Hamilton Vows Maximum Attack from 11th on the Grid in Turkey

Lewis Hamilton. (Reuters)
Lewis Hamilton. (Reuters)
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Hamilton Vows Maximum Attack from 11th on the Grid in Turkey

Lewis Hamilton. (Reuters)
Lewis Hamilton. (Reuters)

Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton promised "maximum attack" in Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix and would not rule out winning from 11th on the grid.

The Mercedes driver was quickest in qualifying at Istanbul Park but a 10-place penalty for exceeding his season's engine allocation, a strategic move, left the Briton with plenty of overtaking to do in the race.

Hamilton won in Turkey last year, in wet and slippery conditions, after starting sixth.

He also stood out in his pre-F1 days when he roared back from 19th to second in a GP2 race in the dry in 2006.

This time he risks losing his championship lead unless he finishes ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who is two points adrift with seven races to go and lines up on the front row with Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas on pole.

"I was third already at turn one last year so that made a bit of a difference," said Hamilton, now chasing a record eighth title.

"It's a much different weekend, a much different track grip, so we're faced with different circumstances this weekend," he added.

"My eyes are still solely set on winning the race. It's going to be very hard, from 11th, but not impossible ... so just staying on my toes and making sure that we deliver maximum attack tomorrow."

Hamilton has three other Red Bull drivers ahead of him on the grid, with Verstappen's Mexican team mate Sergio Perez on the third row while Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda, from Red Bull's sister team AlphaTauri, are fourth and ninth.

McLaren's Lando Norris, who lines up seventh, said he expected to stay ahead of Hamilton for only a couple of laps.

"I'm not going to say I'm going to beat him because I'm not," said the 21-year-old, who started on pole in Russia and nearly won.

Hamilton said he would just take it one step at a time, and had to get through the opening lap safely first from his midfield position.

"If I can be higher up early on, then great. I've got to stay out of trouble of course, and that will be probably my priority initially, and then see if it's possible to pick them off one by one."



Neymar Sidelined after Testing Positive for COVID-19

FILE - Brazil's Neymar walk onto the pitch during his debut for Santos FC in a Sao Paulo league soccer match against Botafogo-SP, in Santos, Brazil, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, file)
FILE - Brazil's Neymar walk onto the pitch during his debut for Santos FC in a Sao Paulo league soccer match against Botafogo-SP, in Santos, Brazil, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, file)
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Neymar Sidelined after Testing Positive for COVID-19

FILE - Brazil's Neymar walk onto the pitch during his debut for Santos FC in a Sao Paulo league soccer match against Botafogo-SP, in Santos, Brazil, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, file)
FILE - Brazil's Neymar walk onto the pitch during his debut for Santos FC in a Sao Paulo league soccer match against Botafogo-SP, in Santos, Brazil, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, file)

Brazil forward Neymar has been sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19, his club Santos said in a statement as quoted by Brazilian media.

The 33-year-old began showing symptoms on Thursday and was immediately removed from team activities. Medical tests later confirmed the viral infection, the Brazil Serie A side said on Saturday.

The club did not disclose how long Neymar will be out of action and did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Neymar is already ruled out of Thursday's league match at Fortaleza through suspension.

The Fortaleza match will be Santos' last outing before the Brazilian league pauses for the June 14-July 13 Club World Cup in the United States.

The former Barcelona forward's future at Santos remains undecided, with his contract set to expire on June 30. Limited by injury, he has made 12 appearances for Santos across all competitions this season, contributing three goals and three assists.