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The rain god and the two Alpha-Sauber drivers could hardly have given the Hinwil team a much better gift for the GP 500! Kimi Räikkönen (8th starting position) and Antonio Giovinazzi (10th) are in the top 10 in Istanbul standings. They are the best starting positions since Austria 2019.
The rain and the freshly paved track caused a huge surprise in qualifying, which was interrupted for 45 minutes at the start due to poor visibility and numerous take-offs: Lance Stroll took pole for the first time in his 76th GP. The billionaire son is Canada’s first Pole since Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 at the Nürburgring.
Bad luck from Mugello
So finally things are looking up again for Stroll. Since his departure at 270 km / h in Mugello, the bankruptcy streak did not want to end in eleventh place in the World Cup: in Russia he joined the gang at the beginning, he missed the Nürburgring due to a positive corona test, in Portugal he saw it for an accident. he did not finish with Norris and at Imola he was only thirteenth with a front wing failure, before Mugello finished seven times in a row.
The 22-year-old has been a rain specialist since 2017. At that time he drove in the Monza wet qualifying at the Williams behind Hamilton in second. I cannot put it into words. We didn’t even know if we would be competitive at all. I had to stop a lap because I had Bottas in front of me. So I put everything on one card, ”said Stroll, who will become the 101st Poleman in Formula 1 history.
Joining Stroll in the front row is Max Verstappen, who was Red Bull’s most consistent driver for the first two days. Behind comes the second Racing Point of Sergio Pérez. The former Sauber driver, who will remain without a cabin next season, was even allowed to flirt with pole for a long time before being flanked. Overall though, it is the best qualifying performance of the team starting next year as Aston Martin with Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton only sixth
The special conditions ensure that Mercedes’ 14th pole position series kicks off. Hamilton finished sixth, Bottas ninth. “Even on ice there is more grip than on this route,” said the Briton. His seventh world title should still be a fact on Sunday. His teammate and pursuer Bottas would have to finish first or second in the four featured races.
By the way, it should stay dry on Sunday. Getting up relatively early (start at 11.10am) should still be worth it. On Friday it became clear that the newly paved road is slippery even when dry.
Click here to see the starting grid.
