Preview: We move away from Italy, so can Verstappen move back to P3?

The Turkish Grand Prix is back on the Formula 1 calendar for one year only. The race that was loved by drivers and fans disappeared from the calendar after 2011 but is back again as Formula 1 make every effort to get a full season completed despite the pandemic. Read everything you need to know about the Turkish GP in the GPblog preview.

Istanbul Park

The Istanbul Park Circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke. The circuit also appeared directly on the Formula 1 calendar in 2005 and the MotoGP also visited that year. Kimi Raikkonen won the first Formula 1 race and Marco Melandri was the winner in MotoGP.

F1 welcomed the Turkish circuit with open arms, as drivers and fans immediately fell in love. Turn eight, in particular, is unique, but the height differences and unique curves make this one of Hermann Tilke's masterpieces. The drivers are challenged and have to get the most out of it to win here.

History in Turkey

The Grand Prix of Turkey doesn't have a long history. The last race took place in 2011. In those years it was mainly Felipe Massa who managed to make an impression. Istanbul Park delivered three victories for the Ferrari driver between 2006 and 2008, who managed to make his mark here in 2006 as the second driver to Schumacher.

In the years that followed, there was always a battle to be found on the track. In 2010 this even resulted in a crash between the two Red Bull drivers, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Four drivers of the current Formula 1 grid once drove in Turkey and three of them also won: Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Sergio Perez is the only driver who has already raced here but did not win.

Weather forecast

On the way to Turkey, you usually expect extreme temperatures, but that is no longer the case in November. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the temperature fluctuates between 14 and 16 degrees and so the drivers will again have trouble getting the Pirelli tyres up to temperature.

That will not be the only thing that will bother the drivers, because rain is also forecast on Saturday. There is a 40 per cent chance of rain on Saturday, which can affect qualifying and the final free practice. Who shines in the rain or stays away as so often. A lot of cloud is predicted for Sunday, with a 20 per cent chance of rain.

Prediction for the Turkish Grand Prix

We're going to a relatively new track for the teams again, but that won't mess up the ranking entirely. With three free practice sessions, the teams and drivers have plenty of time to fine-tune the car to perfection. Lewis Hamilton can take his title.

We are not in Italy, so there is a good chance that Max Verstappen will finish in third place. Behind that, you have to be careful in the battle for third place. Racing Point, McLaren and Renault will do everything they can to finish third with the constructors, and AlphaTauri and Ferrari are also not far off in the race.

Timetable GP Turkey (UK times)

Friday

First free practice: 08:00 - 9:30

Second free practice: 12:00 - 13:30

Saturday

Third free practice: 9:00 - 10:00

Qualifying: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Sunday

Race: 10:10 - 12:10

This article was originally published on the Dutch version of GPblog, and was written by Tim Kraaij.