Here is the report.
Thanks for joining me for such a silly race. What a day for Sergio Perez and for my quick-typing fingers. Giles Richards’ report is to come very soon.
The lads make it onto the podium. The contrast of pink and black suited teams celebrating is nice to see.
Sergio Perez celebrates his first win at the 190th time of asking. Few could have expected to heat the Mexican national anthem at this stage.
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Hugh Molloy emails: “That went from potentially being my favourite race of all time, with Russell hitting Perez’s DRS window with a couple to go, to probably the most disappointing.”
Ocon on his first podium: “I have no words, I cried on the line. It’s been a tough season, it hasn’t paid off all the time but we never stopped pushing.”
Stroll: “A part of me is a little bit disappointed - I could have won the race.”
Perez on his future: “What happens is not so much in my hands. If I don’t have a seat next year, I will be back in 2022.”
Jack emails to praise my work. I feel as emotional as Sergio. Jack says: “Thanks for all your time today. 58 sec lap times are really quick for someone to respond to online.”
Perez: “I am speechless. I hope I am not dreaming, as I have dreamt so many year of being in this moment. It’s incredible. I don’t know what to say.
“It was all about not giving up, recovering and keep going. We won it today on merit.”
Lapping at 57 seconds or so a time makes this ruddy difficult, I must admit. Manic stuff trying to work out what has happened.
Party time.
The celebrations have begun! #SakhirGP 🇧🇭 @RacingPointF1 pic.twitter.com/AE6vQBrsEJ
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 6, 2020
Will Red Bull now be picking up Perez for next season?
Utterly disastrous stuff for Mercedes. I cannot wait to find out their explanation for the double parking in the pit lane.
Plenty of joy in the Racing Point garage. What a cracking day for them. The crew and Perez are bouncing up and down.
Your top 10:
1 Perez
2 Ocon
3 Stroll
4 Sainz
5 Ricciardo
6 Albon
7 Kvyat
8 Bottas
9 Russell
10 Norris
Perez is very emotional and lets out a few tears. What a day for him.
What he said.
Went away. Came back. How have Mercedes managed to bollocks this up ? #F1 #SakhirGP @Will_Unwin#SkyF1
— VoiceOfTheMysterons (@Mysteron_Voice) December 6, 2020
Perez was in last place on the first lap but he has recovered to win the race. Incredible.
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Sergio Perez wins the Sakhir Grand Prix!
What a day for Racing Point as Perez wins his first Grand Prix!
Lap 86/87: Perez has a 10 second lead and it really is a formality. Russell moves into the top 10 after going past Gasly. At least he will end the race with something.
Lap 85/87: Perez is in control and only a mistake will cost him now.
Lap 84/87: Racing Point looking to get two on the podium, which would be a fine result for them.
Lap 83/87: Russell is just outside the points in 12th. He is looking to work his way up the field.
Lap 82/87: Have Mercedes ever had a worse race where both drivers have finished? I cannot remember one. Bottas says his tyres are “terrible”, to make matters worse.
Lap 81/87: Perez is told to keep pushing and keep his tyre temperature up in order to secure his first F1 victory. Russell to be investigated over potentially fitting incorrect tyres.
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Lap 80/87: Perez is miles ahead now, well almost nine seconds.
Lap 79/87: Mercedes will not remember this day fondly. What a disaster it has been since Aitken’s accident and the double pitting.
Lap 78/87: Russell is pitting again as he has a puncture. His race is run. What a shame. His podium place is out of the window. He comes out in 15th.
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Lap 77/87: Bottas knackered tyres see him overtaken by Sainz, Ricciardo and Albon. Not a great day for the man who started on pole. Call it off mate. A puncture for Bottas, it would seem.
Lap 76/87: Russell is the fastest man on the track but it is still going to be tough.
Michael Keane says: “We all knew that Hamilton had the best car on the grid, but are we learning that he had the better car in the team!? Russell playing an absolute blinder here!”
Lap 75/87: Current placings
1. Perez
2. Ocon
3. Russell
4. Stroll
5. Bottas
6. Sainz
Lap 74/87: Are there enough laps here for Russell to get back into first? It is going to be hard work, that is for sure. Sainz is moaning about Bottas being very slow. Mate, he has rubbish tyres as his pit stop was rubbish.
Lap 73/87: There is a bit of time for Russel to make up: 3.3 seconds to be precise.
Lap 72/87: Russell does for Stroll on the first turn by undertaking him. The Brit is now in third.
Updated
Lap 71/87: Russell can still win this and has just shown his overtaking qualities. If he can repeat that move a couple more times, he could get beyond Perez still.
Lap 70/87: Russell with some superb driving overtakes Bottas and he can leave his teammate behind him.
Lap 69/87: Can Mercedes chase down Racing Point? Russell has the tyres to do so, Bottas probably does not. Will they let the younger driver take the lead?
Lap 68/87: Perez is looking to show people what he can do here as he is still looking for a seat next season. We are back racing again!
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Lap 67/87: Russell is told “there should be a big tyre advantage”, to which the driver says “I f-ing hope so” or words to that effect.
Lap 66/87: The Mercedes double pit stop has cost Russell plenty of time there, too, leaving him in fifth. Perez is in the lead, Ocon second and Stroll third. The Mercedes post-mortem will be fun.
Lap 65/87: The Bottas pit stop took over 27 seconds and they sent him out with the same tyres on. Oooooooof that has gone atrociously.
Lap 64/87: The actual safety car involving a human driver has needed to go out. Mercedes are taking the chance to pit stop. Bottas’ pit stop was an utter farce with his brakes on fire. That took an age and he leaves the garage in fifth spot. That was useless.
Updated
Lap 63/87: Aitken has lost his front wing and left it on the track, meaning the VSC is back involved. Hopefully someone can retrieve it soon.
Lap 62/87: Russell might be feeling some pressure at the front. He has led from the beginning and it is a difficult role to be in.
Lap 61/87: Norris is currently in 11th and has been told to go flat out for the next 27 laps. Can he make a move up the field?
Lap 60/87: Russell has a five and a half second lead over his current teammate Bottas.
Lap 59/87: Perez is up to third! He is driving superbly and aggressively, which is a good combination.
Updated
Lap 58/87: Thomas Wright emails to say: “I bet every driver and mechanic in Bahrain are urging George Russell on.”
You would hope so.
Lap 57/87: Perez goes past Stroll as the American locks up. Perez is in fourth now.
Lap 56/87: Hopefully Latifi’s car will be moved quickly. The other drivers are using the time to pit. We are back racing.
Lap 55/87: A yellow flag at turn eight as Latifi pulls off. His race is done. We might need the virtual safety car here.
Lap 54/87: Russell is losing a tenth of a second on Bottas. What could the issue be? One for the boffins to work out or is it just his lack of experience in the Mercedes?
Lap 53/87: Current placings
1. Russell
2. Bottas
3. Sainz
4. Kvyat
5. Ricciardo
6. Ocon
Lap 52/87: Bottas was left out on the track for quite a while. Will he be left to rue it?
Lap 51/87: Alex Henderson has an idea: “A simple solution to resolve every season what’s the best car, who’s the best driver, and make the sport more exciting:
20 drivers
10 teams with two cars each
20 races
“Everyone drives each car once, then switches to another for the next race. That way, at the end of the season, we know who’s been the best driver, with everyone given an equal chance.”
Lap 50/87: Bottas gets the same tyres as Russell in his pit. Russell now has a very big lead on his new teammate.
Lap 49/87: Albon gets the black and white flag for exceeding track limits.
Lap 48/87: It seems everything is fine as Russell gets the quickest lap of the race with 56.6. However, his power issue has cost him and Bottas leads.
Lap 47/87: Russell has an issue somewhere within his power unit. Hopefully someone will be able to change it soon enough.
Lap 46/87: Russell heads out behind the Williams, which is what he is used to. He is in second for now, though. One suspects he will quickly chase down Bottas.
Lap 45/87: Russell is called in for a pit. It’s been a fine drive from him thus far. He remembers which box to go into and leaves on the hard tyres.
Updated
Lap 44/87: Stroll comes back out in ninth on the medium compound tyres but is quickly overtaken by Ocon with a cracking move.
Updated
Lap 43/87: Stroll is in third but is heading into for a pit stop after plenty of time on the soft tyres. Could he take the medium ones? He does.
Lap 42/87: Ocon goes into the pits and speeds back out into 10th with some new hard tyres.
Lap 41/87: Will this mean Leclerc will get a grid drop next week? Maybe. Verstappen was not happy at all with the Ferrari man.
Updated
Lap 40/87: Verstappen says there was some reckless driving on the first lap and he was the victim of that. He also moans about Leclerc’s driving.
Lap 39/87: Leclerc says it was his fault that he is out. No blame elsewhere.
Lap 38/87: Placings
1. Russell
2. Bottas
3. Stroll
4. Ocon
5. Perez
6. Albon
Lap 37/87: Bottas is more worried about tyres, saying his front two are deteriorating.
Lap 36/87: Russell’s tyres, however, are not looking in particularly great nick and he might be looking for a change sooner rather than later. The driver himself says they are fine, though.
Lap 35/87: Russell has not had any scares or even close to it thus far. He is just under three seconds ahead of Bottas.
Lap 34/87: Ricciardo is really pushing his Renault but does not get enough to get beyond Kvyat.
Lap 33/87: Vettel, in 12th, has been lapped now. That is now seven lapped drivers and plenty more will suffer the same fate.
Lap 32/87: Perez has moved up into fifth after some fine driving and proving he was not impacted by the early contact with Leclerc.
Lap 31/87: All calm upfront where Russell is still around three seconds ahead of Bottas.
Lap 30/87: Fittipadi is up in 14th, which is impressive from being so far back.
Lap 29/87: Sainz and Gasly go into the pits. Sainz almost hits Gasly on the way out, which would have been disastrous for all involved.
Lap 28/87: Kvyat pits but comes back out in 11th with a nice bit of space to drive into.
Lap 27/87: Mercedes tyres are looking in good nick, which will allow Russell and Bottas to keep going for longer.
Lap 26/87: Raikkonen has already been lapped.
Lap 25/87: It is a bit gusty and there is some sand flying around, so there is good reason for drivers to have a little bit of caution.
Lap 24/87: Bottas completes a sub 58 seconds lap.
Lap 23/87: Current placings.
1. Russell
2. Bottas
3. Sainz
4. Ricciardo
5. Kvyat
6. Stroll
Lap 22/87: Bottas is cutting down Russell’s lead at the front but the Brit will not be too concerned by this.
Lap 21/87: A tyre change for Norris, and Perez overtakes Albon. What a fun little battle this has been.
Lap 20/87: Albon and Norris have a proper battle, with the Red Bull man pushing past the Brit, soon followed by Perez. Norris’ soft tyres are not made for this.
Updated
Lap 19/87: Perez following his early issues has pushed himself up to 11th. There could be plenty of action between seventh and 10th in the near future.
Lap 18/87: Albon down in 10th is battling to chase down Norris but the Brit is holding him off.
Lap 17/87: Fittipaldi is very much in last place, 30 seconds down on Russell. It could be a very early lapping for him.
Lap 16/87: Russell is over two seconds ahead at the front. Will Mercedes aim to keep him to one stop? Fifty-eight second laps really are far to quick for this format of live text commentary.
Lap 15/87: Loren Dunlop asks: “If Russell wins today and the final week.....does it strengthen Mercedes hand in contract negotiations with Hamilton?
“Do we even dare think there is a possibility they pivot to Russell anyway and secure their post Hamilton future? Leaving Hamilton desperately searching for a car good enough to secure his legacy?”
So many questions for you all.
Lap 14/87: Bottas locks up. It has not been the smoothest of drives from the man who was on pole.
Lap 13/87: Russell is looking pretty calm and relaxed at the front.
Lap 12/87: Ricciardo is putting plenty of pressure on Sainz, with the McLaren a bit worried by the car’s use of power.
Lap 11/87: Some early placings ...
1. Russell
2. Bottas
3. Sainz
4. Ricciardo
5. Kvyat
6. Stroll
Lap 10/87: The medium compound tyre should help Mercedes here and looks to be aiding Russell early on.
Lap 9/87: Russell has the quickest lap time thus far with 58.00. Can he maintain it?
Lap 8/87: Norris goes past Vettel to move into ninth. Stewards will look at the early incident between Perez, Verstappen and Leclerc after the race.
Updated
Lap 7/87: We are racing again! Sainz and Bottas battle for second with the former taking it momentarily before the Mercedes man goes past him.
Lap 6/87: Perez pitted after the early contact for a tyre change, rather than due to damage.
Lap 5/87: This is a great race for fans of the safety car and replays of botched starts.
Lap 4/87: We should not forget about Bottas’ dreadful start. The Mercedes man is struggling at the beginning of races at the moment.
Lap 3/87: More safety car action. Russell the man behind the safety card
Lap 2/87: Sergio Perez did for both Verstappen and Leclerc with a move across the track. The stewards will be interested in that move.
Lap 1/87: Russell takes the lead on the first corner. To think he was worried about a slow start. Verstappen and Leclerc are off the track and out of the race. A dramatic start to say the least. The safety car is out.
Updated
Lights out!
Here we go!
The unknown nature of this track should make it an exciting race, which is an riveting prospect for all involved.
Just over 10 minutes until lights out. Russell was just speaking on Sky and he looks pretty relaxed after a good night’s sleep. Will he be able to get in good start in a different car from the one he is used to?
Eighty-seven laps is quite a lot.
A new 87-lap adventure around Bahrain's Outer Track starts 🔜 #SakhirGP 🇧🇭 #F1 pic.twitter.com/RDKUvwfFnp
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 6, 2020
George Russell has not had his pants pulled down. The 22-year-old has shown plenty of skill already in his short time in a Mercedes and is in second place.
“It has been really tough to jump in last minute, learn a new car, work with new engineers, understand how to make this car go fast because it is a completely different ball game,” said Russell.
“Obviously I’m gutted to miss out on pole by 20 milliseconds. Being so close to pole makes it slightly more frustrating, but if you told me four days ago I would qualify second, I’d thought you’d be pulling my pants down. I have to be pretty pleased.”
Updated
An update on the grid ... Lando Norris will start from last place on the grid following an engine penalty. Norris had been due to line up from 15th on the grid in Bahrain but he will be bumped back for taking on new parts.
Mick Schumacher won the F2 title earlier. He has a big year ahead of him.
Ultimately, we all hope things are a lot less dramatic than last week. It is very good to see Grosjean in fine form.
Russell was so so close to pole.
Here is a look at the grid.
1. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
2. George Russell, Mercedes
3. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5. Sergio Perez, Racing Point
6. Daniil Kvyat, AlphaTauri
7. Daniel Ricciardo, Renault
8. Carlos Sainz, McLaren
9. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
10. Lance Stroll, Racing Point
11. Esteban Ocon, Renault
12. Alexander Albon, Red Bull
13. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo
15. Lando Norris, McLaren
16. Kevin Magnussen, Haas
17. Nicholas Latifi, Williams
18. Jack Aitken, Williams
19. Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo
20. Pietro Fittipaldi, Haas
Good afternoon!
The title race is all done and dusted, Lewis Hamilton is absent after testing positive for Covid-19 and we were in Bahrain last week. One could fear there would be little to look forward to in this Sakhir Grand Prix but that would be a mistake.
For starters, the outer track at the Bahrain International Circuit looks pretty quick. Compared to last weekend, the circuit is 2km shorter, which should add plenty of intrigue to an event that might have lacked plenty. The lap times could be around 54 seconds, which is bad news for this writer but exciting for the viewer.
Furthermore, Hamilton’s absence has given George Russell a seat. The 22-year-old driver is second on the grid, a great feat for a man who has arrived at Mercedes after being temporarily released by Williams. “There have been no targets expected of me by Mercedes because you can’t judge somebody off one race,” Russell said.
Here’s to a fun race!
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