Istanbul, October 9 (BNA) Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton took the lead in the Turkish Grand Prix on Saturday, ahead of his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas with title rival Max Verstappen in third place.
But Hamilton has a 10-point penalty for exceeding his three combustion engine limit this season and will start 11th on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
This means Bottas will be on the front row with Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third, along with Alpha Toure’s Pierre Gasly in fourth, after a strong final lap from Gasly.
Record-setting Hamilton finished 102, 0.13 seconds ahead of Bottas and 0.33 seconds ahead of Red Bull Verstappen.
As the afternoon rains started, the drivers attempted quick early rounds in the first quarter before the track got too wet.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. went off the track and back, as did AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, while Hamilton went further into Turn 5.
Hamilton led the first quarter ahead of Verstappen and Bottas, while McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo – eight-time Formula One winner – was the biggest name of the five to leave the race.
Although Hamilton again topped the second quarter ahead of Bottas and Verstappen, he also complained that his tires were not getting enough heat.
Leclerc had trouble with downforce and lost the rear of his Ferrari when it skidded off the track midway during Q2. This damaged his tires a bit and put him at risk of not qualifying for the third quarter.
But the driver from Monaco managed to get through the last lap, while four-times Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel missed Aston Martin.
The 5.3 km (3.3 mi) Istanbul Park circuit was fairly dry by the third quarter and Hamilton dominated without much trouble.
He leads Verstappen by two points in an exciting title race but could be outdone by the Dutchman. Hamilton trails Verstappen 7-3 to win 7-4 on pole this season and there are six races after Turkey.
Earlier, Gasly recorded the fastest time in the third and final rain practice. Red Bull driver Sergio Perez and Verstappen drove. Hamilton was down 18th but didn’t participate much as he was saving tires to qualify.
The final session was halted for a few minutes as Williams driver George Russell got off the track and got into the gravel.
Verstappen, Vettel and Leclerc rotated 360 degrees before regaining control of their cars.
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