© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
Lewis Hamilton will have to start the Turkish Grand Prix from P11, because of an engine related grid penalty. However, he promises “maximum attack”.
Last year at the Turkish Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton won the race from P6, however this time he says it’s different.
“I was already third at Turn 1 last year so that made a bit of a difference, but it’s a much, much different weekend,” the Briton said.
“Different track grip, we’re faced with different circumstances this weekend, so I don’t know. My eyes are still solely set on winning the race. It’s going to be very hard from 11th but not impossible.
“I don’t know what the weather is going to do tomorrow, so I’m just staying on my toes and making sure that we deliver maximum attack tomorrow.”
Although he is aiming to win the race, Lewis understands the magnitude of the challenge ahead of him.
“The car was really good in race trim — we had quite good balance. I think the track is very aggressive on tires so it’ll be interesting to see how it works for everyone tire wise.
If you like SilverArrows.Net, consider supporting us by buying us a coffee!
“But getting past people is not going to be easy. You saw in the last race how difficult it was in the DRS train and no doubt it’ll be something similar tomorrow.
“It’s a long race, hope there’s some rain that comes along — was actually surprising how fast the track is on wet tires, probably faster than any other track we’ve been to in the wet; interesting to see how it plays out tomorrow.”
Ultimately, Hamilton says the team’s preparation is responsible for today’s success in Turkey.
“It was a really great session. In general the team have performed incredibly well this weekend — very, very precise with timings, the guys in the garage as always continuing to be precise, everyone back at the factory pushing and maximizing everything out of the car.
“The car’s felt good since we arrived this weekend and we’ve made small adjustments to the setup. As the track dried up it was getting better and better.
“I think these guys were getting closer towards the end but really happy with the end result,” concluded the seven-time champion.
