Turkish Grand Prix LIVE updates as Lewis Hamilton wins seventh world championship
Latest reaction from Istanbul as Lewis Hamilton ties Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of seven Formula One titles
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Follow the latest updates live from today’s Turkish Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton attempts to become a seven-time world champion, but will do so from the unfamiliar position of sixth on the grid after the most dramatic qualifying session of the 2020 season.
Hamilton could do nothing to stop the Racing Point of Lance Stroll power to pole position, the first of his Formula One career, with the Canadian pipping Max Verstappen to top spot in what proved a rain-delayed qualifying session. Stroll’s teammate Sergio Perez starts third, with Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo also starting in front of champion-elect Hamilton.
The championship leader only needs to finish ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas - who starts down in ninth - to win the seventh title, with the Finn needing to finish in the top six to have any chance of taking the championship fight to Bahrain in two weeks’ time. However, the tricky conditions in Istanbul is set to deliver a fascinating race this morning. Follow the live action below.
Turkish Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton, now speaking to Mark Webber: "Often we say it’s beyond my wildest dreams, but I think secretly thorugh my whole life I’ve dreamed as afar as this. I remember watching Michael winning those championship and for drivers to get one or two or three is so hard. But to get seven, to work with so many people and communicate with each other so well, there’s no end to what we can do.
“For them to trust me out there today that comes with experience.
"I feel like I’m only just getting started. It’s really werd. I feel physically in great shape and mentally, this year has been the hardest year for millions of people and I know things always look great on this stage here but it’s no different for us athletes. This has been a challenge that I didn’t know how to get thorugh but with a brilliant team around me I was just able to keep my head above water.
"We’ve got a lot of work to do and I’m hopeful to do that here. We’re only just getting started with the sport, we’re going to countries with human rights issues and how can we help change that through the sport. We’ve got so much work to do.
“This year I haven’t gone out, I haven’t gone to dinner, I’ve not done anything exciting. I’ve just been in the bubble because I didn’t want to take any risks. I’ve got a championship to fight for, and tonight it’s not going to be very fun. I’m going to go home, probably watch the race, I like to have a bowl of minestrone soup but for sure there will be a bottle of wine tonight. But I haven’t made any plans because I didn’t want to.”
Turkish Grand Prix
Hamilton equals the record set 14 years ago by Michael Schumacher that no one though we would ever see beaten, and a visibly emotional Hamilton is struggling to take it all in.
It reminds Formula One exactly what it has in it’s reigning world champion, and more importantly, what it will lose when he finally leaves.
Lewis Hamilton’s seventh world title the eye-opener F1 desperately needs
We knew very little about one of Britain’s finest ever sportsmen until he took the ball into his own court this year to let us into his world, but for how long can Formula One ride along in his slipstream?
Turkish Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton: "I definitely am lost for words. I think naturally I have to start with saying such a huge thank you to all the guys here and back in both of our factories. I wouldn’t be able to do this is if I didn’t join this team and the journey we’ve been on has been monumental.
"I also want to say thank you to Team LH for sticking with me for all these years, and then my family.
“We’ve been through so much for so many years and we’ve never given up.
"Today we knew coming here was already such a difficult weekend. We were massively disappointed with qualifying and we knew we were on the back foot, but we learned a lot and that’s what this team does, we hash it out.
"We had that small moment at the start of the race with the wet tyres and I couldn’t get past Seb for a while, and I could see Albon puling away and I though ‘I can see this race slipping away’.
"There was a point when Seb was pulling away from me and I didn’t know what it was. I was checking my temperatures and wondered if they were too cold, but I got through the rough phase and they started to come back to me, and my lines were getting better. As my tyres got more and more slick they were keeping the temperature, but slicks wouldn’t have been the right call.
“Remember I lost the world championship in the pit lane, so I learned my lesson from 2007 for sure and I had it under control. I was going to handle the rain if it came.”
Turkish Grand Prix
How much does this one mean to Lewis Hamilton? He’s in tears in the cockpit as the congratulations flow in from his team, with Bono the first on the radio before Toto Wolff praises his drive of perfection,
“For all the kids out there who dream the impossible, you can do it too.”
He’s certainly proven that today.
Turkish Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton wins seventh F1 world title
Hamilton claims seventh world title with a virtuoso drive to claim his 10th win of the 2020 season in the most exciting race of the season
Turkish Grand Prix: Lap 58
What a final lap! Lewis Hamilton takes a dominant victory, but behind it’s all going on! Leclerc has caught Perez and gets past on the back straight! He’s off-line though and it forces the Ferrari to run deep, allowing not only Perez to slide back through but also teammate Vettel!
Perez sneaks through to take second place for Racing Point, and Vettel returns to the podium in third!
TURKISH GRAND PRIX: CHEQUERED FLAG
Lewis Hamilton wins the Turkish Grand Prix and secures his seventh world championship to equal Michael Schumacher’s all-time record!
Turkish Grand Prix: Lap 58
Lewis Hamilton starts his final lap. We’re watching history in the making…
Turkish Grand Prix: Lap 56
Hamilton doesn’t pit! He gets the call to come in but decides himself to stay out.
Turkish Grand Prix: Lap 56
Hamilton is pitting! Mercedes fear rain is coming and they’re going to stop Hamilton from the lead with two laps remaining!
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