Max Verstappen is clearly not happy with the condition of the asphalt at Portimao and Lewis Hamilton agrees. The two also fear what will happen in Turkey later in the year.
The wind makes it difficult for many drivers on the circuit in Portugal, but that is made a lot worse by the new asphalt that was laid last year in Portimao. Due to the extremely low grip, a sudden gust of wind can cause a complete change of direction for the drivers.
Moreover, it is not only Portimao that has problems with the new asphalt, last year there were also complaints in Turkey. "I really don't understand what they have done to make it worse, but the track in Turkey used to have a lot of grip. The last time we went there we had no grip at all and more and more circuits seem to use that asphalt," Lewis Hamilton told the press conference after qualifying, reports Formula 1.com.
A terrible prospect
According to the seven-time world champion, it causes more problems than just drivers looking for grip. "When we're struggling to get grip, it also means it's harder to follow other drivers. So that has a knock-on effect, so we actually have to demand the good stuff back."
With last year's experience, Max Verstappen is therefore not looking forward to the Turkish Grand Prix either. "I don't even want to think about that, it's probably going to be..." "It's going to be horrendous", Hamilton immediately adds.