The final lap of the Turkish Grand Prix couldn’t have been more dramatic as Sebastian Vettel stole the third place from his teammate, officially ending his poor performance streak over this season.
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It all started with Sergio Perez running deep into Turn 9, giving Charles Leclerc a chance to take over as P2 from the Mexican. Unfortunately, Leclerc, too, ran over the dirty part of the track as he ended up running over some rubber. This left him without the grip he would have wanted going into the massive straight.
Consequently, the Monegasque locked up while going into Turn 12, leaving the door wide open for Perez. What’s more, Vettel, too, towed along with the Mexican and got past Leclerc to take the final podium step.
Sebastian Vettel ends his poor 2020 outing
Vettel enjoyed one of the best races ever as he grabbed onto his first podium of this season. He managed to bring home a massive 15 points, which has now left him in P13 with a tally of 33 points.
Although he has gained no positions on the Drivers’ table, this has definitely rekindled his prospects of ending this season in the Top-10.
Also, this race could be a morale-boosting one for the German, as he will be eyeing for more strong performances before bidding Ferrari adieu.
Coming back to the race, it wasn’t a surprise, though, seeing Vettel on the podium in Turkey as he looked extremely strong ever since the lights went green earlier this afternoon.
Sebastian Vettel’s race at Turkish Grand Prix
Although Vettel started the race from P12, his start was good enough to get himself up to P3. The only threat he had was from Max Verstappen and Alex Albon as the former was all over his rear for quite a few laps. However, the 4-time World Champion handled the pressure incredibly well.
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Eventually, Ferrari made a bold decision and called the German into the pits, aiming for an undercut against Max. The attempt worked out perfectly as he ended up ahead after the first round of pit-stops. As the track started to dry out, Red Bull started to show their real pace and got past Vettel.
However, in a turn of events, both the Red Bull drivers spoiled their own races as they suffered spins, which left them scrambling in P7 and P8 at one point.
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This gave Vettel a glimpse of hope for a podium finish, but it lasted only for a while as Leclerc got past the German, leaving him out of the Top-3.
Then came the eventful final lap that gifted Vettel with a spot on the podium as the curtains fell over one of his most incredible races in recent years. Now the question is, will the fans get another chance to witness a similar race this season?