Lewis Hamilton sets goal to "limit the loss" to Verstappen after taking grid hit

Hamilton, Mercedes, Turkey — Photo: © LAT Images

Turkish Grand Prix

Hamilton sets goal to "limit the loss" to Verstappen after taking grid hit

Hamilton topped both Friday sessions in Turkey

Sam Hall

Friday 8 October 2021 16:12 Updated: 16:19

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Lewis Hamilton is demanding pole position of himself for the Turkish Grand Prix in order to negate the effect of his grid penalty and limit the potential points loss to Max Verstappen.

Hamilton topped both Friday practice sessions, with F1 title rival Verstappen fifth for Red Bull and 0.625secs down after struggling with what Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has described as "a balance mish-mash".

After taking a new engine, the Mercedes driver will drop 10 places from his qualifying position, meaning the best outcome is a P11 start.

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“I need to be on pole to limit the loss," said Hamilton. "Then, of course, I need to be able to understand the car to be able to do the best in terms of the long run.

“It’s just trying to find the right balance. It’s no real difference to any other weekend.”

At the Russian Grand Prix, Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas struggled to make his way through the field before rain hit late on.

Despite finding a strong set-up direction with the car, Hamilton knows his recovery drive will be far from a simple task.

"I don't know how much more [in terms of set-up] there is, we always find something during the evening," added Hamilton.

"So I definitely think I'll be able to find a little bit over tonight and into tomorrow if it's not raining.

"Then I've a lot of work to do on Sunday, either way, whatever the case, so I'm just going to try and focus on how I can get the best out of it."

Turkish GP grip "intense"

Last year's return to Istanbul saw drivers struggle for grip on a freshly laid Istanbul surface.

Ahead of this weekend's event, the circuit was water blasted to ensure a far more positive experience, something Hamilton believes has paid off.

“Last year it was a brand new surface and I think the oil came up from the bitumen and they cleaned it off supposedly," he explained.

"So I didn’t really know what to expect when we went out there today but jeez, there was so much more grip than we’ve ever had before.

“It’s intense how much grip there is out there which is awesome so it has made it a much more enjoyable track to drive, much more like it was before.”