F1 Driver Ratings: Sakhir 2020

A remarkable Sakhir Grand Prix saw Sergio Perez claim his first win in Formula 1. Perez is the second Mexican driver to win in Formula 1 and also breaks the record for most race starts before a win.

Esteban Ocon came home in second with Lance Stroll in third after they benefited from a mid-race virtual safety car.

Mercedes’ George Russell was robbed of a maiden win when the team made a mess of his and teammate Valtteri Bottas’ pitstop before a puncture ended any hopes he had of crossing the line in first place.

As always, the order below is the finishing order of the Grand Prix.

2020 Sakhir Grand Prix – Sakhir

Sergio Perez: 10/10

Esteban Ocon: 8.5/10

Lance Stroll: 8/10

Carlos Sainz: 9/10

Daniel Ricciardo: 8/10

Alexander Albon: 5.5/10

Daniil Kvyat: 8.5/10

Valtteri Bottas: 4/10

George Russell: 9.5/10

Lando Norris: 6.5/10

Pierre Gasly: 6/10

Sebastian Vettel: 6/10

Antonio Giovinazzi: 7/10

Kimi Räikkönen: 4.5/10

Kevin Magnussen: 6.5/10

Jack Aitken: 6/10

Pietro Fittipaldi: 5.5/10

RETIRED

Nicholas Latifi: 7/10

Max Verstappen: 7.5/10

Charles Leclerc: 6.5/10

Sergio Perez – what a story. Nine years in the waiting and he is also the first ever driver to win a grand prix having been last at the end of the opening lap.

He had some fortune of course but his drive through the field, picking cars off one by one was simply phenomenal. If this is to be his final days in Formula 1 for the foreseeable future, then what a send off this is.

Perez has drove well all season though, not just on Sunday. It really was an incredible win.

George Russell too exceeded my expectations. He just just 0.026 away from teammate Bottas in qualifying and nailed the start to take the lead of the race.

Amazingly, he pulled away from Bottas and gapped him. This was the most impressive thing for Russell considering the limited amount of time he has had in the car.

He was controlling the race perfectly and had the win stolen from him twice, because he would almost certainly have caught and overtaken Perez towards the end of the race had he not had a puncture. It was a heartbreaking grand prix but one which Russell should be proud of.

From the first practice session to the last lap of the race, he was immaculate.

Then there is Bottas. His race was not as bad as it looks because he was on old hard tyres on a track which was relatively easy to overtake on but to not even look like challenging Russell was poor.

His recent form has not been good enough and there is a lot of pressure on the Finn who luckily has a contract with Mercedes for 2021.