MANAMA – Sergio Perez took his maiden Formula One victory for Racing Point after a Mercedes pitstop mixup and puncture denied super-sub George Russell an almost certain first win on his debut for the world champions.
The 22-year-old Briton, parachuted in to replace Lewis Hamilton after the seven-times world champion tested positive for COVID-19, looked comfortably in control having wrested the lead from his pole-sitting teammate at the first corner.
But a pitstop bungle, which initially dropped him to fifth, and then a puncture that struck while he was back up to second and hunting Perez down for the lead, ended his hopes.
That left Perez, who found himself at the back of th…
Keep on reading: Perez takes maiden F1 win after heartbreak for super-sub Russell