Testimony from Istanbul: A humiliation for Bottas

LEWIS HAMILTON: This weekend, Formula 1 was threatened with a boring, one-sided, far too superior drive by Lewis Hamilton to his seventh title. And the Englishman was threatened with the usual voices of those who wanted to belittle his successes: with this Mercedes, as it is often said, you can only become world champion. But the racing gods had an understanding with Hamilton and gave him this crazy race that really didn't work out for the Englishman. And that against all odds he still won. On the way to his 7th title, the champion once again showed that he is the exceptional driver of his generation, someone who wants to win every race. And will probably continue to have the chance to do so: the contract extension only seems to be a matter of time, as everyone involved has made it clear.

VALTTERI BOTTAS: Having Lewis Hamilton as a teammate is probably the biggest possible challenge for any Formula 1 driver. There are drivers who grow through such a challenge, Nico Rosberg managed to do that, stuck to Hamilton - and even took the title from him in 2016. It is feared that Valtteri Bottas' career will collapse because of this challenge. Year after year he starts with hopes, year after year he clearly fails. The race in Istanbul was now the ultimate humiliation: in conditions that put the drivers' skills into focus, his teammate won the world championship title. Bottas himself spun at least six times on a slippery track. And was lapped by the same teammate. If Hamilton continues at Mercedes, then major triumphs for Bottas are hardly conceivable in the future. Vettel can look forward to his future car SEBASTIAN VETTEL: In the end, this cold, wet Sunday in Istanbul will perhaps be remembered as the day that made the 1 Formula 2020 year bearable for Vettel. He didn't just go from eleventh place to the podium. He did this on a track that required sensitivity, courage and nerve, all the things that make a great driver. And the German was able to show that he is still the Sebastian Vettel, who once won four world titles in a row, and that he should not be written off yet. As a bonus, Vettel also overtook his team rival Charles Leclerc, whom he had been chasing so often recently, in the final corners. And Vettel solidified the good impression with his honest congratulations on Hamilton's historic achievement: "He is undoubtedly the greatest of our era." Incidentally, a look at his future racing team was also very pleasing for Vettel.

Sebastian Vettel will drive alongside Racing Point driver Lance Stroll (pictured) next year. © APA/afp / CLIVE MASON

RACING POINT: Because Racing Point, next year Aston Martin, shone on this difficult weekend. The car, largely a copy of last year's Mercedes, handled the slippery track better than almost all the others, including better than the Mercedes. The result: Pole position for Lance Stroll on Saturday and second place for Sergio Perez on Sunday. The Racing Point car is an all-rounder and even got better thanks to the updates over the course of the year, which no longer had anything to do with the Mercedes. Vettel can look forward to a powerful car for the coming season. And since Sunday the team has certainly been looking forward to Vettel a little more.

SAYING OF THE WEEKEND : “I think it has become even more expensive today.” (Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff on the contract negotiations with the now seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton)

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Testimony from Istanbul: A humiliation for Bottas

While Lewis Hamilton completed his 7th world title on Sunday, his teammate Valtteri Bottas had a weekend to forget. The maturity certificate from the Grand Prix in Istanbul.

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