The 2020 F1 memories tour takes us to another blast-from-the-past this weekend: Istanbul Park for the Turkish Grand Prix. Last held in 2011, three of the drivers who participated in that race will be on the grid this weekend. The circuit features noteworthy turns like turn 1 which is referred to as the Turkish Corkscrew, the four-apex turn 8 nicknamed Diabolica, and the uphill sweeper on the back straight which has earned the nickname Faux Rouge.
Red Bull will be in a celebratory mood this weekend as the team marks its 300th Formula 1 Grand Prix. Their prospects for the race look good if they can nail their setup and execute flawlessly. Look for Red Bull to have a shot at the win here, with a podium a safe bet regardless. We can expect what has come to be the norm for AlphaTauri which is to have one car finish in the points and the other finish just outside the points.
Elsewhere on the grid, Mercedes is still the team to beat but, like other recent tracks, the lack of recent data could help level the playing field. The next runner will likely be a Renault as they look to build on their recent momentum. The next battle will be between a McLaren and a Ferrari as the former has leveled off in terms of performance and the latter finally work their way back up the grid. Racing Point will be fighting to get into the battle ahead of them and may do so with one car. As we begin to move out of the points-paying positions we can expect to see team cars from the other midfield runners and the usual battle between Haas, Alfa Romeo, and now Williams as their F1 program begins to show signs of life after a tough few years.
US TV SCHEDULE
Practice 1 – Friday, November 13 – 2.55AM –
ESPN
Practice 2 – Friday, November 13 – 6.55AM – ESPN2
Practice 3 – Saturday, November 14 – 3.55AM –
ESPN
Qualifying – Saturday, November 14 – 6.55AM – ESPN2
Grand Prix Sunday – Sunday, November 15 – 3.30AM –
ESPN
Race – Sunday, November 15 – 5.05AM –
ESPN
CIRCUIT INFO
Direction: Counterclockwise
Turns: 14
Race laps: 58
Lap Distance: 5.338km (3.316 mi)
Race Distance: 309.396km
Longest Straight: 650m
Top Speed: 330kph (205mph)
Average Speed: 227kph (141mph)
Lap Record: 1:24.770, Juan Pablo Montoya, 2005
Full throttle: %
Downforce Level: High
Cooling Requirement: High
Typical Strategy: 1 Stop Race
Pitlane Length: TBCm
Tyres: Hard (C1), Medium (C2), Soft (C3)
CURRENT STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 282
2. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 197
3. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 162
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Renault, 95
5. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 85
6. Sergio Perez, Racing Point, 82
7. Lando Norris, McLaren, 69
8. Carlos Sainz, McLaren, 65
9. Alex Albon, Red Bull, 64
10. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri, 63
11. Lance Stroll, Racing Point, 57
12. Esteban Ocon, Renault, 40
13. Daniil Kvyat, AlphaTauri, 26
14. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 18
15. Nico Hulkenberg, Racing Point, 10
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo, 4
17. Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo, 4
18. Romain Grosjean, Haas, 2
19. Kevin Magnussen, Haas, 1
20. Nicholas Latifi, Williams, 0
21. George Russell, Williams, 0
Constructors
1. Mercedes, 479
2. Red Bull, 226
3. Renault, 135
4. McLaren, 134
5. Racing Point, 134
6. Ferrari, 103
7. AlphaTauri, 89
8. Alfa Romeo, 8
9. Haas, 3
10. Williams, 0
Reply