F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Brawn: Turkey 'masterpiece' put to rest Hamilton doubters

F1 motorsport director Ross Brawn says that anyone who believes that Lewis Hamilton owes his dominance in F1 to his equipment should watch his "masterpiece" performance in last years' Turkish GP.

Hamilton secured his seventh world crown by winning at Istanbul Park, but the race was anything but an easy Sunday driver for the Mercedes superstar.

After inclement weather and low grip had left him sixth in qualifying, Hamilton made little headway in the opening laps with a drizzle continuing to hinder his efforts.

But once the track started to dry up, the Briton came into his own, overhauling his rivals and taking the lead 20 laps from the checkered flag.

"Lewis drove a brilliant race," he told RaceFans. "If anyone questions that ‘he’s got the best car, he ought to win’, they ought to watch that race because that was a masterpiece.

"We had some very negative comments about the grip levels and the conditions. And we had one of the greatest races of the year.

"I think everybody took something away from that. It was interesting to me to see the more experienced drivers come to the fore there."

With grip at a premium around the newly resurfaced Turkish track, laps times were considerably slower than expected. But the lower performance did not weigh on the racing as Brawn noted.

"That’s another thing that we’ve sort of taken into consideration, that it doesn’t necessarily follow that producing the fastest lap time is going to produce the best race," Brawn added.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Happy 'Bert Day' to F1i founder Bertrand Gachot

Today, we at F1i.com raise a celebratory glass to our esteemed founder, Bertrand Gachot, who…

1 hour ago

McLaren’s 2024 Season: A triumph 26 years in the making

McLaren roared back to the pinnacle of Formula 1 in 2024, clinching their first Constructors'…

1 hour ago

Lawson opens up about online abuse following Red Bull promotion

Liam Lawson has revealed that he became the target of online abuse by fans of…

3 hours ago

Norris and Leclerc agree: Sainz 'deserves to fight at the front'

As Carlos Sainz prepares for a new chapter in his Formula 1 career with Williams,…

4 hours ago

Sebastian Montoya steps up to Formula 2 with Prema

Sebastian Montoya, the 19-year-old son of former Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, is set…

19 hours ago

Sauber finds its ‘Northern Star’ under Binotto’s leadership

When former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto took on the role of Chief Operating Officer…

21 hours ago