F1: Sergio Perez wins spectacular Sakhir Grand Prix

In perhaps the most exciting race of the season, Sergio Perez claimed his first career Formula One race win after a puncture late in the race denied George Russell a win as Lewis Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes.

Charles Leclerc's mistake not only ended his race but also Max Verstappen's on the first lap, which blew open the contest even more. Perez, who was also involved in the collision, somehow recovered, pitted and drove from the back all the way through.

Russell drove superbly and lead for a long time, but Mercedes endured a nightmare finish when a double pit stop went horribly wrong. Firstly, Bottas' had a bad pit but then Russell was asked to come back in again having been given some of the tires originally planned for his teammate.

"It shouldn't happen, but it shows that we are people," Mercedes team chef Toto Wolff said of the error afterwards, one that he admitted left Russell crestfallen.

Despite that Russell pushed and was chasing down Perez, but a puncture with around 10 laps to go forced him to pit and left him finishing in 9th.

Russell drove fantastically and will have done his reputation a world of good, unlike his Mercedes teammate who struggled throughout and lost top spot to Russell on corner one.

Perez is the first Mexican to win an F1 race since Pedro Rodriguez in 1970 and the sound of tears over the radio after he crossed the line were proof of how much it meant to him.

Podium

1. Sergio Perez (Racing Point)
2. Esteban Ocon (Renault)
3. Lance Stroll (Racing Point)

Fastest lap

George Russell (Mercedes) —  0.55.404

Quote of the day

"I'm speechless. I hope I'm not dreaming. I have been hoping for this moment for 10 years!" — Sergio Perez

Drive of the day

Sergio Perez (Racing Point) — George Russell deserves plenty of credit for the way he drove and, were it not for Sergio Perez claiming his first ever F1 win with an incredible drive, then Russell would probably have won drive of the day. The Mexican has been fun to watch all year and, given that he still doesn't have a seat for next year, this was the best time to deliver one his best ever races. From clipped on the first lap to getting his pit stops right and holding on at the end, Perez was superb.

Best team

Racing Point — With just one more race left in the season, two podium finishes for Racing Point put them in the driver's seat to seal third in the constructors' championship. They take a 10 point lead over McLaren going into the final race of the season and after the performance of both Perez and Stroll in Bahrain it would be silly to bet against them beating the McLarens once more.

Current standings

1. Hamilton (Mercedes) — 282 points
2. Bottas (Mercedes) — 205
3. Verstappen (Red Bull) — 189
4. Perez (Racing Point) — 125
5. Ricciardo (Renault) — 112

As it happened:

Sergio Perez wins the Sakhir Grand Prix!

Lap 85/87

Russell is flying through the field but is going to run out of laps. This is going to be the most unexpected podium of the season and what a race for Perez and for Racing Point too, who would take a huge step forward in the constructors' championship. Russell still has the fastest lap but those two box stops are going to cost him his first win, particularly the latter after his puncture.

Lap 81/87

Bottas in big trouble, slipping down the field. Tires looking a little worn but not great. Another nightmare for Russell and that might be that for Mercedes as he's told he has a puncture. He is going to come out in 14th and that is just so, so rough. He has 8 laps to get back on the podium and that is going to be tough. This is Perez's race now, surely!

Lap 77/87

Russell is going for it here! He flies past Ocon as if he isn't there and now it's a straight head-to-head with Perez now. In the same car, Bottas is unable to get past Stroll in fourth. If anyone has lost here, it is the Finn. Sainz, behind Bottas, saying: "What is this man doing?" A really tough day for him and his reputation. Russell is told he is the fastest man on the track. Just 10 laps to go but worth saying here, what a race by Perez, on older tires and in the Racing Point. 

Lap 72/87

The safety car ends and Perez pulls away. Russell does well and looks to put the pressure on Bottas straight away but can't take him. Perez will be happy that he has a buffer in Stroll but here comes Russell and what a move! The Briton slips inside as Bottas leaves a tiny gap open and somehow Russell gets through. Really great driving. Russell moves one step closer to that chance of a win. Perez still leading but Russell is going to make a charge now. And now Russell takes Stroll. What a finish we have on our hands now.

Lap 68/87

The Mercedes garage is full of discussion. Just a nightmare. How do you put the wrong tires on? Goodness me. The safety car is out and what a podium we have at the moment. Would love to hear what Racing Point are thinking at the moment. This would be a huge step forward for them in the constructors' championships. The cars are looking to warm their tires up as much as they can, just waiting for the safety car to go in. This might be a tough finish for Russell, after all he has done.

Lap 62/87

Perez makes light work of Ocon and is back in third. Honestly, can't say enough about the Mexican's racing. This would be a great race for Racing Point if it stays like this, with Stroll in 5th. Perez is told his pace "is seriously good". No doubt about it. Albon into sixth, which is good but probably not good enough given that he's looking to renew next year. Aitken is in the pits having lost his front wing. VSC comes out, as expected. Aitken's pit takes a while but there is a lot of work to do. Aitken is a lucky boy there. Could have been much worse. Russell and Bottas both pit, with Bottas literally waiting for Russell and it is a nightmare for Bottas. The team can't his front left tire on and it catches fire. What a delay! But Bottas is saved when Russell is told that he has to pit again a lap later because he was given a mixed tire set. With that stop, Bottas takes the lead! What a terrible pit from Mercedes.

Lap 57/87

Albon is one more use of track limits away from a penalty. Tough. Bottas and Russell told about overloads in the car so there's another thing for Russell to think about. The yellow flags are out as Latifi is pulled up. His race is over and his tires look pretty ruined. Double yellows mean everyone has to be on edge though. Gasly takes Vettel who leaves the door open. VSC does indeed follow and teams take the chance to pit but Vettel probably shouldn't have as he his release from the box is unsafe and that will probably be a penalty. Another nightmare for the German. Stroll makes an error which gives Perez the chance to move and he now has Ocon in his sights.

Lap 50/87

Russell is told "it won't be long" before he boxes and so now is the time to box. Ocon posts the fastest lap. Russell pits and is a little slow in but comes out well. Bottas takes the lead but must now really push if he is to keep top spot after he pits. A heart-stopping moment for Russell who says he has no power but it seems a change has been made and he is okay. What a nightmare that would have been. Albon pits and goes to hards, and Perez pits again as well. Bottas can't pit and come out in front of Russell and it looks like this is now the Briton's race to lose. 

Lap 42/87

Russell is 2.7s ahead of Bottas but the Finn is starting to get closer and the Briton has registered the tires are starting to go a bit now. Ocon in fourth, but pits and comes out in 10th. This has, as expected, worked perfectly for Perez who is into third, and after that opening lap crash what a run. Aitken and Fittipaldi are 16th and 18th respectively by the way. Doing their best to just get to grips with it all on debut. Stroll finally pits and tires to take Ocon afterwards but the Renault man holds on. 

Lap 38/87

"I think Charles was too aggressive," Verstappen says afterwards. "I think he was too optimistic and he braked too late."

Ricciardo is closing in on Kvyat, and gets close to the overtake on the home straight thanks to DRS. All eyes on the Mercedes and how they manage their pit stops, which must be soon given the state of Russell's tires (graphic shows red as a raspberry) but the Briton says the tires are fine and he wants to stay out. He's not just driving like Hamilton, but he sounds like him too. Stroll is still out there, 38 laps on softs. Impressive.

Lap 32/87

Time for the first round of stops and everyone is moving to mediums. Both Mercedes cars have one infraction of curb driving so they'll have to be wary. Gasly and Sainz nearly clash in the pits but just escape one another. Kvyat with the fastest lap. These stops might well put Perez into third, what a race. Russell keeps improving his lead at the front, but has yet to put. Stroll up into third but will likely be coming in soon.

Lap 27/87

I think that might well be the final straw for Albon and his seat next year. The constructors race between Renault, McLaren and AlphaTauri is hotting up. Russell takes the fastest lap, who then asks about Bottas using the curbs beause he thinks he might be able to pick up the pace. Leclerc says he doesn't blame Perez, but himself if anyone although really he just thinks it's bad luck.

Lap 22/87

It's really tight around 9, 10 and 11 as Norris and Albon and Perez battle it out. Albon works hard but does eventually get past Norris, who barely has time to check what is happening before Perez also slips past. Such a fun driver to watch. Maybe something is wrong with Norris? He pits afterwards and comes out on mediums. In the meantime, Perez takes Albon. Too easy for the Mexican.

Lap 18/87

Russell sets another fastest lap at 58s. Have to say, Bottas is going to have live with talk of his starts being a problem. He was on the clean side and still lost it in the first corner to Russell. A tough break for him but also clearly an issue. Still, long way to go here. And the Finn now breaks Russell's fastest lap with one of his own. Approaching the first set of stops, especially those on softs.

Lap 14/87

Vettel not looking good in the one-on-one and he is down into 12th as Perez is up to 11th after that tough start. He just keeps going doesn't he? Russell is 1.8s clear of his teammate. Given the short track length these laps are flying by. Albon complains how slow he is in the straights. A great team race for Kvyat and Gasly, who are in 5th and 7th respectively.

Lap 10/87

This race keeps delivering. Russell delivers when it comes to putting the foot down, Bottas less so and Sainz takes him but then makes an error a corner later and Bottas gets back in place. Ricciardo will be watching with a keen eye though. Norris takes Vettel to move into 9th. Russell has the fastest lap. So far, this is a great advert for the Briton's talent (and the Mercedes car).

Lap 6/87

That start really has blown this race open. Verstappen will be furious not to have taken the chance to win a race today. "I couldn't anything there," the Dutchman said on the radio. Russell is loving life at the start, one that leaves Bottas looking less than impressive. This podium could see a host of new names once this is over. Sainz up five spots to fifth and teammate Norris up 9 spots to 10th - a great start for McLaren. Ricciardo up to fourth as well. Safety car ends on lap six and now it's time for Russell to restart the race with cars right behind him and he has to time his kick on.

Lap 4/87

Off we go! What a start! Russell gets the better start and pips Bottas to the corner to take the lead. Verstappen starts well but then it's Leclerc who is late on his brakes which sees him hit Perez and force Verstappen out. That is the end of the race for those two, although Perez gets back on and pits to stay in the race. Verstappen is furious and kicks the wall as he walks off. Not a happy man. Raikkonen also went off but is back on at the back. Safety car comes out.

Warm-up lap

It's dusty out there. A fine sand is in the air say some of the drivers and as they slowly draw away for the formation lap a huge amount of dust is thrown into the air. That is going to play a role today I think. It's nearly time...

Hello there! Welcome to DW's live coverage of the penultimate race of the F1 2020 season. There's plenty to keep an eye out for in this one, including a few new drivers, but most of the motorsport headlines of the day are about Mick Schumacher sealing the F2 title.

In terms of the grid, worth noting that McLaren's Lando Norris is at the back of the grid after taking a new engine and that Pietro Fittipaldi will be replacing Romain Grosjean next weekend too as the Frenchman continues his recovery.

Qualifying roundup

With Lewis Hamilton out of this weekend's race after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week, Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas took advantage to claim pole in the penultimate race of the 2020 season.

Bottas overcame a blistering Max Verstappen, but had to contend with an ever sterner test from new Mercedes teammate George Russell, who stepped in from Williams to replace Hamilton.

Despite being in an unfamiliar car, Russell looked comfortable and finished just 0.026s behind his teammate. Verstappen took third, with Charles Lecerc stealing into fourth on the back of one of the Dutchman's speedy laps.

Last time out in Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton won although the race was marred by a shocking crash involving Romain Grosjean. With both Hamilton and Grosjean out of this race, there were some new faces on the track. Williams' reserve driver Jack Aitken stepped up for Russell, while Brazilian-American test driver Pietro Fittipaldi replaced the injured Grosjean at Haas

Hamilton having already secured the constructors' title for the seventh time, the final two races of the 2020 F1 season are about the constructors' title and drivers' showing off their skills in the hope of keeping or winning a seat for next season.

Quote of the day

"It's a different way of driving, having to re-learn how to drive this car fast... If you'd told me last week I'd be qualifying P2 I wouldn't have believed you!" — George Russell

Current standings

Drivers:

1. Hamilton (Mercedes) — 332 points
2. Bottas (Mercedes) — 201
3. Verstappen (Red Bull) — 189
4. Ricciardo (Renault) — 102
5. Perez (Racing Point) — 100

Constructors:

1. Mercedes — 533 points
2. Red Bull — 274
3. McLaren — 171
4. Racing Point — 154
5. Renault — 144
6. Ferrari — 131

Circuit profile: Bahrain International Circuit (Outer Track)

It's the same place as last just on a different track. The Sakhir Grand Prix track , under the floodlights, is on a far more open circuit that allows for cars to fly around the track. The Outer Track is just 200 meters longer than the shortest track on the calendar, Monaco, with the key difference being an arc left instead of right at the end of Turn four. This will be the first F1 race on the outer track and it will see drivers have to complete 87 laps to finish. Some drivers have said it's too tight, others have said it reminds them of their karting days - either way it promises to be plenty of fun.