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The 2020 Formula One World Championships is heading to its home stretch with only four races left to finish. First on the remaining list is the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix which will be held from November 13-15, 2020 at the Istanbul Park Circuit.
The Turkish Grand Prix was a fixture in the Formula One schedule from 2005 to 2011. It was removed in 2012 due to a lack of agreement on the annual cost. On January 9, 2013, the Turkish government rejected a deal that would have seen the race return to Tuzla in 2013. Last August, F-1 organizers announced the return of the Turkish Grand Prix after a nine-year absence.
Only Non-European Race
As it stands, the Turkish Grand Prix will be the only race in the 2020 Formula One World Championship that is considered a non-European or Middle Eastern round. That’s because the Istanbul Park circuit is on the Asian side of Turkey.
The race has a total distance of 309.396 km or 192.25 mi and will be a 58-lap contest around the 5.338 Intercity Istanbul Park circuit on November 15, 2020. Three current drivers are among the five who won during the race’s seven-year history.
Kimi Raikkonen won the inaugural race in 2005 while current leader Lewis Hamilton triumphed in 2010. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel owns the latest victory at Istanbul Park after he topped the most recent F-1 race here in 2011.
This is the schedule for the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix:
| Date | Activity | Time (track time) |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Nov 13, 2020 | Practice 1 | 11:00-12:30 |
| Friday, Nov 13, 2020 | Practice 2 | 15:00-16:30 |
| Saturday, Nov 14, 2020 | Practice 3 | 12:00-13:00 |
| Saturday, Nov 14, 2020 | Qualifying | 15:00-16:00 |
| Sunday, Nov 15, 2020 | Race | 13:10-15:10 |
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Recap
After breaking Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 race win at the Portugues Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton extended his record with a 93rd triumph at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy. Hamilton beat teammate Valtteri Bottas by 5.7 seconds as Mercedes clinched a record seven consecutive constructor’s title.
Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo completed the Top 3 with his second podium finish of the season while Daniil Kvyat placed a commendable 4th in what is expected to be his last season for Alpha Tauri. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came in fifth and ahead of Sergio Perez of Racing Point who finished sixth.
With another win, Hamilton is getting closer to tying Schumacher’s record of seven world championships. He currently leads Bottas by 85 points in the Driver’s standings with only 104 points left to win. Hamilton can clinch his seventh world title if he finishes ahead of Bottas on Sunday.
These are the current leaders in the 2020 Formula One World Championship
- Lewis Hamilton 282 points
- Valtteri Bottas 197 points
- Max Verstappen 162 points
- Daniel Ricciardo 95 points
- Charles Leclerc 85 points
- Sergio Perez 82 points
- Lando Norris 69 points
- Carlos Sainz 65 points
- Alexander Albon 64 points
- Pierre Gasly 63 points
Who Are The Favorites?
These are the odds to win the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix. Odds were taken from BetOnline as if 11/10/2020:
| Driver | Odds |
|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | -250 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +350 |
| Max Verstappen | +550 |
| Sergio Prerez | +6600 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | +6600 |
| Charles Leclerc | +8000 |
| Alexander Albon | +10000 |
| Pierre Gasly | +10000 |
| Carlos Sainz | +15000 |
| Lando Norris | +15000 |
Lewis Hamilton has dominated this season since the beginning. The six-time world champion has recently set the record for most race wins but he is not yet done rewriting the history books. The Brit is chasing a seventh world title which would equal the record set by Michael Schumacher. Hamilton has won 9 out of the 13 races this season including four out of the last five. His win last week was his third consecutive victory and he has finished outside the podium only twice this season with 7th as his worst finish of the year. Hamilton is one of three current drivers to win the Turkish Grand Prix and he is the odds on favorite to win this race.
Valtteri Bottas is coming off his best year in F-1. The Finnish driver won a career-best four races last season en route to finishing second behind teammate Lewis Hamilton in the Driver’s standings. Bottas is currently in second place right now and has two race wins this year. He won the first race of the season in Australia and is the last man to win a race prior to Hamilton’s three-race win streak. Bottas also only has two non-podium finishes and one DNF. He finished second behind Hamilton in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen is currently third in the Driver’s standings and was also last season’s third placer. The Belgian-Dutch driver upset Lewis Hamilton in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone and has nine podium finishes this season and four DNFs. The Red Bull ace retired from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix the last time out.
Sergio Perez is 6th in the Driver’s standings. The 30-year old Mexican is having his best season ever. Perez finished 10th last season and has not placed better than 8th at the end of the year. But with 11 Top 10 finishes and seven Top 6 finishes, he’s a good bet to finish in the Top 6 of this race. Perez is coming off a 6th place finish in Italy the last time out.
Daniel Ricciardo is a surprise 4th in the current driver’s standings. The Renault driver from Australia has not won a race since 2018 and has not finished better than 3rd place this season. Ricciardo has 10 Top 8 finishes and has finished in third place in two out of the last three races of the season.
Who Wins?
We’ve seen stranger things happen this season. The penalties and all but unless something extraordinary happens, this should be another win for Lewis Hamilton. Sure, the guy can clinch the world title by just finishing ahead of Bottas but with the latter needing the win to keep his chase alive, then it should be another Hamilton-Bottas finish with Bottas likely finishing second once again.
When you look at the odds, it’s really down to a three-man race with Max Verstappen as the only other driver who has realistic odds of beating the two Mercedes drivers. At some point in the season, Hamilton will slow down but with the seventh title on the horizon, I expect another big finish from Hamilton.
Prediction: Lewis Hamilton
- Lewis Hamilton has been the fastest qualifier in four out of the last six races of the season. It has not mattered whether he’s raced in the circuit or not, he’s just simply dominating the entire field right now. Hamilton has won here before and I think he gets another pole position in Turkey. Fastest Qualifier: Lewis Hamilton -163.
- Carlos Sainz missed out on a Top 6 finish the last time out but prior to his 7th place finish at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, he had finished in the Top 6 in four out of his last seven races. Take out the two DNFs and the one race he didn’t start during this period, Sainz is a solid Top 6 finisher. Charles Leclerc has finished in the top six in three out of the last four races of the season. The Ferrari driver is 5th in the standings and is coming off a 5th place finish in Italy. Top 6 Finish: Charles Leclerc is a good bet here at -110 but if you’re brave enough, go with Sainz at plus money of +150
