Episode #327: "IstanBottas" (2021 F1 Turkish Grand Prix)

No, despite the occasional 10/10 in a Season Review, Ryan King doesn’t stan Valtteri Bottas. Honest. Even if the episode title MIGHT suggest otherwise!

F1’s travelling circus moved to Istanbul Park this past weekend for the return of the Turkish Grand Prix. And since coming back, its 100% wet record has been maintained as it was an Intermediate damp fest for the 2nd time. But the biggest news of all was that Championship Leader Lewis Hamilton was taking a new ICE engine on, and hence, a 10-place grid penalty.

What we perhaps didn’t see coming was the rise of Valtteri Bottas. After Hamilton took “pole”, Bottas was bumped up to the top, and Verstappen… Who then proceeded to get seal clubbed in a near flawless drive from the Fin. His 10th GP win, the 35th member of the double digit club.

But this race still found a way to be the Hamilton show too, after a controversial decision to disagree with his team as to when to pit for fresh Inters, with Hamilton wanting to copy pseudo-leader Charles Leclerc and run on Inters to the end. Trust me, this wasn’t ideal. We discuss that move and whether drivers or cars should make the call on changeable conditions!

We also talk about F1’s expanding calendar as Stefano Domenicalli revealed that F1 will definitely have a 23-race calendar next year, the toll that may take on the team, crew and drivers. Should F1 be pushing for 25-race calendars? How do we feel about it? And what do we make of Losail making F1’s calendar for this year in Japan’s place?

All that and more on Episode 327 of M101!