Why Mercedes’ Istanbul fringe is both stronger and weaker than it seems

It is well known that Formula 1 drivers are never entirely happy. There is always something. After a nine-year absence, the pack arrived at the Istanbul Park track in 2020 to return to the Formula 1 calendar to try one of Hermann Tilke’s best and most famous creations. And they got a terrible surprise.

The newly laid asphalt pavement was saturated with slippery oils as it was only completed three weeks before this event and had no time to harden. That meant that even in the dry Friday practice sessions leading up to wet qualifying and racing sessions that starred Lance Stroll and Lewis Hamilton, the conditions were considered pretty appalling. “Worse than ice,” per Lando Norris.