One's Misfortune is Another's Opportunity

 

If you thought last week's race at the Bahrain Grand Prix was a rollercoaster ride, you were in for a treat as F1 raced once again at the Sakhir International Circuit. 

A huge change to the grid took place in the 4 days between Grand Prix's as 7 time World Champion Lewis Hamilton tested positive for Covid-19 following a close contact encounter with a friend who tested positive. Moreover, following last week's horrific accident, Romain Grosjean would not take part in this weekend's race which meant that many shows had to be filled. 

At 2 am on Tuesday morning, George Russell who was just chilling in his bathroom received a phone call from Toto Wolff who had requested him to race for the Silver Arrows this weekend - an opportunity that nobody would ever pass off. Pietro Fittipaldi would take Romain Grosjean's seat and Jack Aitken would fill the missing shoes of George Russell at Williams. The stage was set for many young drivers to start making a mark on F1. 

A brilliant getaway from Russell off the line saw him take 1st place as Bottas once again had a poor start which saw him throw the lead away. Behind the Mercedes duo, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc both were challenging however a lockup into turn 4 by Charles straight into Sergio Perez resulted in a broken suspension for the Monegasque and collateral damage to Max Verstappen who had to evade Perez only to go straight into the wall. And that was the end of the race for 2 strong contenders for the win this weekend. Shoutout to Lando Norris who made up 10 places in the first lap, the most I've seen in a long time. 

As the drivers settled into the 87 lap race, it became more and more evident how brilliant the young drivers are on the grid. Brilliant racing from Sainz, Stroll, Norris, Ocon, and Russell was on show as they made moves on the more experienced drivers on the grid. Russell was able to manage his tyres well, following the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton, as he maintained a 2-3 second gap to 2nd placed Bottas. Red Bull however would've been kicking themselves as Max Verstappen would've been a definite contender for the trophy. 

All was smooth sailing after the first round of pit stops and the Merc's were looking at a 1-2 for sure, just not sure which order it would have been in. Perez had done a brilliant job to claw his way back to 3rd after ending the first lap in last place. But a mistake from Jack Aitken at the last corner in the latter half of the race saw debris flying all over the pit straight which brought out the safety car and another run of pit stops. A few laps earlier his teammate Nicholas Latifi suffered a mechanical failure and was forced to retire too. An unfortunate day for Williams. 

From the most comfortable position imaginable to fighting to be in the points, a horrible double stack for the Silver Arrows (which included a 27.4 second stop for Bottas) meant that they essentially had thrown away the win in what could have been described only as a "colossal **** up!" Words of Toto Wolff which could not have been said any better. However, Russell fought back hard from 5th and was on the verge of overtaking Perez for his first victory only to be denied by a rear left puncture. Just pure frustration and sadness for the young Brit. You have to feel bad for him. His luck today paired with Bottas's in the latter half of the season has been unfortunate. 

While this drama unfolded, a new Grand Prix winner was crowned. 190 races it took him and finally he achieved the dream of every driver on the grid. Sergio Perez became an official F1 race winner. And the happiness did not stop there, Esteban Ocon scoring his first-ever podium as he came 2nd and Lance Stroll to finish off the podium places. A brilliant day for the boys in pink and Force India must be happy as this was the first win for the team since 2003. Incredible scenes that reminded us of the unbelievable Grand Prix we witnessed in Italy earlier this year when Pierre Gasly was crowned an F1 winner. Joy for Carlos Sainz as well who came home in 4th which means that he has finished in the top 5 for 3 races in a row now, a testament to his driving ability. Ricciardo, who was disappointed with 5th still acknowledged the good haul of points for the team, and Kvyat was overjoyed with his 7th place finish, a strong statement as he does not have a seat yet for next year. Alex Albon however was a huge letdown for the Red Bulls as he came home in 6th. Where once he was ahead of Sergio Perez, the Mexican made great strides but the Thai driver couldn't do anything. There has been a great level of speculation as to whether Albon will keep that Red Bull seat for next year and only time will tell whether Perez is the right man to take that seat or not. 

Sadness and despair for some, jubilation and happiness for others. The Sakhir Grand Prix was once again host to some incredible racing and memories. The midfield battle has taken a huge turn as the Pink Panthers are back and in a very strong position to take third after a huge haul of 40 points this weekend. We look forward now to Abu Dhabi, the season finale where so much is still at stake. 

There is no news on whether Lewis Hamilton will be back in the Mercedes, but we do know that Romain Grosjean will not take part as he has flown back home to France to be with his family. An incredible career, an incredible guy, we wish him the best in his future endeavours. 

Questions have been raised as to whether Lewis Hamilton is actually as good as people think he is given that George Russell came this weekend and was as good if not better than Bottas. If you ask me, I'm sure the technical abilities of drivers are very similar however it is the consistency and ability to perform weekend after weekend which separates the 7-time world champion from others. This however is a debate that will continue for years. 

Till next week for the final race in this triple header, take care and see you soon.