Perez worth gold for Verstappen in thrilling battle with Hamilton

Perez holds off Hamilton

Hamilton started the race from eleventh place due to a grid penalty of ten places. It was already clear that the Mercedes car was good at Intercity Istanbul Park. Hamilton fought his way to the front on the wet track and even found himself behind Perez. Max Verstappen's buffer, however, did what Red Bull Racing hired him to do.

With much more top speed, it seemed Perez was done for when Hamilton came alongside, but nothing was further from the truth. Perez braked deeply and left his car next to Lewis' in the next few corners. He even had to pass the pit lane barrier to do so. It provided unique images.