00:00It's lights out, away we go. Bottas in the second phase, looks to stutter a little bit, but Verstappen is
00:06not coming alongside him.
00:08It's Bottas that leads from Verstappen, and then, oh, comes Sir Charles Leclerc, and that's a spin for Fernando Alonso
00:13at turn one,
00:14and he's lost plenty of places, comes back in about 15th place, not the start that Alonso would have wanted.
00:20Oh, so disappointing for him, the guy that's always so strong at the start.
00:24There's Lewis trying to get past Sebastian Vettel.
00:27Oh, it's disappointing for Fernando, but as they go through turn six, seven, Lewis keeping out of trouble.
00:34And on the outside, first off, of Esteban Ocon, and getting past Esteban Ocon.
00:38Hamilton is in a 10th place at the moment, ahead of Ocon in 11th.
00:43Pierre Gasly is in for a five-second time penalty.
00:47I don't know about you, Jenson, I think that was a bit harsh.
00:51Yeah, it's always tricky when there's three of you into turn one, and the circuit really does narrow there.
00:58Carlos Sainz is going for it with George Russell, and they're going to wheel-to-wheel around turn 13,
01:03and it's Sainz in the Ferrari that puts himself ahead of George Russell.
01:08I think the biggest issue is that they have so much grip on the corner exits, they're not getting wheel
01:12spin.
01:12Now, here he goes, round the outside, don't do it in a braking zone, do it round the outside at
01:17turn three.
01:17Lewis Hamilton has managed to clear the young Alfa Tauri driver, and he's put himself up in the 7th,
01:23and he can now start to charge after Lance Stroll and the Aston Martin.
01:28This is the traditional spot for overtaking at Istanbul Park.
01:32It seems like it's won a lap for Carlos Sainz. Great job by him.
01:38There's the light drizzle, turn eight, turn nine, turn 11.
01:41Sainz goes down the inside on Sebastian Vettel, and I wonder, was there contact between the Ferrari and the Aston
01:48Martin?
01:48Oh, and a little bit of contact there. Hopefully no damage.
01:52Okay, he drives straight into me then.
01:55Well, this should be one of the more easier overtakes he'll have to make all afternoon.
01:58Yeah, it should be, but he's running such a big rear wing on the Mercedes, but down the outside, should
02:04be a nice, easy move here.
02:06He can pick his braking point. Look at that.
02:09Perez seems to have that straight line speed advantage over Hamilton.
02:14Hamilton, though, close enough now to be picking up the slipstream of the Red Bull in front,
02:18and Hamilton gaining as the wheels turn round, and now goes wheel to wheel with Sergio Perez,
02:23and does he pass Sergio Perez? Under braking, he gives the Red Bull a wide berth just in case.
02:29He knows that he can make this move stick in the next few corners.
02:32He pushes Sergio Perez almost into the pit lane entry.
02:35Perez is not going to give this one up without a fight, and they're almost level pegging as they start
02:41the next lap.
02:42Hamilton's got better acceleration as down towards turn one we go.
02:46Has Hamilton gone up into fourth place? No, he's not.
02:48Sergio Perez on the inside regains the place that he might have lost by millimetres a few hundred metres before.
02:57Lando Norris pitted just a lap ago, and as the Red Bull guys get to work, that's perfect.
03:01Oh, that is sweet, isn't it, Crofty? That's absolutely brilliant. Stop.
03:06Out of the pit lane comes Sebastian Vettel, and I just had to check myself there.
03:11He's on the slick tyre.
03:13He's put the medium compound tyre on as Bottas, the race leader, changes for the intermediates.
03:18Perez comes in for his pit stop, pushes Hamilton ahead of Sergio Perez.
03:24This is a gamble that I'm sure the driver was part of.
03:27No, it's not working.
03:28But as I was going to say, not working.
03:31It's really not working.
03:32He's kind of a danger on the track now. Look at the difference in speed. It's massive.
03:38Can I stay with this set until the end of the race?
03:41Yes, you can stay until the end with this set.
03:44I've just realised here, chaps.
03:46Don't want to put the mockers on it.
03:48I've just realised, if I stay with this set, we might win this, you know.
03:54Box, box, box, box.
03:56Why?
03:58New in-set is the way to go.
04:01I don't think it is, man.
04:03Yeah, it's a tricky one now.
04:05I personally think he has to stay out until he seriously loses time to Max,
04:09because finishing just behind Max is much better than finishing just inside the top ten.
04:14I'm not sure stopping now for Charles Leclerc is a good idea.
04:18But if the track dries up, Jenson, stopping in a moment might be a good idea for slick tyres.
04:23Either way, he's got to try and defend.
04:24Valtteri Bottas is on the inside.
04:26Leclerc just makes way, I think, there.
04:29Doesn't fight that.
04:30Valtteri Bottas retakes the lead of this Turkish Grand Prix.
04:35He's back out in front.
04:38Hamilton's coming in for a pit stop.
04:41Leclerc goes through.
04:42Perez goes through.
04:43I'm watching Gasly coming down the main straight now as Hamilton gets to the end of the pit lane.
04:4880 kilometres an hour.
04:49Now he can get his foot down.
04:50Now he can get onto the racetrack and ahead then of Pierre Gasly, but down in fifth place.
04:57Don't go anywhere.
04:58This is built into a grandstand finish, and it's almost like he's going off-roading Charles Leclerc
05:02as he slides his way through turn nine and ten.
05:06We're on board with Sergio Perez.
05:08Has Leclerc got any way of maintaining his position against the Red Bull of Perez?
05:14Under-breaking.
05:15Perez, a bit later, manages to squeeze past.
05:18Inside line now goes to Charles Leclerc.
05:20Perez has got the inside line for the next corner, but this will then carry on down the main straight,
05:25too.
05:25As Perez exits the final corner, he's got a decent gap between himself and Charles Leclerc.
05:31Perez is up into the podium places.
05:33Leclerc will try and fight it, but he's fighting with one hand behind his back.
05:39So Gasly at three behind, three behind.
05:43Man, why'd you give up that space?
05:45It looks like we were going to lose the position anyway.
05:49From pole position, Valtteri Bottas can now make it to the final corner to see the chequered flag,
05:55and Bottas crosses the line to win the Turkish Grand Prix.
06:00It has been the commanding performance, and that will give him a huge cheer
06:05as he leaves Mercedes at the end of this season and heads off to Alfa Romeo.
06:10Behind him, though, Max Verstappen comes home to finish second, where he started in this race,
06:16and that race will do nicely for Verstappen as he increases his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton.
06:23It's a double podium for Red Bull.
06:25Sergio Perez, with some great defending against Lewis Hamilton and making the right stop at the right time,
06:31comes home to take third place.
06:34It's a six-point lead in the Drivers' Championship.
06:37Verstappen is back in front once again at the fourth change of lead in the last six Grand Prix.
06:44All to play for still, six races to go.
06:46We head to Austin next, but here in Turkey this weekend, Bottas is back and winning.
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