In the confusion generated by the difficult asphalt conditions of Istanbul Park, even the most experienced drivers have been misled. Among these there was certainly Sebastian Vettel. The Aston Martin German was playing a decent race, straddling the points zone, in tenth position. However, a positive placement for a team that this year struggled to consistently hit the top-10, but which was thwarted by an improvised strategic call from Vettel himself. When the pit stop waltz began and all the drivers started to stop to change tires, replacing the worn intermediates with new tires of the same compound, the former Ferrari driver surprisingly opted for slick tires. A decision that destroyed any top-10 hope in just one lap.
“The gamble didn’t work today – Vettel explained after the race, admitting the own responsibility in the choice – something inside me was telling me to try dry tires. There was nothing left on my intermediate tires and I thought the dry tires could work, even if the track was still wet. But as soon as I left the pits, I knew it was the wrong decision. There was no grip and I couldn’t make them work “ admitted Vettel. “It probably cost us a point or two, because we’ve always been in the top-10 up until that point. I was really surprised at how slowly the track improved. It was similar to last year because it simply did not dry out “ he concluded.
Who instead of the world championship points took them home was Lance Stroll. The Canadian finished the GP in ninth place, last among the riders not to be lapped. “I’m happy with today’s result and I think we got the most out of the car – commented the Montreal native – there was a job well done by the team. It was difficult because the track was very slippery. There was also the unknown factor of the fact that the track was drying out at certain points and this was ruining the tires. The question mark about switching to slick tires was always there – admitted Stroll – ninth place was the best we could get today. We lost some time during the pit stop, but I don’t think it made much difference to our final result“.