TURKISH GP LATEST
Lewis Hamilton believes he must claim pole to give him a victory chance in tomorrow’s Turkish GP.
Britain’s world champion took a 10-place grid penalty after being fastest in practice.
But Mercedes insist it’s a worthwhile risk after Hamilton took a new power unit in the back of his car.
F1 rules let drivers use three engines, plus their components, in one season.
Extra parts mean grid penalties but Mercedes have kept them to a minimum by only replacing the internal combustion engine.
Hamilton said: “The other drivers are going to be hard to pass. They seem to be improving throughout the year.
“I need to be on pole to limit the loss and then understand the car to do the best I can and find the right balance.”
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has demanded overnight enhancements despite notching the second-fastest time.
Verstappen was 0.635secs off the pace after understeer in the first session and oversteer in the second.
Chasing victory to overhaul Championship leader Hamilton, he said: “Great track, but today was challenging.
“It looks like we have some work to do overnight to improve our performance.”