FormulaSpy Logo
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Home
  • F1 News
  • F1 Calendar
  • F1 Standings
  • Drivers
  • Teams
  • Videos
  • Formula E
F1 Shop
F1 Shop
  • Home
  • F1 News
  • F1 Calendar
  • F1 Standings
  • Drivers
  • Teams
  • Videos
  • Formula E
F1 Shop
F1 Shop
No Result
View All Result
FormulaSpy Logo Mobile
No Result
View All Result

Sergio Perez wins maiden race as Mercedes fall apart in Bahrain

Sakhir, Bahrain

Thomas Maher by Thomas Maher
6th December 2020
Reading Time: 4 mins read
F1 Formula 1 Sergio Perez Racing Point Sakhir Grand Prix

Racing Point

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterEmail

Sakhir Grand Prix – Racing Point’s Sergio Perez has claimed a stunning victory under the floodlights in Bahrain, winning as Mercedes’ race fell apart…

RELATED POSTS

Verstappen dominates in Spain as Mercedes get double podium

Race Results – 2023 Spanish Grand Prix

Gasly penalised for impeding and Russell warned for Hamilton clash

Click here for the complete results from the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.

Sergio Perez has won the Sakhir Grand Prix, having come from the very back of the field after a first lap incident.

Perez was caught up in a first lap incident while racing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Perez was tagged going through Turn 3 when Charles Leclerc steamed up the inside, with the Racing Point spun around and facing the wrong way. The Safety Car was deployed, with Perez pitting immediately for repairs and fresh tyres.

At the front, it was a tense battle between the two Mercedes drivers. Off the starting grid, George Russell made the better start to take the lead from Valtteri Bottas into Turn 1. Bottas then made a small error going through Turn 2 and had to fend off Verstappen, Leclerc and Perez. When Leclerc tagged Perez, he went off into the barriers. Verstappen, running wide to avoid the issue, ended up in the gravel and was powerless not to hit the barrier too. Both Leclerc and Verstappen were out on the spot as the Safety Car came out.

When action resumed, George Russell set about easing open a gap over Valtteri Bottas. This he managed, extending his lead to 3 seconds by the time the pit window opened. With the Safety Car having extended the first stint, it enabled the Mercs to make sure a one-stop was a viable strategy.

Russell was the first of the Mercs to stop, swapping to the Hard tyre, while Bottas stayed out on track. Russell initially seemed unhappy with the power from his Merc engine following the stop, and was given instructions to fix it. Russell appeared to find pace then, eating into Bottas’ lead by about five seconds to ensure he came out in the lead when the Finn pitted for the Hards.

ADVERTISEMENT

Russell then led by 8.5 seconds over Bottas after the stops. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez had put in a stellar stint on the Hard tyres to work his way up the order. Quickly back into the points, he wrong-footed teammate Lance Stroll through Turn 4 to take the initiative and head the Racing Point challenge as the race entered its second act.

Bottas had started to eat into Russell’s lead at the front, but the complexion of the race changed with 28 laps to go. Jack Aitken, driving in his first F1 race with Williams, lost control exiting the last corner and hit the barriers. He broke his front wing, and the resulting debris triggered a Safety Car. Mercedes opted to bring in both of their drivers for another stop, double stacking their drivers for the run to the flag. However, Russell received a mixed set of tyres on his car, with some of Bottas’ tyres being fitted to his car. The mistake was realised seconds later when Bottas was in the pit box, with the team opting to refit his same Hard tyres rather than fit incorrect tyres to his car. Russell was forced to pit again the following lap to rectify his tyre mismatch, losing track position as a result.

The race restarted with Perez leading from Ocon and Stroll, with Bottas in P4 ahead of Russell. With Bottas on old Hards and Russell on fresh Mediums, it was game on to see if Russell could claw back to the front. Quickly despatching Russell with a great move around the outside of Turn 6, Russell quickly hunted down Stroll and Ocon to take P2. Now 3 seconds behind Perez with 12 laps to go, Russell was on a charge as he slowly started to reel in the race leader. However, a puncture was to wreck his charge with 10 laps to go. He returned to the pits once again and came out outside the points. A charge to the end on the Softs resulted in him crossing the line in P9.

Perez capitalised on the misfortune of the others to clinch a sensational first win, coming from the very back to win by 10 seconds over Esteban Ocon. Teammate Lance Stroll finished in P3, making it a Racing Point 1-3.

Carlos Sainz finished in P4 for McLaren, with Daniel Ricciardo in P5 for Renault, and Alex Albon coming home in P6 in the sole remaining Red Bull Racing. Daniil Kvyat finished in P7, with Valtteri Bottas slipping to P8 as he struggled home on his old Hard tyres. Russell finished in P9, and is under investigation by race stewards for driving a lap on tyres from Bottas’ allocation. The final points position went to Lando Norris, as he recovered from a back row start after a McLaren engine change.

Pierre Gasly finished in P11 for Alpha Tauri, with Sebastian Vettel in P12 for Ferrari. Antonio Giovinazzi finished P13, just ahead of Alfa Romeo teammate Kimi Raikkonen – the Finn spinning during Lap 1 as he raced in the lower midfield. Kevin Magnussen finished in P15, with Jack Aitken managing P16 despite his slip up. Pietro Fittipaldi finished in P17 for Haas, the last of the classified runners, on his debut in Formula 1 with Haas. Nicholas Latifi retired with an oil leak in his Williams, with Verstappen and Leclerc’s first lap collision accounting for the other two retirements.

Tags: Formula 1Racing PointSakhir Grand PrixSergio PerezTrending
ShareTweetSend
Previous Post

Race Results – 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix

Next Post

Russell holds onto points after stewards investigate tyre error

Thomas Maher

Thomas Maher

Co-owner, Chief Editor and a journalist for FormulaSpy.com - Ireland's only accredited F1 & Formula E website. Enjoy my work - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MidcHN8

Related Posts

Verstappen dominates in Spain as Mercedes get double podium
F1 News

Verstappen dominates in Spain as Mercedes get double podium

4th June 2023
Race Results – 2023 Spanish Grand Prix
F1 News

Race Results – 2023 Spanish Grand Prix

4th June 2023
Gasly penalised for impeding and Russell warned for Hamilton clash
F1 News

Gasly penalised for impeding and Russell warned for Hamilton clash

4th June 2023
Verstappen takes pole in exciting Spanish qualifying
F1 News

Verstappen takes pole in exciting Spanish qualifying

3rd June 2023
Qualifying Results – 2023 Spanish Grand Prix
F1 News

Qualifying Results – 2023 Spanish Grand Prix

3rd June 2023
Verstappen quickest in mixed FP3 conditions
F1 News

Verstappen quickest in mixed FP3 conditions

3rd June 2023
Next Post
F1 Formula 1 Mercedes George Russell Sakhir Grand Prix

Russell holds onto points after stewards investigate tyre error

F1 Formula 1 Sergio Perez Racing Point Sakhir Grand Prix

Perez 'hopes he's not dreaming' after clinching first win

Latest News

Verstappen dominates in Spain as Mercedes get double podium

Verstappen dominates in Spain as Mercedes get double podium

4th June 2023
Race Results – 2023 Spanish Grand Prix

Race Results – 2023 Spanish Grand Prix

4th June 2023
Guenther breaks the curse to win from pole in a Gen3

Guenther breaks the curse to win from pole in a Gen3

4th June 2023
(FP3) Third Practice Result – 2023 Jakarta E-Prix

Race Results – 2023 Jakarta E-Prix 2

4th June 2023
Gasly penalised for impeding and Russell warned for Hamilton clash

Gasly penalised for impeding and Russell warned for Hamilton clash

4th June 2023
Guenther does it again to take second Jakarta pole

Guenther does it again to take second Jakarta pole

4th June 2023
Qualifying Results – 2023 Jakarta E-Prix 2

Qualifying Results – 2023 Jakarta E-Prix 2

4th June 2023
(FP3) Third Practice Result – 2023 Jakarta E-Prix

(FP3) Third Practice Result – 2023 Jakarta E-Prix

4th June 2023
Verstappen takes pole in exciting Spanish qualifying

Verstappen takes pole in exciting Spanish qualifying

3rd June 2023
Qualifying Results – 2023 Spanish Grand Prix

Qualifying Results – 2023 Spanish Grand Prix

3rd June 2023

Recommended Stories

Malaysian Grand Prix Nico Hulkenberg Renault

Race Results – 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix

1st October 2017
Hamilton: Extra run ‘worked perfectly’ to secure pole

Hamilton: Extra run ‘worked perfectly’ to secure pole

24th October 2020
F1 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix Monza

LIVE: 2019 Italian Grand Prix – Round 14

8th September 2019

Popular Stories

  • F1 Formula 1 Haas 2021 livery Uralkali

    WADA confirm interest in Haas’ 2021 livery

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 2022 F1 calendar and pre-season testing dates

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Perez’s manager working on finding alternative seat for 2021’

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Analysis: Where has Ferrari’s speed gone?

    14 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 0
  • Updated – 2020 F1 Drivers, Teams and Driver Numbers

    40 shares
    Share 40 Tweet 0
FormulaSpy

Find the latest Formula 1 news, results & reactions!

FormulaSpy is an independent accredited F1 news site, based in Ireland.

LEARN MORE »

Recent Posts

  • Verstappen dominates in Spain as Mercedes get double podium 4th June 2023
  • Race Results – 2023 Spanish Grand Prix 4th June 2023
  • Guenther breaks the curse to win from pole in a Gen3 4th June 2023

Follow us on Social Media

Follow FormulaSpy on your favourite social media channels!

Built with ❤ in Dublin, Ireland ☘ © 2023
The total or partial reproduction of text, photographs or illustrations is not permitted in any form.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • F1 News
  • F1 Calendar
  • F1 Standings
  • Drivers
  • Teams
  • Videos

Built with ❤ in Dublin, Ireland ☘ © 2023
The total or partial reproduction of text, photographs or illustrations is not permitted in any form.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In