F1 will race on if rain strikes treacherous Turkey track

Turkish Grand Prix

F1 will race on if rain strikes treacherous Turkey track– Albon

Predictions of wet weather could make Istanbul circuit even more slippery

Will Gray

Saturday 14 November 2020 09:30

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Formula 1 will not be stopped by rain on Istanbul Park's treacherous 'ice track' if bad weather strikes, but Red Bull's Alex Albon has quipped the cars could end up being slower than the recovery vehicle.

The circuit, which is back on the calendar for the first time since 2011, was resurfaced ahead of this weekend and the new asphalt, combined with colder November temperatures, caused havoc in Friday practice.

With rain forecast, asked if that could halt proceedings, Albon said: “It’s going to be bad [if it gets wet]. I think we’re going to struggle a lot.

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“I’m sure [safety car driver] Bernd [Maylander] will do a couple of laps and give us a feel for it, but I’m sure we’re going to end up racing. It’s just maybe the recovery car is going to be quicker than us!”

Albon, who is fighting to retain his seat at Red Bull and needs a strong showing this weekend to strengthen his chances, said the track was “weird” to drive and hard to get any grip out of the tyres.

The Thai-British driver, who finished second practice fifth fastest just over a second slower than his session-topping team-mate Max Verstappen, is expecting qualifying to be a complicated session.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do," he said. "Everyone’s going to go out on the green light and we’ll all just drive around on softs the whole lap, put a lot of fuel in and do a race run. That’s what it feels like everyone will be doing.

“It’s tricky because you have to go way out your comfort zone to push and get the tyres to work and you’re just sliding everywhere but it’s the only way the tyre can switch on. You have to force it to get the tyres to work."

Before you go...

Mercedes predict "tough time" in Turkey as team "not in great shape"

Ricciardo wary of criticising Turkish GP organisers over "frustrating" circuit