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Sergio Pérez clinches his first Grand Prix victory on the 190th attempt; Mercedes’ pit stop error and puncture cost George Russell, who finishes ninth; Esteban Ocon second for Renault with Lance Stroll completing the podium
By James Galloway
Last Updated: 06/12/20 7:53 pm
1:33
Look at the confusion in the Mercedes pit box on tire changes for George Russell and Valtteri Bottas that went terribly wrong
Look at the confusion in the Mercedes pit box on tire changes for George Russell and Valtteri Bottas that went terribly wrong
Sergio Perez scored his first career Grand Prix victory for Racing Point in the 190th attempt at an astonishing Sakhir GP when a Mercedes tire mix-up and then a puncture cost George Russell a fairytale win in Bahrain .
Ending an astonishing week in Formula 1 since last Sunday’s first race at Sakhir, Russell appeared to be heading for a remarkable victory as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton as he led Valtteri Bottas into the final third of the race after taking the lead at the start. of the career. .
But the appearance of a safety car pushed Mercedes into an additional pit stop for both cars for safety reasons to protect their lead, and unleashed an astonishing sequence of events that ultimately led to an agonizing outcome in which Russell lost the race.
He finished ninth, while Perez, still unbelievably without momentum for 2021, took his own inaugural victory after a nine-year wait and the first for his team in his current guise.
Some of Bottas’ tires were first installed incorrectly on Russell’s car, and the Finn was later delayed when the confusion occurred, and they came back in fifth and fourth positions, respectively.
1:30 George Russell was charging again to take the lead in Bahrain, but missed a puncture on the opening podium of his career.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff bluntly described it as “a colossal blow” from the dominant F1 world champion team, citing a “radio glitch” from the lack of communication in the garage.
Russell was forced to pit again on the next lap to change to the correct set, and is being investigated by the stewards for using the wrong tires.
The Englishman was in fifth place when racing resumed, but he still seemed capable of chasing Perez, who had miraculously brought the order back up to an inherited lead after finishing the first lap in last place after an incident with three cars at turn four that saw Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen crash.
Overtaking Bottas, who was still on the same tires as before Mercedes’ failed stops, and then Stroll and Ocon in quick succession, Russell was three seconds behind Perez, but then suffered a rear puncture and had to return to the pits .
2:02 There was a lot of drama at the start of the Sakhir GP when Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc crashed, with George Russell overtaking his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas for the lead.
Russell finished ninth for his first points in F1, but it was little consolation for what it should have been.
Esteban Ocon finished second for Renault on his first F1 podium with Lance Stroll third in the second Racing Point.
Carlos Sainz was fourth for McLaren after briefly running second ahead of Bottas in the early stages of the race after the first lap of the Safety Car. Bottas finished eighth with Mercedes’ worst finish in a dominant season.
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Sakhir GP Result: Top 10
1. Sergio Pérez, Racing Point
2. Esteban Ocon, Renault
3. Lance Stroll, Racing Point
4. Carlos Sainz, McLaren
5. Daniel Ricciardo, Renault
6. Alexander Albon, Red Bull
7. Daniil Kvyat, AlphaTauri
8. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
9. George Russell, Mercedes
10. Lando Norris, McLaren
Russell’s pride through pain
“I really can’t put it into words to be honest,” a disappointed and incredulous Englishman reflected to Sky F1 immediately after the race.
“Jumping out of the car … was not a pleasant feeling. I’ve had races where wins have been taken from me, but twice? I couldn’t believe it. I gave everything I had..”
The images of Russell collapsing onto a grassy edge in the meadow are likely to be the defining image of Sunday’s notable events, as the realization of what could and should have been set for the 22-year-old.
Until the pit stop dramas, Russell, who had never driven the 2020 Mercedes car before Friday and, as of Sunday, never scored a point or led an F1 race, looked like a seasoned veteran at the helm.
He passed Bottas with a good brake stroke into turn one and quickly set out to build a small but steady lead ahead of his brother Mercedes.
2:31 George Russell was bitterly disappointed after coming so close to claiming his first victory at the Sakhir Grand Prix.
Navigating the first few pit stops smoothly and increasing his lead over Bottas to a race high of eight seconds, he overcame initial problems with a sensor problem in his car and appeared to be in full control of procedures as the Lap count decreased in Bahrain. Short but fast outer loop.
Until that’s the least characteristic of Mercedes’ pit mistakes after the safety car was called when, ironically, Russell’s replacement in Williams, his friend and former junior teammate Jack Aitken, crashed in the pit straight and lost his front wing.
More to follow …
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