Results of the 2010 Turkish F1 Grand Prix.
The look on the faces of the three podium finishers said it all at Istanbul Park after a drammatic outcome. Neither Jenson Button or Mark Webber were particularly happy with their respective teammates. It was a clean sweep for Team McLaren-Mercedes, with a one-two win, thanks to some luck. Lewis Hamilton took the podium, followed by team-mate Jenson Button and Mark Webber in third place for Team Red Bull. It was a cliff-hanger of a race, where for a while, it looked like Red Bull would clinch another one-two finish, until the drama of lap 41!
The race started with Mark Webber taking pole position, followed up Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel with Jenson Button fourth on the grid. Both the McLaren's lost position at the start, but Hamilton regained second from Vettel with one lap and Button snatched batch fourth from Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton put the pressure on Webber, attempting several overtaking moves, but when the two pit-stopped on the same lap Hamilton lost time and emerged in third. After that it seemed Webber might cruising to his third consecutive win and even the arrival of some light rain didn't prompt the need to change tyres
But then came Vettel, who decided to challenge his teammate for the win, afterall the two are co-leaders in the Drivers' Championship, and he pulled a risky move on lap 41 which Webber instinctly defended. The two cars touched, EVettel spun out and lost a wheel, while Webber ran wide, and salvaged third place from the clash. The McLaren's sped past and Red Bull thre away a one-two that would have given them a commanding lead in the Constructors' Championship.
But team-mate rivalries weren't over yet. A 'coded' radio message that went like this 'OK, Lewis you need to conserve fuel', perhaps meant McLaren would rather have Button take the win. Lewis was having none of it, and after Button snatched the lead late in the race Hamilton hit back three corners later to retake the lead and his first chequered flag of the season. Juding by Jenson's body language after the race he clearly wasn't happy with this.
For the others there were first-lap woes of Nico HŸlkenberg and Sebastian Buemi and Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica. All managed to stay in the race, with Kubica coming in sixth. Michael Schumacher looked like he was back in form and not plagued by mechanical problems, managed to secure a fourth place finish. The highest finish this season.
It was another frustrating Grand Prix for the new teams, with Team Hispania's drivers both retiring with mechanical problems. However, Karun Chandhok was classified in 20th place, even though he had to retire with fuel pump problems, as he completed more than 90% of the race. It was also a frustrating weekend for Team Lotus-Cosworth, both drivers retiring with hydraulic problems. The much-feared rain only materialized in a light drizzle towards the end of the race and did not affect the race.
The results of the Turkish Grand Prix changes the standings of the Drivers' Championship standings nicely. Jenson Button moves to second place with 88 points, with Mark Webber standing alone at the top with 93 points. Lewis Hamilton with 84 points is in third place, followed by Fernando Alonso with 79 points. This race has hurt Sebastian Vettel's standing, who drops to fifth place, from joint first, with 78 points. A first ever point was earned by Kamui Kobayashi at the Turkish Grand Prix. Seven drivers still have zero points.
In terms of the Constructor's Championship, the one-two finish of McLaren-Mercedes is big and they maintain their first place standing, with 172 points. But, Mark Webber's third place finish at the Turkish Grand Prix means that Team Red Bull remains on McLaren-Mercedes' heals, with only a one point difference! Ferrari moves down one spot to third place, with 146 points and Mercedes remains in fourth place with 100 points. Renault are now a faraway fifth place with 73 points, followed by Force India, with 32 points.
Full Race Results
- Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:28:47.620
- Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) +2.6s
- Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) +24.2s
- Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) +31.1s
- Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) +32.2s
- Robert Kubica (Renault) +32.8s
- Felipe Massa (Ferrari) +36.6s
- Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) +46.5s
- Adrian Sutil (Force India-Mercedes) +49.0s
- Kamui Kobayashi (BMW Sauber-Ferrari) +65.6s
- Pedro de la Rosa (BMW Sauber-Ferrari) +65.9s
- Jaime Alguersuari (Torro Rosso-Ferrari) +67.8s
- Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India-Mercedes) +1 lap
- Rubens Barrichello (Williams-Cosworth) +1 lap
- Vitaly Petrov (Renault) Retired +1 lap
- Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso- Ferrari) +1 lap
- Nico HŸlkenberg (Williams-Cosworth) +1 lap
- Timo Glock (Virgin-Cosworth) +1 lap
- Lucas di Grassi (Virgin-Cosworth) +3 laps
- Karun Chandhok (Hispania-Cosworth) 52 laps*
- Bruno Senna (Hispania-Cosworth) Retired, 39 laps
- Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) Accident, 39 laps
- Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus-Cosworth) Retired, 33 laps
- Jarno Trulli (Lotus-Cosworth) Retired, 32 laps
*Karun Chandhok were classified, as they completed 90% of the race.