2020 F1 Sakhir Grand Prix race results

Mercedes’ Russell grabbed the lead with a brilliant launch off the startline, as pole-sitting teammate Valtteri Bottas toiled to fend off a quick-starting Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Perez after a big slide at Turn 2. But a safety car was required almost immediately, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc collided with Perez at Turn 4 and Verstappen understeered into the barrier in avoidance of their clash.

Perez was the only one of the trio to continue, dropping to the tail of the field and pitting for fresh rubber.

Russell restarted in the lead from Bottas, ahead of Carlos Sainz (McLaren), Daniel Ricciardo (Renault), Daniil Kvyat (AlphaTauri) and Lance Stroll (Racing Point). Sainz drove around the outside of Bottas for second at Turn 1, but ran wide and gave the place back. That allowed Russell to get outside of Bottas’s DRS range.

Perez battled his way rapidly back into the top 10, pulling off an awesome move on Red Bull’s Alex Albon at Turn 4.

Kvyat undercut past Ricciardo for fourth place, after Renault called the Australian in too late during the first round of pitstops, while Ocon did the same to Stroll.

Despite a post-pitstop panic when he had to change an engine setting due to “no power”, Russell gained by stopping several laps before Bottas, extending his lead to over 8s.

On Lap 55, Nicholas Latifi’s stranded Williams brought out a brief virtual safety car, Sainz just missing the window to pit during this phase, so dropped from third to seventh when he stopped for a second time.

Perez was the man to watch, carving past teammate Stroll when he outbraked himself at Turn 4, then passing Ocon for a spot on the podium.

Debutant Jack Aitken caused a second safety car, when he ran wide and lost his front wing at the final corner.

Mercedes double stacked Russell and Bottas, and mixed up its tyre sets, causing a very slow stop for Bottas, who rejoined on the tyres he pitted on, but requiring Russell to pit again – as he’d been fitted with the wrong rubber.

That promoted Perez to the lead, ahead of Ocon and Stroll. Bottas restarted fourth, ahead of Russell, who passed him with a committed move at Turn 7.

Russell outbraked Stroll for third at Turn 1 on Lap 72, and picked off Ocon for second a lap later on the run to Turn 4. But Perez had pulled out a 3s lead, before Russell suffered a rear puncture with eight laps to go, dropping him to 14th. On his old tyres, Bottas too plummeted down the order.

All the Mercedes drama allowed Perez to take his maiden F1 win, well clear of Ocon and Stroll. Sainz recovered to finish fourth, ahead of Ricciardo, Albon, Kvyat and Bottas. Russell recovered to finish ninth with fastest lap.

F1 Sakhir Grand Prix race results

Cla	Driver		Laps	Time	Interval
1	Sergio Perez		87	-
2	Esteban Ocon		87	10.518	10.518
3	Lance Stroll		87	11.869	1.351
4	Carlos Sainz Jr.		87	12.580	0.711
5	Daniel Ricciardo		87	13.330	0.750
6	Alex Albon		87	13.842	0.512
7	Daniil Kvyat		87	14.534	0.692
8	Valtteri Bottas		87	15.389	0.855
9	George Russell		87	18.556	3.167
10	Lando Norris		87	19.541	0.985
11	Pierre Gasly		87	20.527	0.986
12	Sebastian Vettel		87	22.611	2.084
13	Antonio Giovinazzi		87	24.111	1.500
14	Kimi Raikkonen		87	26.153	2.042
15	Kevin Magnussen		87	32.370	6.217
16	Jack Aitken		87	33.674	1.304
17	Pietro Fittipaldi		87	36.858	3.184
	Nicholas Latifi		52
	Max Verstappen		0
	Charles Leclerc		0
View full results

F1 Sakhir Grand Prix fastest laps

Cla	Driver		Chassis	Engine	Laps	Time	Gap	Interval	km/h
1	George Russell		Mercedes	Mercedes	80	55.404			230.214
2	Valtteri Bottas		Mercedes	Mercedes	60	56.563	1.159	1.159	225.497
3	Sergio Perez		Racing Point	Mercedes	69	56.789	1.385	0.226	224.599
4	Antonio Giovinazzi		Alfa Romeo	Ferrari	56	56.887	1.483	0.098	224.212
5	Sebastian Vettel		Ferrari	Ferrari	56	56.905	1.501	0.018	224.141
6	Daniel Ricciardo		Renault	Renault	57	56.979	1.575	0.074	223.850
7	Daniil Kvyat		AlphaTauri	Honda	80	57.001	1.597	0.022	223.764
8	Alex Albon		Red Bull	Honda	52	57.056	1.652	0.055	223.548
9	Carlos Sainz Jr.		McLaren	Renault	80	57.165	1.761	0.109	223.122
10	Pierre Gasly		AlphaTauri	Honda	53	57.220	1.816	0.055	222.908
11	Lando Norris		McLaren	Renault	85	57.270	1.866	0.050	222.713
12	Esteban Ocon		Renault	Renault	75	57.350	1.946	0.080	222.402
13	Kimi Raikkonen		Alfa Romeo	Ferrari	56	57.375	1.971	0.025	222.305
14	Lance Stroll		Racing Point	Mercedes	85	57.388	1.984	0.013	222.255
15	Jack Aitken		Williams	Mercedes	56	57.392	1.988	0.004	222.240
16	Kevin Magnussen		Haas	Ferrari	57	57.516	2.112	0.124	221.760
17	Pietro Fittipaldi		Haas	Ferrari	56	57.742	2.338	0.226	220.892
18	Nicholas Latifi		Williams	Mercedes	29	58.206	2.802	0.464	219.132
View full results

F1 Sakhir Grand Prix tyre history

Cla	Driver		Chassis	Engine	1		2		3		4		5
1	Sergio Perez		Racing Point	Mercedes	S	4	M	46	H	40
2	Esteban Ocon		Renault	Renault	M	41	H	46
3	Lance Stroll		Racing Point	Mercedes	S	45	M	45
4	Carlos Sainz Jr.		McLaren	Renault	S	31	M	27	M	32
5	Daniel Ricciardo		Renault	Renault	S	32	M	26	H	32
6	Alex Albon		Red Bull	Honda	M	47	H	15	S	25
7	Daniil Kvyat		AlphaTauri	Honda	S	30	M	28	H	34
8	Valtteri Bottas		Mercedes	Mercedes	M	53	H	13	H	38
9	George Russell		Mercedes	Mercedes	M	49	H	17	M	4	M	21	S	12
10	Lando Norris		McLaren	Renault	S	20	M	34	M	33
11	Pierre Gasly		AlphaTauri	Honda	S	31	M	29	H	36
12	Sebastian Vettel		Ferrari	Ferrari	M	33	H	23	S	9	S	27
13	Antonio Giovinazzi		Alfa Romeo	Ferrari	M	26	H	28	M	33
14	Kimi Raikkonen		Alfa Romeo	Ferrari	M	23	H	31	M	8	S	25
15	Kevin Magnussen		Haas	Ferrari	S	26	M	28	S	36
16	Jack Aitken		Williams	Mercedes	M	31	H	23	M	5	S	28
17	Pietro Fittipaldi		Haas	Ferrari	S	31	M	22	S	14	S	27
	Nicholas Latifi		Williams	Mercedes	S	27	M	25
	Max Verstappen		Red Bull	Honda	S	3
	Charles Leclerc		Ferrari	Ferrari	S	3
View full results

F1 Sakhir Grand Prix as it happened