Brawn sees no issue with slippery Istanbul Park

Jamie Woodhouse
Turkish GP Ross Brawn verdict

Ross Brawn doesn't agree with driver complaints over lack of grip at Turkish GP.

F1 managing director Ross Brawn denies that the lack of grip drivers encountered at the Turkish GP held them back.

All 20 drivers appeared to be united in their frustrations over the extremely slippery surface which they raced on at Istanbul Park.

Already the newly-laid asphalt was offering little grip in Friday practice, and when the rain fell on Saturday and Sunday many drivers said it was like driving on ice, or worse.

Sebastian Vettel said the conditions had “not been seen before”, while George Russell said the slippery tarmac was not what Formula 1 is about.

Max Verstappen called it “ridiculous”, “sh*t with a capital s” was Lewis Hamilton’s description, but Brawn isn’t buying it.

He doesn’t see how the lack of grip was stopping the drivers from showcasing their talents. Instead, he felt it let the drivers who “knuckled down” and got on with it succeed.

Turkish-GP-Renault and Mercedes
Daniel Ricciardo says Turkish GP was a "lottery".

“The promoter and country have done a fantastic job to put the circuit in a position to host a sensational Grand Prix,” he wrote in his column for the Formula 1 website.

“I appreciate drivers were not happy with overall grip levels, but it was a consequence of the late decision to race there as the calendar was revised to respond to Covid-19.

“I think drivers sometimes need to remember it’s a competition of who crosses the line first so while grip levels weren’t high, it was the same for everyone. Some drivers got their head down and came to terms with it, others found it a distraction.

“Having a challenging surface as we had this weekend was no bad thing. It showed a driver’s talent to the max. I don’t think grip levels are a measure of the level of competition you will have.

“Competition needs to be fair and equal. It’s a sport, so we need to give everyone same opportunity. It’s challenging, but that should be seen as good thing.

“As an example, Monaco has always been seen to be a very difficult event and race, but if you came to terms with it and looked on it positively as a big challenge, then you would succeed and win races there. If you went there in a negative frame of mind, you didn’t succeed.

“Turkey didn’t have the grippiest surface, but those who knuckled down and thought this was an opportunity had success.”

Lewis Hamilton delivered a sensational performance to go from P6 to victory, claiming a record-equalling seventh World Championship in style.

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