(NBCSports.com)
Sergio Perez (No. 11 BWT Racing Point F1 Team) won a wild Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir - round 16 of the Formula 1 World Championship - after surviving an opening lap spin and being relegated to last place in the subsequent pit stop, and ultimately benefiting from a full course caution and uncharicteristic chaos in the Mercedes-Benz pits. It was the Mexican racer's first F1 victory. “I hope I’m not dreaming here because I dreamed so many years of being in this moment,” Perez said from the top of the podium. “After the first lap, the race was again gone same as last weekend. But it was again about not giving up, recovering, going through it, making it the best we possibly could.” Perez desperately needed the win to help secure a ride for 2021 after it was announced that he would not be returning to Racing Point next year. “It gives me a little more peace with myself,” Perez added. “What happens (in 2021) is not so much in my hands at the moment, but I know I want to keep going.” Perez is rumored as one of the possible drivers for Red Bull next year. Perez was not the only emotional driver on the podium. And he was not the only driver standing there with a career-best finish. Esteban Ocon (No. 31 Renault DP World F1 Team) finished second for the first podium finish of his career. “I cried on the line,” Ocon said. “That is how much emotion is going through my mind now. It’s been a tough season. It hasn’t paid off all the time, but we never stopped pushing. We kept working hard, stayed motivated. That was very important.” Lance Stroll (No. 18 BWT Racing Point F1 Team) took the final spot on the podium, marking the first time in the history of the team that both Racing Point drivers stood on the podium. And what of George Russell? The young driver filling in for for Lewis Hamilton delivered a tremendous debut in the No. 63 Mercedes-AMG Petronas, qualifying second to teammate Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) and then grabbing the lead at the start of the race. It was all going well until the final caution, when the Mercedes team decided to bring both cars in at once. In the chaotic pit stop, the team mixed-up the tire sets, which resulted in a very slow stop for Bottas, who rejoined the race on the tires he originally pitted on. But Russell's machine had been fitted with the wrong tires, which required Russell to have to pit again. That promoted Perez to the lead, ahead of Ocon and Stroll. Bottas restarted fourth, ahead of Russell, who then passed Bottas with a big move at Turn 7. Russell then out-braked 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 already pulled out a 3 sec. lead when disaster struck for Russell, as he suffered a rear puncture with eight laps to go, dropping him to 14th. To make matters worse for the Mercedes team, Bottas plummeted down the order with his worn tires, finishing in eighth. It was a colossal screw-up by the Mercedes team, and it allowed Perez to take his maiden F1 win, well clear of Ocon and Stroll. Russell recovered to finish ninth and ended the day with the fastest lap. (Thank you to NBCSports.com)
Sergio Perez (No. 11 BWT Racing Point F1 Team) won a wild Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir - round 16 of the Formula 1 World Championship - after surviving an opening lap spin and being relegated to last place in the subsequent pit stop, and ultimately benefiting from a full course caution and uncharicteristic chaos in the Mercedes-Benz pits. It was the Mexican racer's first F1 victory. “I hope I’m not dreaming here because I dreamed so many years of being in this moment,” Perez said from the top of the podium. “After the first lap, the race was again gone same as last weekend. But it was again about not giving up, recovering, going through it, making it the best we possibly could.” Perez desperately needed the win to help secure a ride for 2021 after it was announced that he would not be returning to Racing Point next year. “It gives me a little more peace with myself,” Perez added. “What happens (in 2021) is not so much in my hands at the moment, but I know I want to keep going.” Perez is rumored as one of the possible drivers for Red Bull next year. Perez was not the only emotional driver on the podium. And he was not the only driver standing there with a career-best finish. Esteban Ocon (No. 31 Renault DP World F1 Team) finished second for the first podium finish of his career. “I cried on the line,” Ocon said. “That is how much emotion is going through my mind now. It’s been a tough season. It hasn’t paid off all the time, but we never stopped pushing. We kept working hard, stayed motivated. That was very important.” Lance Stroll (No. 18 BWT Racing Point F1 Team) took the final spot on the podium, marking the first time in the history of the team that both Racing Point drivers stood on the podium. And what of George Russell? The young driver filling in for for Lewis Hamilton delivered a tremendous debut in the No. 63 Mercedes-AMG Petronas, qualifying second to teammate Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) and then grabbing the lead at the start of the race. It was all going well until the final caution, when the Mercedes team decided to bring both cars in at once. In the chaotic pit stop, the team mixed-up the tire sets, which resulted in a very slow stop for Bottas, who rejoined the race on the tires he originally pitted on. But Russell's machine had been fitted with the wrong tires, which required Russell to have to pit again. That promoted Perez to the lead, ahead of Ocon and Stroll. Bottas restarted fourth, ahead of Russell, who then passed Bottas with a big move at Turn 7. Russell then out-braked 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 already pulled out a 3 sec. lead when disaster struck for Russell, as he suffered a rear puncture with eight laps to go, dropping him to 14th. To make matters worse for the Mercedes team, Bottas plummeted down the order with his worn tires, finishing in eighth. It was a colossal screw-up by the Mercedes team, and it allowed Perez to take his maiden F1 win, well clear of Ocon and Stroll. Russell recovered to finish ninth and ended the day with the fastest lap. (Thank you to NBCSports.com)
(Richard Prince photo for Corvette Racing)
Corvette Racing’s driver lineup for its No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will have a significantly different look for the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the additions of sports car stars Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims alongside long-time Corvette driver Tommy Milner. Tandy – from Bedford, England – steps into the role held by Oliver Gavin, who stepped away from full-time driving after 19 years with the program. A winner at practically every major sports car race around the world - primarily with Porsche - Tandy joins a full-season lineup that already includes nine IMSA Drivers Championships and 42 race wins with Corvette Racing. Tandy owns 15 career IMSA victories – all in GT racing – and has won the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. In addition, he is a past overall winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring and the 24 Hours of Spa. Sims - from Alcester in England - is a five-time winner in IMSA competition during a brief but successful two-year, full-season stint in 2017 and 2018. He has a victory at Petit Le Mans to his credit, along with 24-hour wins at Spa and the Nürburgring, as well as two career starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The British pair join Milner, now Corvette Racing’s most experienced full-season driver. The two-time IMSA Drivers Champion boasts 15 victories with the program, including wins at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring, among others. Milner has been a key component in testing and development of the Corvette C8.R and will begin his 10th year as part of Corvette Racing. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor - the reigning GTLM Drivers champions - will team again in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R with Nicky Catsburg back for another season with the pair for the team’s long-distance events in IMSA. Catsburg and Sims will be part of the program’s events for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. All six drivers will focus on bringing improvements to the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which won six races and swept the full-season GTLM championships. In addition, the C8.R claimed seven pole positions and posted fastest GTLM race lap at six events. Corvette Racing will open its 2021 season with the Roar Before the 24 from Jan. 22-24 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31.