Sergio Perez triumphs as George Russell and Valtteri Bottas suffer tyre nightmares

George Russell suffered heartbreak as a pit stop mix-up and a puncture cost him the chance of a race victory, with Sergio Perez taking the chequered flag at the Sakhir Grand Prix.

The 22-year-old from King’s Lynn, who had never scored a single championship point before standing in for Lewis Hamilton due to a positive Covid-19 test, took the lead through turn one having qualified in P2 with Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Perez tangling in the barriers behind him.

Russell took everything in his stride until he had a moment of panic after pitting on the 47th lap, suffering a momentary sensor issue that saw him lose power. The issue was quickly resolved, though, and Russell kept P1 after Valtteri Bottas’ pit stop soon after.

However, disaster struck for Mercedes when a hasty decision was taken to double-stack both drivers amid a Safety Car. Confusion led to old tyres being put on both Bottas and Russell, with the latter having to pit again the following lap.

This gave Perez the lead with 20 laps to go, but Russell hit back by passing Bottas, Stroll and Esteban Ocon in successive laps.

Disaster struck for a second time, though, as Russell picked up a puncture, sending him down to 15th. The 22-year-old ultimately finished ninth to claim his first-ever world championship points.