Sebastian Vettel “Was Quite Sure” Lewis Hamilton Wouldn’t Finish Turkish GP On Old Tires

Lewis Hamilton, champion of the world for the 7th time in his career. The Briton managed to stay out, overruling his team for a fresher set of tires towards the end of the race.

It was a risk that ultimately paid off for him, as he managed his relatively old tires very well. By building a commanding gap of nearly 30 seconds to next best Sergio Perez, he secured the victory in the end.

But Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was not sure that Lewis would last through the race on those older compounds. Regardless, he had nothing but appreciation for Hamilton as he spoke in the post-race interview.

Vettel congratulated Lewis Hamilton for his ‘massive achievement’

It was difficult but not unthinkable for Hamilton to start from P6 and make his way up the grid. After initially squandering some good chances to get past the Ferrari and Red Bull cars, he eventually took the lead with nearly 15 laps to go.

Speaking to Sky F1, Vettel said, “Yeah, I think it was a very long race. I was quite sure that Lewis can’t stay out on these tires, but he managed. Obviously he drove fantastically well and in all fairness, it is a good result for us.”

The 33-year-old German driver had a good outing himself, securing his first podium finish since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix. But after the race, Vettel and Hamilton briefly exchanged wishes, in what was a heartfelt gesture from the 4-time champion.

“But it’s his day to make history like that so first thoughts go to him, really. It’s a massive achievement and I am happy that I can witness first-hand,” concluded Vettel on the topic.

Hamilton has now equaled Michael Schumacher’s tally of 7 titles

Following the Turkish Grand Prix win, Lewis Hamilton has now won the World Drivers’ Championship on 7 occasions. He joins the legendary Schumacher as the only other driver to do so those many times.

Having spun a few times en route podium places, the Mercedes driver drove very well on a slippery surface. But at one point in time, there were doubts over whether he could keep at it without damaging his tires.

Eventually, having decided to not box for a fresh set, Hamilton’s skill of excellent tire management came to the fore once again. As they say, fortune favors the brave. And in this instance, fortune certainly favored the gutsy and dominant Briton.