Stroll, an unexpected first pole in Istanbul!

What a surprise ! Nobody saw the major performance coming from Racing Point and its driver Lance stroll. The Canadian, under fire for his status as a paying driver since his arrival in Formula 1 in 2017, showered all his detractors by setting the best time in an abnormally long session.

To discover the appearance of the starting grid for the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, you had to be patient and impervious. First of all, with two red flags in Q1 causing a stoppage of more than half an hour, the nerves were put to the test.

As has become (very) often the case in Formula 1, the Race Direction stopped the machines when the rain became too violent. Then, it's a Romain Grosjean (Haas) in distress in the gravel which prompted the FIA ​​to calm things down.

In Q2, the competitors succeeded in not making any mistakes. Q3 started with a drying track but still mostly wet. Some decided to ride on intermediate tires, like the Renault and especially the Racing Points.

This gamble paid off. Sergio Pérez stunned the competition with several laps repainted purple. We were therefore beginning to believe in a Mexican pole in Istanbul when his teammate Lance Stroll returned to the top of the table during his last attempt.

This is the first Canadian pole position since Jacques Villeneuve in Jerez de la Frontera (Spain) at the end of 1997! THE Red Bull lost despite undeniable potential. Max Verstappen will lead the charge from the front row whileAlexander albon pulls himself together with the fourth beat.

Usually massacred in qualifying, the Mercedes were amorphous. Lewis Hamilton will only start in sixth place, sandwiched between the Renaults of Daniel Ricciardo (5e) and Esteban Ocon (7e). Valtteri Bottas is ninth.

On the side of Team Ferrari, whether it rains or not, the chalice is drunk down to the dregs. Sebastian Vettel for once ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc in the timekeeping exercise, but the two men did not go further than Q2. “We are six seconds slower (than the Red Bulls)? » wondered the Monegasque on the radio.

French Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) was discreet (15th) like Haas and Williams. Conversely, the Alfa Romeo left the bottom of the table by placing its two representatives in the top 2020 for the first time in 10.

The Turkish Grand Prix will begin on Sunday at 11:10 a.m. French time.