Lewis Hamilton Repeats As Portuguese Grand Prix Winner

Photo Credit: Unnamed Photographer/Pirelli

Hosting its first Portuguese Grand Prix last year as part of Formula 1's shuffled schedule caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Algarve International Circuit in the town of Portimao invited the 2020 drivers to a 4.653-kilometer course defined by elevation changes, heavy braking and a long front stretch that served as an effective DRS zone. The venue holding its inaugural Formula 1 race gained noteworthiness when Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team’s Lewis Hamilton claimed his record-setting 92^nd career victory in the top open wheel series. A little more than six months after the British driver achieved the monumental win, Hamilton extended his tally for all-time victories with the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix.

The 97^th Formula 1 win for the current driver of the #44 Mercedes-AMG race car, Hamilton started 2^nd on the grid for the 66-lap event but had fallen to third place early. Following the completion of the first lap, a collision between the Alfa Romeo race cars necessitated a safety car. The #7 machine of Kimi Raikkonen lost its front wing on the front stretch after hitting the rear of teammate Antonio Giovinazzi. Raikkonen retired from the race while Giovinazzi persevered to finish 12^th. With the resumption of green flag racing on lap 7, Max Verstappen’s Honda-powered Red Bull race car snuck by Hamilton’s Mercedes.

Photo Credit: American Honda Motor Co., Inc

The Portuguese Grand Prix’s polesitter, Valtteri Bottas led the race through the opening 19 laps until his teammate mounted a resurgent effort. Lewis Hamilton retook the second-place spot for lap 11 and would snatch the lead from Bottas on lap 20 maintaining the top spot until his only pit stop on lap 37. Though Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez took possession of the lead of the grand prix by virtue of a long 51-lap opening stint on a set of medium compound Pirelli tires, Hamilton would catch the Mexican pilot before the #11 car’s pit stop.

The majority of the field required just a single pit stop with the timing of the tire change differing depending on strategies. Besides Sergio Perez’s long stint on medium construction Pirelli tires, Lance Stroll extended a set of soft compound rubber to 39 laps on his #18 Aston Martin with the Canadian ultimately settling for 14^th place in Portugal. Two exceptions to the single stop plan were the second and third place machines pitting with a handful of laps remaining in the Portuguese Grand Prix with sights set on the championship point for the fastest lap time. On lap 63, Valtteri Bottas came to the attention of his Mercedes-AMG crew that mounted soft compound Pirelli tires to his #77 car. As Bottas was able to post a 1-minute, 19.865-second lap time on the penultimate lap in the race, Max Versteppen launched into his pursuit for the fastest lap in the grand prix. On the final lap, the #33 Red Bull race car would record a lap time of 1 minute and 19.849 seconds. However, the Dutch driver would learn during his post-race interview that the fastest lap effort was deleted for exceeding track limits.

Crossing the line 29.148 seconds ahead of second place, Lewis Hamilton described his 97^th career Formula 1 win as a “physically and mentally” tough race in post-race comments on the Mercedes AMG team website. The victory allowed the Brit to place some distance between him and Max Verstappen in the drivers’ points standings. Hamilton is now 8 points ahead of the Red Bull Racing competitor after three races.

On the podium, the two Mercedes-AMG drivers were split by the second-place finishing Max Verstappen. An attempt at a Mercedes-AMG team 1-2 finish was defeated as a result of a faulty exhaust sensor on Valtteri Bottas’ vehicle. Hovering roughly 1.5 seconds behind Verstappen with about 15 laps remaining, the sensor caused the Mercedes-Benz power unit in the #77 car to go into a protection mode that gave Bottas less straight line speed for a period during the event’s latter stage.

Photo Credit: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

In fourth, Sergio Perez’s extended time on medium compound tires was enough to keep the Mexican driver’s Honda-powered Red Bull race car ahead of Lando Norris. Sitting third in the drivers’ championship after Portugal, Norris is five points ahead of Valtteri Bottas thanks to top five finishes in all three grand prix events so far in 2021.

Charles Leclerc charged from an eighth place starting spot to finish the Portuguese Grand Prix in a sixth place for Ferrari. With cars crossing the line in seventh and eighth on Sunday, the Alpine F1 Team is currently fifth in the constructors’ points. Frenchman Esteban Ocon narrowly placed ahead of teammate Fernando Alonso capturing two additional championship points. Australian Daniel Ricciardo made the biggest move up the running order in the 66-lap race at the Algarve International Circuit. Struggling to get a decent lap in qualifying resulting in a dismal 16^th starting spot, the McLaren Racing driver rose to finish in ninth place. Ricciardo is one of five drivers who has scored points in all three races in the current season. Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly battled hard in the final laps to take the tenth and final point-paying position as the #55 Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr. dropped out of the top-10 late due to tire graining.

The 2021 Formula 1 tour’s next round has competitors cross the border from Portugal to Spain for an event on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The 2021 Spanish Grand Prix weekend starts on May 7^th and concludes with a 66-lap race on Sunday, May 9^th.

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2021 Formula 1 Season
Portuguese Grand Prix
Race Results
Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	Honda
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	Honda
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
7	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
8	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
9	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
10	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
11	55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
13	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
15	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
16	63	George Russell	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
17	47	Mick Schumacher	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari
20	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari

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Last Modified By: 2514052
Last Modified On: Tuesday, May 04, 2021  15:51:31

Verstappen Scores Win While Mercedes Slips Up in Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Image/Pirelli

The second race of the 2021 Formula 1 season was a wet and wild affair thanks to some April showers on the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari prior to the start of the 63-lap event. A soaked race track presented to the field of 20 drivers and cars at the beginning of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix provided an antagonist as they adjust to the young season. As the water and slickness of the Imola circuit would claim almost every driver off-guard at some point in the Sunday event with varying consequences, a charging Red Bull driven by Dutch driver Max Verstappen weathered the on-track storm best.

The #33 Honda-powered Red Bull Racing machine of Verstappen capitalized on a well-timed launch at the start of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to aggressively take the lead from polesitter Lewis Hamilton. The Red Bull race car had roared from third place on the grid to edge out the Mercedes AMG machine into the second corner. Hamilton battled Verstappen through the opening set of turns but would fall back to second after clipping the track curbing causing minor damage to his car.

Photo Credit: American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

While rain subsided for the actual race, the conditions on the wet Imola track proved treacherous as many drivers started on intermediate compound Pirelli tires. On the formation lap, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc spun on cold tires through the driver from Monaco quickly returned to the track and hold on to his fourth place grid position. The first retirement of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix came on the opening lap when Williams Racing’s Nicholas Latifi crashed in the second sector of the track. The Canadian lost control of his vehicle entering a corner when he locked up his rear wheels under braking. When he rejoined the track, he made contact with the Haas F1 Team driver Nikita Mazepin. This incident would be one of two occasions a safety car period was called.

The second safety car of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix came after a roughly one-lap period in the middle part of the race where both Mercedes AMG cars appearing in the gravel traps in separate incidents with one retiring. On lap 31, second-place runner Lewis Hamilton slid off track at turn 7 as he was lapping the Williams Racing car of George Russell. Although Hamilton’s #44 car was stationary for several seconds he was able to rejoin the race in seventh place. The reason for the safety car occurred on lap 32 as the #63 car of Russell and the #77 Mercedes AMG entry in the hands of Valtteri Bottas crashed. Battling for ninth place ahead of the entry to turn two, the drivers collided on the narrow track causing both to retire.

Photo Credit: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

As Max Versteppen maintained a steady lead through the closing laps at Imola, Lewis Hamilton masterfully salvaged his race. On lap 55, the #44 Mercedes AMG car was able to overtake Leclerc’s Ferrari for third place and would stalk the McLaren-Mercedes race car driven by Lando Norris for the runner-up position. With the aid of DRS, Hamilton sailed by the McLaren just after the start of lap 60 to take the second place spot. Thanks to setting the fastest lap time of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on lap 60, Lewis Hamilton set maintains the drivers’ championship point lead arriving at the Portuguese Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen’s 11^th career Formula 1 victory, the Dutch driver’s win at the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix gives a lot of hope for a season-long rivalry with the seven-time and reigning Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton.

Crossing the line in third place, Lando Norris’ second career series podium is redemption for the Brit after losing third place in qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday due to exceeding track limits in the run.

Photo Credit: Steven Tee/LAT Images/Pirelli

In fourth and fifth place after 63 laps at Imola, Scuderia Ferrari had a quietly successful team effort. Charles Leclerc led his new-for-2021 teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. across the finish line. Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10 for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The next Formula 1 event will take place on May 2^nd as teams return to the Algarve International Circuit for the Portuguese Grand Prix.

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2021 Formula 1 Season
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Race Results
Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	Honda
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
3	4	Lando Norris	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
5	55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
7	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
8	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
10	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
11	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	Honda
12	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
13	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari
17	9	Nikita Mazepin	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari
18	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
19	63	George Russell	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz

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On Track for Victory: Hamilton Fends Off Verstappen for Bahrain F1 Opener

Photo Credit: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

Following a 2020 Formula 1 campaign hindered the COVID-19 global pandemic that delayed the start of the season to July and resulted in a vast shuffling of the schedule towards a 17-race tour that ended in December 13^th, the participants and fans of the 2021 season for the motor racing grand prix are hoping that the majority of surprises will be restricted to the race track for 23 events. Despite the sanctioning body limiting teams to running modified versions of their 2020 chassis, the changes applied towards the assembly in this year’s grid are substantial. Seven of the ten teams have shuffled their driving rosters, Two teams adopted new identities and McLaren has switched from Renault to Mercedes-Benz power are also charges appearing on the 2021 Formula 1 grid.

What remains unchanged is the premise that this could be another season where the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team is the favourite to win week after week en route to a potential eighth consecutive Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship title. The team and its driving lineup consisting of Finland’s Valtteri Bottas and seven-time drivers’ champion and 94-time grand prix race winner Lewis Hamilton is expected to face a fierce fight from Red Bull Racing. The hungry, aggressive Dutch driver Max Verstappen is and the Austrian-based race squad’s newly-acquired veteran pilot Sergio Perez are both expected to act as a foil to the German team.

With more than three months of building anticipation, a new Formula 1 season starting with the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix would put speculation aside for on-track results. During Saturday’s qualifying on the Bahrain International Circuit, Max Verstappen and his #33 Honda-powered Red Bull Racing car claimed pole ahead of the two Mercedes-AMG runners. As the 20 cars completed the formation lap for the first race of the season, the second Red Bull Racing machine driven by Sergio Perez stopped on the track. The shutdown for Perez was brief and the #11 was able to continue but had to relinquish his 11^th place starting grid and started the grand prix from the pit road. The incident also required a second formation lap necessitating in a lap being removed from the 57-lap distance of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Photo Credit: Charles Coates/LAT Images/Pirelli

Now a 56-lap event, the opening round on the 5.412-kilometer featured a successful start for Max Verstappen, the grand prix was short for Nikita Mazepin. The Russian making his debut with Uralkali Haas F1 Team didn’t make it beyond the third corner of the Bahrain International Circuit losing control under throttle on the first lap. A safety car called to tend to the stopped Ferrari-powered Haas F1 Team car.

Full speed action on track resumed after lap three but the race was slowed in the late stage of lap four for debris on track. Pierre Gasly received front wing and floor damage to his AlphaTauri machine after contact with the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo. Though the AlphaTauri driver would continue, Gasly was out of contention. Unrelated to the incident but occurring on the same lap, Mick Schumacher spun his #47 Haas F1 Team coming out of the fourth turn. Starting in his first Formula 1 grand prix, the 2020 Formula 2 champion and son of sporting great Michael Schumacher resumed after the spin to finish in his debut race.

 

Pit stops came early for many taking new tires between lap 12 and lap 18 planning a two-stop routine. Exceptions to the pit strategy included Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Perez. Buried deep in the grid misfortune in qualifying concluding in a 17^th place outcome, Vettel’s first run with Aston Martin Racing saw him climb as high as 7^th place attempting a single pit plan that involved a single stop on lap 24. For Vettel, the strategy failed to garner the results he desired with a penalty added late in the Bahrain Grand Prix when he rear-ended Esteban Ocon’s Alpine race car compounding what was a difficult debut with Aston Martin Racing. In his first race with Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez’s troubles prior to the race’s start resulted in him playing catch-up in the #11 car. The Red Bull Racing team pitted the Mexican during the safety car period on lap two and was able to stretch his next stop to a slightly later time than the other competitors. Sergio Perez would ultimately operate on a three-stop plan amounting to an impressive finish.

Retirements in the Bahrain Grand Prix were relatively light through the first half of the event with Nikita Mazepin being the only driver out. A growing list of drivers on the sidelines before the conclusion of the first Formula 1 race of 2021 would first add the #14 Alpine of Fernando Alonso. In the race where Alonso returned to the series and team related to his two drivers’ championship titles, he would retire to the garage on lap 34 due to rear brake issues. Pierre Gasly failed to finish the grand prix parking his AlphaTauri machine late due to lingering damage caused in his opening lap collision and the Williams Racing FW43B race car of Canada’s Nicholas Latifi also dropped out before the chequered flag due to a lack of power suspected to be a boost leak.

Vehicles exceeding course limits at the Bahrain International Circuit’s turn four were a persistent problem during practice and resulted in several times in qualifying being deleted. During the race, Lewis Hamilton’s line through the corner was cautioned against for exploring too much of the boundaries of the track. However, the race stewards enforcement of the track limits through turn four actually served to aid Hamilton in his quest for victory.

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Images/Pirelli

Verstappen and Hamilton swapped the top spot in the Bahrain Grand Prix during pit stop exchanges with Hamilton gaining first place after the #33 Red Bull machine pitted on lap 39. Rejoining the track 5.4 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen began to chase down the Mercedes-AMG racer closing to within DRS range (a one-second interval) by lap 51. On the 53^rd lap, the rapidly closing Verstappen pounced on the #44 Mercedes-AMG race car with a charge from turn three down the straight heading into turn four. Along the outside of Hamilton into the fourth corner, Verstappen’s #33 Red Bull Racing car would prevail on the way out of the turn. However, the new leader would be forced to surrender the position back to Hamilton due to Verstappen running wide through the weekend’s infamous corner. As the Mercedes-AMG race car regained the lead, the Red Bull Racing driver was unable to mount a meaningful challenge in the remaining laps of the race.

Standing on the top spot of a Formula 1 podium for the 95^th time in his career, Lewis Hamilton’s victory in the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix was a hard-fought effort operating on 11-lap older hard compound tires than his Red Bull Racing rival. Already holding and expanding records including most career wins and most career poles, the recently-knighted Brit claimed the all-time record for laps led by a single driver. Hamilton is currently vying for a record-breaking 8^th Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship with his third consecutive victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix acting as a good start on that amazing, competitive journey.

Photo Credit: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

Crossing the finish line just 0.745 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen’s second place result came after a strong effort from pole. As the first grand prix of the 2021 season, the presence of the Dutch driver’s #33 Honda-powered Red Bull Racing machine haunting the Mercedes-AMG cars of Hamilton and Bottas throughout the weekend provides hope for one of the more competitive seasons of Formula 1 in years. Despite the Red Bull Racing team missing out on winning their first season opening Formula 1 round since 2011, the organization can be pleased for both the pressure applied by Verstappen as well as a magnificent recovery for Sergio Perez. After 56 laps, the Mexican’s debut for the team netted a solid fifth place finish.

Taking third place and the final podium spot in the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix is the second Mercedes-AMG race car driven by Valtteri Bottas. The finish was a great result for the Finnish driver considering a troublesome second pit stop where an issue at the right-front wheel of the #77 car translated into a 10.9-second stop. Bottas was pitted for a third time on lap 54 in what was a successful bid to snag the point for the fastest race lap away from previous holder Max Verstappen.

Cars finishing in fourth and seventh place are both examples of an initially promising reunification for McLaren and Mercedes-Benz. Starting from seventh place, Lando Norris drove a steady race at Bahrain to take the highest spot short of the podium. Daniel Ricciardo’s first appearance in the orange and blue ended with a respectable seventh place run.

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Images/Pirelli

The fourth and final team to have both drivers finish in the top-10 is Scuderia Ferrari. Eager to put aside a much-maligned 2020 effort, the famed Italian group brought Charles Leclerc home in sixth place and Carlos Sainz Jr. to the chequered flag in eighth.

Kicking off his Formula 1 racing career in fine fashion, 20-year-old Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda scored points in his first race. Tsunoda’s debut with AlphaTauri saw the rookie battling through a tightly-contested mid-pack battle where he out-muscled Lance Stroll on the last lap for ninth place. Scoring a point in the first grand prix for the newly-branded Aston Martin Racing team, Stroll’s tenth place result is only the second time the Canadian collected a point in the opening round of a Formula 1 season. Though just a single point in their return to the grand prix grid after 71 years, Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team’s captured an honour that eluded its predecessor organization that operated in 1959 and 1960.

The second round for the 2021 Formula 1 season is scheduled for Italy’s Imola Circuit (also known as Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari). The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix race is slated for April 18^th.

2021 Formula 1 Season

Bahrain Grand Prix

Race Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	Honda
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
4	4	Lando Norris	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
5	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	Honda
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
8	55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
9	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
10	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
11	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
14	63	George Russell	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari
17	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
19	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari

Chequered Flag for Checo: Perez Wins Sakhir Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Zak Mauger/LAT Images/Pirelli

Since entering the sport in 2011 with Sauber, Mexican driver Sergio Perez has been recognized as a skillful, talented Formula 1 competitor. With the underfunded race team, Perez almost pulled off an upset victory at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix but instead finished a strong second to Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari. Despite his promise (and even strong rumours of a seat at Scuderia Ferrari), the driver affectionately nicknamed “Checo” had spent much of his career in the sport with mid-field teams. Perez moved to a regressing McLaren team in 2013 but spent only a season in the ride until joining Force India. Between 2014 and 2018, the Mexican scored five podiums with the squad. Sergio Perez stayed with Force India after it was purchased by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll hopeful of the direction for the renamed Racing Point team. His prediction was correct as Racing Point has now become a solid top-five effort in Formula 1. However, Perez’s loyalty was seemingly betrayed after news of the soon-to-be named Aston Martin team signing four-time world driving champion Sebastian Vettel to pair with Canadian Lance Stroll for next season. 

In a 2020 Formula 1 season derailed early by being the first driver to miss grand prix races due to a positive COVID-19 test (Nico Hulkenberg filled his Racing Point ride for the British and 70th Anniversary Grand Prix), Sergio Perez actually boasted a remarkable feat. Until last week’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Perez had finished in the points in every Formula 1 race he entered. Running second last Sunday, a failure with his Mercedes-Benz power unit was a heartbreaking outcome as the 30-year-old seeks to finish strong with Racing Point while his place in the 2021 tour is in doubt. In the race after the disappointing retirement that cost him a podium, Sergio Perez would have the moment he had been waiting for over his 10-year career.

Arranged on the Bahrain International Circuit’s 3.543-kilometer Outer Circuit layout, the Sakhir Grand Prix was immediately viewed as an unusual race. A short race course showcased by Valtteri Bottas’ 53.377-second pole time in his Mercedes-AMG F1 W11 EQ Performance race car, the penultimate race during the 2020 Formula 1 season also lacked two regular drivers. Reigning and 2020 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton had to step away from his team after a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Surviving what was one of the scariest Formula 1 crashes in years one the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean suffered burns to his hands and was unable to race for the Haas F1 Team. George Russell was called over from the Williams Racing team to fill in Hamilton’s big shoes with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team (ironically needing to wear smaller racing shoes to fit into the championship-winning race car’s cockpit) while Pietro Fittipaldi was tapped to replace Grosjean in the second Haas VF-20 machine.     

Photo Credit: Andy Hone for Daimler AG

With two Mercedes-AMG cars at the front of the grid, the 87-lap Sakhir Grand Prix was sent underway but an opening lap incident would prevent the completion of the second race in the Bahrain International Circuit complex. Thankfully not as severe in impact as Grosjean’s fiery race car last week, the Sakhir Grand Prix’s first-lap accident had major ramifications for the final results. For Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, their race ended on the exit of the fourth turn. The #16 Ferrari dived to the right of the Racing Point of Sergio Perez for what was the inside line heading into the corner. As Perez turned right, Leclerc remained alongside resulting in the left front wheel impacting Perez’s car. The Racing Point spun while the Ferrari with a damaged front suspension coasted slowly to a stop. Attempting to avoid the nearby collision, the Red Bull Racing car of Max Verstappen arched wide into turn four but lost traction on the gravel in the runnoff area. Verstappen’s car nosed into the track wall close to Leclerc’s derelict Ferrari. Though Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen was out of the race, Sergio Perez remained in the race but dropped deep down to 18th place after making a pit stop for new medium compound Pirelli tires. 

Just before the safety car had been called to allow track crews to clean up the lap one crash, the Mercedes-AMG team drivers duelled for the early lead with substitute driver George Russell gaining an advantage over Bottas. On the short Outer Circuit track, laps clicked off quickly during the Sakhir Grand Prix. While there were 87 laps to the event, the majority of the field completed the race on no more than two pit stops. George Russell maintained a small yet steady lead on Valtteri Bottas until he pitted on lap 45. Although he encountered a brief sensor issue on his #63 Mercedes, Russell soon cycled back to the lead as Bottas came to his pit crew on lap 49. 

Photo Credit: Wolfgang Wilhelm for Daimler AG

Behind the two Mercedes-AMG team cars, many competitors between third and seventh place remained close with the total reach among the vehicles being roughly three seconds. Deeper in the field early in the race, Sergio Perez performed an ambitious charge back to the front-running cars. By lap 20, the Mexican had returned to the top 10 and continued to make his way up the running order as other drivers made pit stops. After making a stop for new tires on lap 47, Perez returned to the track behind his Racing Point teammate Lance Stroll. By this point in the race, Stroll had been following the Renault of Esteban Ocon but was unable to pass the yellow and black car. Sergio Perez approached the pair and would pass his teammate on lap 56. The following lap, Perez passed Ocon into turn four gaining the third place spot behind the Mercedes-AMG cars. 

On lap 61, seemingly minor on-track incident involving the Williams driven by Jack Aitken reshaped the entire 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. Running wide at the track’s eleventh and final turn, Aitken spun and lost his car’s front wing when he clipped the wall. Though the Williams was able to continue to the pit for a replacement front end piece, the debris resulted in a safety car period. Looking to capitalize on their significant lead over the rest of the field, the two Mercedes-AMG drivers were summoned to pit lane for new tires. The winner of seven consecutive Formula 1 Constructor Championship, the Mercedes-AMG team is often seen for its brilliance as it achieves race win after race win. However, on this occasion with the strategy call, the group made an uncharacteristically colossal mistake. Pitting George Russell first during what was a hastily planned move, the wrong tires were placed on the #63 car. When Russell left, the problem was compounded when the pit crew was unable to mount new tires to the #77 car of Valtteri Bottas. Within the confusion that involved an attempted tire change on Bottas’ car, the Mercedes-AMG team needed to remount the previously used tires to the Finnish driver’s machine. Russell was brought back to the pits dropping him to fifth place. 

With the faltering of the Mercedes-AMG race team, Sergio Perez inherited the lead until the safety car followed by Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll. The pace car returned to pit road at the end of lap 68 setting up a late-race fight among competitors. Losing the lead, George Russell began to chart a path to Perez. Russell climbed to third place by lap 72 and snatched the runner-up spot from Ocon on the following lap. The #63 Mercedes-AMG race car slowly reeled in the Racing Point closing to 2.2 seconds with nine laps remaining. Sadly, any chance of a late race battle for the lead was defeated by a tire puncture on Russel’s car. 

Photo Credit XPB / James Moy Photography Ltd for Groupe Renault

Crossing the finish line with a comfortable 10.518-second lead, Sergio Perez piloted himself and the Racing Point team to a first-ever victory. In addition to being the first victory for the driver and team, the triumph in the Sakhir Grand for Sergio Perez and Racing Point established several other notable achievements. Perez becomes the first Mexican national to win in Formula 1 since Pedro Rodriguez captured the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix. The Mexican’s first Formula 1 win came on his 190th start in the series setting a new record for most driver starts before achieving victory. The record was previous held by Australian Mark Webber when he won the 2009 German Grand Prix driving for Red Bull Racing on his 130th start. The latest Formula 1 victor commented on his great career moment in a statement on Racing Point’s website saying.  “It’s still sinking in that I’ve won the race; I’m almost afraid to get too excited in case I’m dreaming!”

With the victory for Racing Point, four constructors have currently won races in the 2020 season. The last time more than three teams posted wins in a single season was in 2013 before the initialization of the current turbo/hybrid power unit era. The second Racing Point piloted by Lance Stroll finishing in third-place provided an extra reason to celebration. Though Stroll was disappointed by the result reflecting on several matters that could have potentially granted him victory, the 22-year-old was pleased with the effort of the entire team and the victorious Perez. “It’s one of those things, but the important thing is the team result. I’m delighted for the team and so happy for Checo. He’s been a part of this team for a long time. He’s been running up at the front so many times in his career and he totally deserves a victory.” said Stroll. Since his third-place result at Monza in early September, the Canadian had battled a string of unfortunate incidents on race day that involved just one point-paying finish in the previous seven grand prix events. Collecting a total of 40 points between Perez and Stroll, Racing Point has reacquired the third place in the constructors’ championship with one race remaining. 

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Images/Pirelli

Between the two Racing Point competitors on the Sakhir Grand Prix podium, France’s Esteban Ocon grabbed his first career top-three in Formula 1. Ocon’s Renault DP World F1 Team pitted him only once in the race on lap 41 mounting hard compound tires on his #31 machine. The result serves as a major bode of confidence for the Renault driver as he prepares to partner with Fernando Alonso next season. Driving for Force India/Racing Point in 2017 and 2018 as a teammate for Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon’s first podium coming on this particular occasion is fitting. 

Close behind Lance Stroll across the finish line, Carlos Sainz Jr. takes fourth for McLaren in his second-to-last race for the team ahead of a 2021 relocation to Scuderia Ferrari. Finishing in fifth is Sainz’s replacement at McLaren for next season. Daniel Ricciardo took the chequered flag a little more than half a second before sixth-place Alexander Albon driving the last remaining entry for the race for Red Bull Racing. Russian Daniil Kvyat scored the only points for Scuderia AlphaTauri concluding an impressive qualifying performance with a seventh-place finish after 87 laps in Bahrain. 

After appearing poised to take their 14th grand prix in the 2020 Formula 1, the Mercedes-AMG team’s rare stumbling near the end of the Sakhir Grand Prix resulted in their entries finishing in eighth and ninth place. Valtteri Bottas uncomfortably drove the last laps of the event on a well-used set of Pirelli tires but finished ahead of his teammate for the weekend. Bottas’ quest to end the season in the second-place spot in the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship was bolstered by his points-paying result in Bahrain and Max Verstappen’s early retirement from the event. The margin between Bottas and Verstappen is 16 points heading to Abu Dhabi.

Driving the race of his relatively young Formula 1 career, George Russell’s interim ride allowed the Brit to convince many observers of his prowess. Following up on topping both Friday practice sessions and narrowly missing pole on Saturday during the Sakhir Grand Prix weekend, Russell led a large portion of Sunday’s main event and posted the fastest lap in the race. With victory appearing to be in his grasp, the 22-year-old Brit stated through Mercedes-AMG’s website, “I’ve had races before where I had a victory taken away from me, but it felt like that happened twice today, I still can’t quite believe it.”. George Russell does earn his first career Formula 1 points with a ninth place finish and the single-point obtaining the fastest lap time. Russell finished ahead of fellow British driver Lando Norris.  

Set to wrap up the 2020 Formula 1 season as the 17th round on the schedule, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will run on December 13th. 

2020 Formula 1
Sakhir Grand Prix
Race Results

Lewis Hamilton Locks Up Seventh Champion with Turkish Grand Prix Victory

Photo Credit: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

Located within a city that connects the European and Asian continents, Intercity Istanbul Park had been widely regarded as one of the finest tracks in Formula 1 when the tour visited it between 2005 and 2011 for the Turkish Grand Prix. Designed by Hermann Tilke inspired by tracks including Spa-Francorchamps, Suzuka and even WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway, the 14-turn, 5.338-kilometer course has been lauded by drivers and by fans. Sadly, despite an attempt to have a crowd in the grandstands for this race weekend months prior, the 2020 return of the Turkish Grand Prix would run without spectators due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases. Spared of what ended up being a wet Saturday and Sunday at the Istanbul track, fans unfortunately missed witnessing one of the most unpredictable grand prix events of the already unusual 2020 season. 

A prelude to what would be a wild 2020 Turkish Grand Prix was the rain-drenched qualifying session taking nearly two hours to complete due to an extended red flag. Racing Point driver Lance Stroll captured his first Formula 1 pole in a late battle between Max Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez. Sunday’s 58-lap feature event allowed the young Canadian to preside at the front of field as the 20-car field prepared to take on a wet Intercity Istanbul Park surface. The first race in 2020 where a Mercedes-AMG factory race car did not start at the front, the Turkish Grand Prix saw the usually stable seasonal front-runners Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas would be placed in sixth and ninth respectively on the grid.

Though there would be no rainfall for the start of the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, all but the two Williams Racing team cars started the race on full wet weather tires as the recently resurfaced 5.338-kilometer race track was still soaked. From his first Grand Prix pole position, Lance Stroll performed a stellar start holding onto an early lead during what was a busy entrance into the Intercity Istanbul Park’s turn one. Sharing the front row of the grid with Stroll’s Mercedes-Benz powered Racing Point car, Max Verstappen was ambushed after a poor launch. The Red Bull Racing driver left the first turn in fifth place aided when the Mercedes-AMG race car of Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon spun in the corner after making contact. Both Bottas and Ocon remained running but have a difficult race. 

Photo Credit: Charles Coates/LAT Images/Pirelli

Starting third, Sergio Perez skillfully navigated his way to second place into the first turn resulting in the Racing Point cars running in the top two positions early in the Turkish Grand Prix for what could be a highlight moment for the organization. Other drivers improving positions at the start of the race included Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Hoping the clinch his seventh Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship in Turkey, Hamilton jumped to third early in the first lap but his Mercedes-AMG race car slid wide later in the opening lap falling back to sixth place. 

Although the full 58-lap distance of the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix presented slick conditions for competitors, the race’s progression saw the track surface drying leading to the field to abandon their wet weather tires for intermediate tread tires. While Williams Racing drivers Nicholas Latifi and George Russell started on intermediate tires from pit road, the remainder of competitors pitted between lap 6 and lap 12. Ferrari was the first team to begin swapping Pirelli tires when they pitted Charles Leclerc on the sixth lap. Leader Lance Stroll came to the attention of his Racing Point pit crew on lap 9 and would recapture the top spot in the race after lap 12. The stops came just ahead of a brief virtual safety car period used to retrieve the stopped Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi. 

The Turkish Grand Prix ended up being the tale of two races for Lance Stroll. From the start in wet conditions, Stroll took advantage of a clear track and compiled a lead of more than five seconds over his teammate in second place. After accumulating a 10-second lead on teammate Sergio Perez, the #18 Racing Point RP20 began to slowly lose its advantage at the front. By lap 24, the gap between first and second draw to within four seconds and Perez would close to within a second of Stroll by lap 35. As the Mexican shadowed his Canadian teammate on lap 36, Racing Point pitted Stroll’s car for a second set of intermediate tires. Returning to the track in fourth place, Lance Stroll was no longer at the wheel of a potentially winning car in Turkey. Citing graining of the latter two sets of tires, the pole-sitting vehicle would run the remainder of the Turkish Grand Prix recording some of the slowest lap times. Losing ground to the majority of the top-10 runners, Stroll limped his Racing Point across the finish line in ninth place. Although scoring his first championship points since his third place finish at Monza in early September, Lance Stroll left the Istanbul track on Sunday falling short of the promising result that might have been. 

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Images/Pirelli

Following Stroll’s second pit stop, Sergio Perez inherited the lead of the grand prix. Unfortunately for the veteran Mexican driver who has been chasing his first Formula 1 win since he joined the tour in 2011, the Turkish Grand Prix would not be sight of victory. While Lance Stroll was losing pace as the race shifted from wet to intermediate tires, the Mercedes-AMG of Lewis Hamilton showed the performance the German team had largely lacked over the weekend. Seven seconds behind Perez on lap 32, Hamilton closed to within two seconds of the #11 Racing Point by the end of lap 36. Holding the lead for less than a lap, Sergio Perez was rapidly overtaken by Lewis Hamilton under braking into turn 12 on lap 37.

While Hamilton pulled out a considerable lead over the field in last third of the event in Turkey, a fight second place shaped up as the Racing Point started to feel pressure from the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel. On the final lap of the Turkish Grand Prix, Sergio Perez slid on the exit of turn 9 and allowed Leclerc to take the second place spot on the exit of turn 10. However, just as the driver of the #16 Ferrari benefited from a competitor overshooting a corner, he himself would fall victim to a last lap miscalculation on the slippery Intercity Istanbul Park track. Entering turn 12, Leclerc slid wide allowing Perez to retake second place as well as the Ferrari driven by Sebastian Vettel to pass for third. 

Taking the chequered flag 31.6 seconds before the second-place driver, Lewis Hamilton took 2020 Turkish Grand Prix and his 10th win of the season. Additionally, Hamilton’s win clinches the 2020 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship with three races remaining on the schedule. In the year where the Brit equalled and succeeded Michael Schumacher in all-time Formula 1 grand prix victories, Hamilton is now tied with the German driver for World Drivers’ Championship titles with seven. 

Photo Credit: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

Falling short of victory, Sergio Perez and Racing Point celebrates a strong effort together in Istanbul. Perez’s first podium since the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Mexican’s only other runner-up finishes came with an upset performance at the Malaysian Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix in 2012. Looking for a new ride in Formula 1 or in another form of motorsports, Perez continues to make an impression in 2020 as he bids farewell to Racing Point. The second-place finish for Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll’s ninth place result allows Racing Point to take possession of third place in the Formula 1 Constructors’ standings currently five points ahead of McLaren.

The story of Sebastian Vettel’s 2020 Formula 1 campaign prior to the Turkish Grand Prix is well-documented. Following five previous seasons that did not produce a drivers’ or constructor championship, many observers consider the pairing of Ferrari and Vettel as a disappointment on that front before looking at this year. With the team appearing to favour the younger Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari/Vettel partnership is set to end after 2020. This planned separation has arguably had some effect on the year as Sebastian Vettel’s best run in 2020 was a sixth place result in the Hungarian Grand Prix while Leclerc has two podium finishes and generally outscores his German teammate. In this complicated race in Turkey, Sebastian Vettel showed his most competitive form of the season. Though his first podium since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix came due to a mistake by his teammate, Vettel nonetheless ran solidly with the leaders throughout the Turkish Grand Prix. With Charles Leclerc crossing the line in fourth place after starting in 12th place, Ferrari has given their hard-core fans some sense of relief that progress can be made with their SF1000 race car.   

Qualifying 13th but forced to start 15th on the grid after receiving a penalty in qualifying impeding Sergio Perez in the session, Carlos Sainz Jr. and his McLaren team managed to score an impressive 5th place finish after 58 laps. Scoring points in the last four grand prix events, Sainz passes his teammate Lando Norris in the season’s drivers’ points standings. Norris Finished eighth in the Turkish Grand Prix but also gained the additional point in the race for achieving the fastest lap at 1-minutes, 36.806 seconds (almost 11 seconds faster than Lance Stroll’s pole time on Saturday).

With drivers finishing in sixth and seventh place, Red Bull Racing had an underwhelming result at the Turkish Grand Prix. After almost capturing pole on Saturday, Max Verstappen showed speed with his Honda-powered race car but also drifted off track on several occasions. Verstappen as well as his teammate Alexander Albon found inconsistency performing on the slick Intercity Istanbul Park circuit. Finishing ahead of Albon, Max Verstappen’s chance at a podium result was foiled by the necessity of a third pit stop after a lap 18 dice with second-place Sergio Perez. Attempting to pass the Racing Point, the #33 Red Bull race car lost control on a wet portion of the track. Spinning twice and coming to a brief stop, Verstappen resumed but the incident led to the premature end for his tires requiring him to pit just seven laps after the initial stop for intermediate tires.

Photo Credit: Charles Coates/Motorsport Images for American Honda Motor Co.

Rounding out the top 10 for the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix is the Renault of Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo finished ahead of teammate Esteban Ocon who beat the two AlphaTauri racers across the finish line. The trip to Istanbul was only the second twice in 2020 that the AlphaTauri team failed to score championship points. Despite the adventurous conditions in the 58-lap event, the list of retirements from the Turkish Grand Prix was relatively low at just four cars (Magnussen finished 55 laps but did not take the chequered flag).

Leaving Turkey, Formula 1 now has a 2020 World Drivers’ Champion and three races remaining. The next race will be the Bahrain Grand Prix on November 29th serving as one of two events being held on the Bahrain International Circuit. 

2020 Formula 1
Turkish Grand Prix
Race Results