Bottas wins Turkish GP, Verstappen regains title lead – Action News Jax

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ISTANBUL – (AP) – Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas won the Turkish Grand Prix for his first victory of the season on Sunday, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished second to reclaim the overall lead from rival Lewis Hamilton.

Sergio Perez capped a good day for Red Bull by finishing in third place. He erased Hamilton’s two-point lead and now leads the Mercedes driver by six points with six races to go in a thrilling title battle that could lead to the final race in Abu Dhabi.

Defending champion Hamilton lost valuable points finishing fifth after a late tire change, although he told his team he wanted to stay on track while still third.

Hamilton became more and more agitated as he fell behind Leclerc and Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri won him.

“Leave him alone,” he told his race engineer when he was informed of Gasly’s gap.

Bottas finally felt like he was winning again when he passed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with a dozen laps to go, taking his first win since the Russian GP in September last year.

” Haha yes ! Bottas shouted after his 10th career victory and a well-deserved victory in a frustrating season with Mercedes before joining Alfa Romeo next year.

To top it off, he completed the fastest lap on the 5.3 kilometers (3.3 miles) Istanbul Park circuit under gray skies amid persistent drizzle.

Hamilton eventually came in for new tires on lap 51 but disagreed with the decision.

“Why did you abandon this place?” A frustrated Hamilton barked over the team radio using a curse.

Leclerc arrived earlier than Hamilton and placed fourth, missing a 14th career podium.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo started from behind after complete engine changes.

Sainz Jr. managed to finish a commendable eighth.

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More AP auto races: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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