Pirelli doubts Hamilton could have finished without a stop in Turkish GP

Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola has stated his belief Lews Hamilton could not have reached the chequered flag without stopping in the Turkish Grand Prix.

Hamilton was one of three drivers that attempted to complete the Turkish GP without a pit stop with the intermediate tyres lasting well on a drying track.

However, Mercedes eventually pitted Hamilton with eight laps remaining, a decision that frustrated the seven-time champion as he dropped from third to fifth and his fresh tyres quickly suffered from graining.

Asked if Hamilton and Mercedes could have held out to the end of the race, Isola told Sky Sports F1: "Looking at the tyres after the race, I would say no, or at least it was really at the limit."

Esteban Ocon was the only driver to reach the end of the race on one set of tyres, claiming a point for Alpine, but was four seconds slower than 11th-placed Antonio Giovinazzi on the final lap.

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc relented after losing the lead to race-winner Valtteri Bottas.

"I was suggesting to our allocated engineers to warn the teams for the tyres not to go to the end because it was a risky move," explained Isola.

"The wear of the tyres, especially at the end of the race, they were running basically on the construction," explained Isola. "It is a bit dangerous to push the boundaries like today.

"But I fully understand that in race conditions, they have to maximise the result."

"More or less all the tyres were with exposed chords, most of the cars that stopped after lap 47 were completely finished.

"We know that with the new tarmac that is more abrasive, more grip compared to last year and the track was not dry but still abrasive so it was really on the limit."

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