Mercedes’ George Russell and Racing Point’s Sergio Perez come to the fore.
Not long after Lewis Hamilton clinched his seventh Formula 1 World Driving Championship (by way of winning the Turkish Grand Prix), he was diagnosed with the COVID-19. Taking over for Hamilton was fellow Brit George Russell, who’s on loan from Williams, and Russell has acquitted himself quite well.
Sergio Perez (l) and George Russell (photo, Goodwood)
But perhaps even bigger news at Mercedes came by way of a pit crew error. Racing Point’s Sergio Perez registered his first-ever Formula 1 victory at last weekend’s Sakhir GP after the Mercedes’ pit crew made a tire-related “double stacking” error between Russell and fellow Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas.
That mistake was especially costly for Russell because he had led 43 of the 87 laps in last Sunday’s race. Meanwhile, Perez–who had been struck by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the opening lap–moved from the 18th spot on the grid all the way to the win, taking the lead with only a handful of laps remaining.
Russell realizes ‘what could have been’ last Sunday in Bahrain–his very first Formula 1 win. But, in context, last Sunday was only one race. In his early 20s, Russell has many years of driving left, and his performance as a replacement has the press speculating about how he might be Hamilton’s replacement with the Silver Arrows with Hamilton retires.
The situation with Perez is very different, though. Racing Point signed Sebastian Vettel to replace him for the 2021 season. That means Perez is without a car for the upcoming season. He hopes that a team will sign him as a tester or reserve driver and that a full-time seat will open for 2022.
So, while some pundits thought that Formula 1 would go through the motions with star Lewis Hamilton out of action, the sport was able to generate new and different headlines.
There’s suspense, too. At press time, it was unknown whether Hamilton will be cleared to drive in this weekend’s finale in Abu Dhabi. Mercedes says it ‘will do everything it can” to get Hamilton back on the track. If Hamilton returns, he’ll displace Russell. But, of course, Perez will be there in his final ride for Racing Point.
That means there will be plenty of interest as Formula 1 closes out its 2020 season.
