Lance Stroll was able to claim his first-ever pole position away during a rain-soaked qualifying session at the Turkish Grand Prix.
The Racing Point driver finished ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez who achieved third position, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen splitting them in second place – despite looking untouchable for the majority of qualifying.
Saturday’s qualifying was full of disruptions as a number of red flags were brought out due to the monsoon conditions in Istanbul. Drivers found themselves pirouetting around the track and facing the wrong way several times as they looked to get on terms with the newly-surfaced track.
A decision by the Racing Point drivers to switch onto intermediate tyres proved to be a masterstroke, as the conditions constantly improved in qualifying three, with Stroll able to claim his maiden pole position with a stunning lap of 1:47.765.
As Q3 began, Perez opted to fit the intermediate tyre and instantly started to light up the timing sheets – and moments later both Stroll and Verstappen reacted to the Mexican. Stroll’s car was able to maintain tyre temperatures as the Canadian came to the line with moments to spare taking pole position away from his team-mate.
‘I can’t really put it into words right now, the 22-year-old said afterwards. ‘I’m shocked. I didn’t expect us to be up here. In final practice there were a lot things we were weren’t sure of coming into qualifying – we didn’t look too competitive.
‘But I am so happy with that. I really put that lap together. Valtteri spun in front of me on one lap and then I had one lap at the end to do it and nailed pretty much every corner.
‘It’s such a great way to bounce back after a tough few weeks. Since Mugello it has been a tough ride but it feels really good right now.’
Verstappen was only good enough for second place after the Dutchman struggled to get temperature into his intermediate tyres in comparison to the full wet tyres after reacting to Perez earlier in the session.
Perez, whose future in the sport is still unknown, was able to place his car in third position despite being on provisional pole for the majority of the session. The Mexican was held up on his final lap, preventing him from mounting a challenge to Stroll.
Alexander Albon will line up directly behind team-mate Verstappen after placing his car in fourth position. Albon, despite his best efforts, still found himself nearly two-and-a-half seconds off Verstappen.
Daniel Ricciardo and reigning champion Lewis Hamilton will share the third row of the grid on Sunday in fifth and sixth respectively. Ricciardo had a quiet session and was the first of the drivers who opted to stay on the full wet tyres. Meanwhile, six-time world champion Hamilton, who is known for his high-calibre wet-weather driving, was never able to get on top of his Mercedes which has struggled all weekend with its tyre temperatures.
Esteban Ocon was seventh-fastest for Renault ahead of veteran Kimi Raikkonen who was able to place his car in eighth – as the team were able to get theit first double Q3 appearance of the year.
Hamilton’s team-mate Vallteri Bottas, who suffered similar issues on the track, qualified ninth. Antonio Giovinazzi was able to adapt to the tricky conditions and pick up his best qualifying of the season in 10th.
Eleventh place was occupied by Lando Norris who was unable to get his McLaren into Q3. The same fate happened to his team-mate Carlos Sainz who could only qualify in 13th.
It was a disappointing day for Ferrari who, despite promising signs all weekend, were unable to cope with the extreme conditions. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel split the two McLaren’s in 12th and the four-time world champion was one-and-a-half seconds quicker than team-mate Charles Leclerc. It was the first time that Vettel has out-qualified the young Monegasque, who still start Sunday’s race in 14th, since the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Pierre Gasly, who has been in impressive form as of late, struggled with the balance of his Alpha Tauri during qualifying and could only finish 15th.
One spot behind him is a furious Kevin Magnussen who felt hard done by when Nicholas Latifi found himself in the gravel which brought out of double waved yellow flags. Magnussen felt like some drivers did not adhere to the rules of slowing own during their hot lap which left the 28-year old in 16th.
Despite his fourth-place finish last time out in Imola, it was a different story on Saturday as Daniil Kvyat complained of no grip as he finished the day in 17th.
George Russell was not able to make Q2 as he placed his Williams in 18th. However, he still pipped team-mate Latifi – to extend his unbeaten run in qualifying over him.
Romain Grosjean, who’s future looks to be within Indy Car, was only good enough for 19th as he found himself beached in the gravel after he went deep into Turn 1 as all drivers tested the limits.
At the end of qualifying, one Canadian was on pole and one was rounding off the grid as Williams’ Latifi was unable to get off the back row ahead of Sunday’s showdown in Istanbul.
By Cameron Anderson-Jones
