Lewis Hamilton returns to the scene of a memorable triumph in pursuit of a record-equalling third Turkish Grand Prix win this weekend, but wary of more than one threat to his world championship crown.
Eleven months on from a spectacular victory for Mercedes in treacherous rain-hit conditions that secured him his seventh drivers’ title with three races remaining, the 36-year-old Briton is this year only two points ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with seven to go.
That knife-edge advantage offers him little protection and he knows also that he may face a grid penalty if forced to take a fresh power unit, as the Dutchman did two weekends ago in Russia, for a contest likely to be run in similarly wet weather.