Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton qualified fastest at Istanbul Park on Saturday but will drop to 11th o🦂n the grid after a 10-place grid penalty is applied fo🐼r moving onto a new engine this weekend. 

Hamilton outpaced teammate Valtteri Bottas and title rival Max V𝓰erstappen in qualifying but his penalty means it is the Finn who will line up on pole. Bottas therefore claims the statistic in the official record books for his 🔜18th career pole. 

T⛦here have several similar 🃏incidents in the past, including seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher losing his sensational pole in qualifying at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix due to carrying a five-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Williams driver Bruno Senna at the previous round in Spain. 

The outcome in Turkey caused some initial confusion between t✅he top three in the post-qualifying press conference and led to the following, amusing discussion…

Hamilton: “Well, I stil🉐l get recorded the pole, right? No? Ah, damn it.” 

Bottas: “Do I get the pole?”

Hamilton: “So he gets the pole.”

Verstappen: “I just don’t get that!”

Bottas: “So you need to give the tyre to me.”

Hamilton: “You can have the tyre.𝔉 I don’t know where they go.”

Verstappen: “Lewis has a few spare.”

Bottas: “I don’t think it’s fair though.” 

Hamilton: “No, it’s alright.”

Bottas: “🅘Even though it was my best pole [laughs].”

Verst𒁏appen: “Lewis is going to start his ♎own tyre factory…” 

Two other anomalies have occurred this year on weekends when F1🌠 has staged its experimental sp༺rint race format. 

At the British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was f🌊astest in qualifying but it was Verstappen who was awarded pole at Silverstone for winning the first-ever sprint ra🥃ce, something Sebastian Vettel slammed as being “wrong” and a “little bit confusing”.

The Red Bull driver was also officially awarded ꦑthe statistical accolade of pole position at the second sprint race in Monz🍸a when Bottas dropped to the back of the field because of an engine penalty. 

So, should F1 and 🦹its governing body the FIA alter the way pole is re𒅌corded? 

“I don’t really know,” Hamil💫ton said. “I mean I got pole. I don’t think the penalty should affect that necessarily. But I🐟 don’t really care to be honest.” 

Bottas ꦫhas found himself on opposite ends of the current system; a loser in Italy and a benefactor🌄 in Turkey at the expense of his teammate.

And Bottas doe൩s not believe it is fair that the fastest driver is not cl🐻assified as having pole in the record books, especially on sprint weekends. 

“I think on the sprint weekends, definitely the fastest man in qualifying should be handed th♋e official pole award and pole position, for𝔍 the records,” he said. 

“Also, in a situation like this, Lewis had the fastest single lap, he was technically on pole, 💙but then after that his name drops out. So I don’t really think it’s fair. 

“Obviously, I would still happily take𝓰 that tyre trophy and maybe next time it could be different.”

Two of Verstappen’s eight poles this year have come as a result of winning 🍌a sprint race, rather than setting the fastest lap in a qualifying session. 

Verstappen made his position on the matter🧸 clear, concluding: “The guy who does the fastest lap should deserve the pole position.”