TYRED AND EMOTIONAL
Mercedes pit-lane mix-up costs Lewis stand-in Russell his first Grand Prix win
GEORGE RUSSELL was denied a fairy-tale debut win in the cruellest fashion – but still showed he can be Lewis Hamilton’s heir apparent.
The British ace stepped into his compatriot’s championshipwinning Mercedes and was en-route to a stunning triumph at the Sakhir Grand Prix.
But an embarrassing pit-stop gaf fe threw a spanner in the works with victory in sight.
Russell had built a commanding five- second lead wh e n Mercedes called both drivers in for new tyres as a safety car was deployed after a spin by rookie
Jack Aitken. However the mechanics bizarrely put Valtteri Bottas’ tyres on Russell’s car, forcing the 22-year-old to come back into the pits again on the following lap.
He wasted no time in moving up the order, passing Bottas, Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon inside two laps.
He was in leader Sergio Perez’s rear-view mirrors until he was denied by a late puncture.
Racing Point’s Perez took the chequered flag on an extraordinary evening in Bahrain to claim the first win of his career with Russell picking up two points in ninth.
But this race will be remembered as the day the rookie announced himself on the global stage, albeit without the storybook ending.
Russell had never managed a single point in his previous 36 outings in Formula One in an uncompetitive Williams.
But when he was handed a championship-winning car as a
replacement for Hamilton, who is suffering from coronavirus, he showed his ability with a sensational drive.
The King’s Lynn-born driver swept past Bottas at the start and showed composure beyond his years to retain his lead and then fight back after the tyre mix-up.
Unfortunately, Russell then discovered the cruel side of sport as a puncture with eight of the 87 laps remaining wrecked his hopes of a victory. But the Briton has
now given Mercedes food for thought when it comes time for Hamilton, 35, to end his glittering career. Russell, who joined the Silver Arrows’ junior driver programme in 2017, is effectively on loan at Williams and has had to bide his time having spent the majority of the season at the back of the grid.
But he has done his hopes of landing a permanent Mercedes seat no harm – and left red-faced Bottas fighting for his future.
MICK SCHUMACHER has proved next season’s call-up to F1’s Haas team is on merit after claiming the F2 title in Bahrain last night.
Schumacher, 21, the son of seven-time F1 champion Michael, said: “I owe it all to my team. I’m a bit overwhelmed.”