below the temperature window."
Hamilton is aiming to equal Michael Schumacher's record of seven F1 championships on Sunday, having already surpassed the legendary German's record tally of GP wins this year.
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