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F1 British media react: Hamilton turns the air blue after pointless stop

F1 British media react: Hamilton "turns the air blue" after "pointless stop"

11-10-2021 07:24
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Max Verstappen didn't really challenge for the victory in the Turkish Grand Prix, as he cruised home to second-place. But the Dutchman regained the World Championship lead and now has a six-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton with six races left. This is how the British press reacted to the Turkish Grand Prix. 

BBC Sport

BBC Sport look towards Valtteri Bottas' strong performance in the race and how crucial that could be for his teammate. "Bottas drove an impressively dominant race for Mercedes to take his first win of the season, comfortably able to stay ahead of Verstappen, who was not able to take advantage of the wet track to challenge the Finn. Eventually, Mercedes ordered Hamilton in with eight laps to go, but he ran into problems with his new tyres and expressed his anger over the radio as he fought to hold off Gasly, having lost places to Perez and Leclerc." 

The Guardian 

The Guardian notes the intense pressure caused by the fantastic title fight between Red Bull, Mercedes, Verstappen and Hamilton. "The pressure-cooker intensity of the tightest Formula One world championship in recent years is surely now beginning to tell. Under dense, grey, lowering skies at the Turkish Grand Prix, the weight of expectation lay heavy on Lewis Hamilton. In a race that could not have been a more straightforward pole-to-flag win for his teammate Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton was left angry and frustrated with his Mercedes team as vital world championship points slipped from his grasp."

Daily Mail

The Daily Mail also note how Hamilton turned the airwaves blue with his disagreement. "Lewis Hamilton lost the world championship lead after his Mercedes team acted like Nervous Nellies by calling him into the pits for a pointless stop. He turned the air blue. He then went silent on them. They made excuses. And Max Verstappen, who finished second, now leads this juicy title fight by six points. The calamitous decision, with all its possible implications in determining who winds up wearing the crown, came eight laps from the conclusion of a slow-burning, drizzle-sprayed Turkish Grand Prix won by Valtteri Bottas."

Daily Mirror 

The Daily Mirror shifts the focus on to Valtteri Bottas. "Valtteri Bottas produced a very accomplished performance to reign supreme at the Turkish Grand Prix, ahead of Max Verstappen in second and his title rival Lewis Hamilton in fifth. While there was absolute delight for Bottas, the same certainly couldn't be said for Hamilton who was left raging as he again relinquished his lead in the title race with Verstappen."

Sky Sports 

Sky sports look towards Verstappen's feelings. "Verstappen, too, can be happy with his drive. While it didn't feature his usual heroics in the wet weather, it was impressive given Red Bull just had nowhere near the pace of Mercedes at Istanbul Park."