2020 SAKHIR GP: NIGHT OF GREAT EMOTIONS

Sergio Perez took a stunning maiden victory for Racing Point in Formula 1's Sakhir Grand Prix after Mercedes’ hopes of a one-two finish collapsed in a disastrous double pit stop and then a late race puncture for long-time race leader George Russell.

Esteban Ocon finished second ahead of Lance Stroll, while Mercedes saw Valtteri Bottas finish eighth after he was massively delayed in the team’s bungled stop and George Russell took night place after he sustained a late race slow puncture that sent him back to the pit lane.

At the start, Russell, starting from P2 on the grid behind pole sitter Bottas, made a good getaway and passed his team-mate. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen also made a good start from P3 on the grid to draw level with Bottas in the early corners.

However, as the field went into Turn 4, Verstappen was pushed by Pérez on the outside and Bottas on the inside. The Red Bull driver backed out of the fight but on the inside of the corner Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc tried to dive past. The result was contact between Pérez and Leclerc.

Verstappen tried to avoid the collision but went off track and lost control in the gravel. He hit the barriers and his race was immediately over. Leclerc also exited the race but Pérez managed to get back to the pit lane for repairs and a set of medium tyres during the following Safety Car period.

When the race resumed, Russell controlled the re-start well and held the lead. Bottas was passed by McLaren’s Carlos Sainz but the Spaniard went off track in doing so and was forced to give the place back. As Russell started to eke out a gap at the front, Pérez was the man on the move and by lap 15 the Mexican had muscled his way back to P11.

Red Bull’s Alex Albon was running just ahead of Pérez and on lap 20 both closed in on McLaren’s Lando Norris who was struggling on his opening softs. Albon attacked and made a good move around the outside of the McLaren driver in Turn. Perez also slipped past Norris through Turn 4 and after Norris pitted at the end of the lap, Pérez then mounted an attack on Albon, passing the Red Bull in Turn 4.

Russell pitted from the lead on lap 44, while Bottas made his pit-stop for hard tyres at the end of lap 49 and rejoined eight seconds behind his young team-mate. Behind the Mercedes pair and third-placed Esteban Ocon, Pérez was flying and a stunning recovery drive looked to have been completed when he powered past the Frenchman to claim the last podium position.

However, the race then took a hugely dramatic turn when Williams stand-in Jack Aitken lost control in the final corner and clipped the wall on the outside. The collision dislodged Aitken’s front wing and with debris on the track a Virtual Safety Car then became a physical one.

Mercedes AMG reacted to the caution, bringing both drivers in for a double pit-stop. But massive confusion occured in rheir box, the champions mixed tyre sets. Realising the error they sent Bottas out on the hard tyres he had nursed since his pit stop and Russell was sent out on a set of mediums that may have featured incorrect tyres.

The Briton was pitted again and both dropped down the order. Russell immediately began to fight his way back and by the closing laps he had risen back to P2 and was threatening new race leader Perez.

But just eight laps from the flag the first-time Mercedes driver was back in the pits with a slow puncture. The stop dropped him to P15 and though he hauled himself back to P9 for his first points finish in F1, he was placed under investigation for possibly running incorrect tyres. Bottas too was in trouble, trying to nurse his hard tyres to the flag and he was passed by a slew of rivals on his way to an eventual eighth-place finish.

At the front, though, it was Pérez’s day and after 87 chaotic laps the Mexican crossed the line to take his maiden F1 win ahead of Ocon and the second Racing Point of Lance Stroll. Sainz Jr. finished fourth for McLaren ahead of the second Renault of Ricciardo and with Albon sixth, seventh place went to AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat. Bottas held on to eighth ahead of Russell and the final point on offer went to Lando Norris in the second McLaren.

Sakhir Grand Prix – Race 87 laps, 307.548., Weather: Dry/Nigh Race.
ПЛАСМАН:
П.	ВОЗАЧ	ТИМ	ВРЕМЕ
1.	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1h31:15.114
2.	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+ 10.518
3.	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+ 11.869
4.	Carlos Sainz Jr.	McLaren	+ 12.580
5.	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+ 13.330
6.	Alex Albon	Red Bull	+ 13.842
7.	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+ 14.534
8.	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes AMG	+ 15.389
9.	George Russell	Mercedes AMG	+ 18.556
10.	Lando Norris	McLaren	+ 19.541
11.	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+ 20.527
12.	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+ 22.611
13.	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo	+ 24.111
14.	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo	+ 26.153
15.	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+ 32.370
16.	Jack Aitken	Williams	+ 33.674
17.	Pietro Fittipaldi	Haas	+ 36.858
FASTEST LAP: GEORGE RUSSEL - 55.404
NOT CLASSIFIED:
18.	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	techical
19.	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	crash
20.	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	collision
2020 Sergio Perez - Racing Point - 1h31:15.114 @MkFormula1 - REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

CLASSIFICATION AFTER 16/17 RACES
DRIVERS:
1.	Lewis Hamilton	332
2.	Valtteri Bottas	205
3.	Max Verstappen	189
4.	Sergio Perez	125
5.	Daniel Ricciardo	112
6.	Charles Leclerc	98
7.	Carlos Sainz Jr.	97
8.	Alex Albon	93
9.	Lando Norris	87
10.	Lance Stroll	74
11.	Pierre Gasly	71
12.	Esteban Ocon	60
13.	Sebastian Vettel	33
14.	Daniil Kvyat	32
15.	Nico Hulkenberg	10
16.	Kimi Räikkönen	4
17.	Antonio Giovinazzi	4
18.	George Russell	3
19.	Romain Grosjean	2
20.	Kevin Magnussen	1
21.	Nicholas Latifi	0
22.	Jack Aitken	0
23.	Pietro Fittipaldi	0
CONSTRUCTORS:
1.	Mercedes AMG	540
2.	Red Bull	282
3.	Racing Point(-15)	194
4.	McLaren	184
5.	Renault	172
6.	Ferrari	131
7.	AlphaTauri	103
8.	Alfa Romeo	8
9.	Haas	3
10.	Williams	0