The Mercedes team performed a rare pitstop error at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. However, that ended up costing them dearly, as they squandered a potential 1-2 finish. At a time when Lewis Hamilton was absent, George Russell was well on his way to being a super-sub. Unfortunately, things were not meant to be, and he could only muster 9th fastest.
On the bright side, he did score his first points. Admittedly, he would have preferred to win or get on the podium for the first time in his career. Speaking after the race, he said, “I can’t really put it into words, to be honest. Jumping out of the car, it was a nice feeling to be honest. I’ve had races where I’ve had victories taken away from me, but twice?”
🗣”I’ve had races where I’ve had victories taken away from me, but twice?”
A heartbroken @GeorgeRussell63 reflects on his #SakhirGP, after a Mercedes pit stop error and late puncture cost him a near certain victory.#SkyF1 | #F1
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) December 6, 2020
In all honesty, he was just in a state of disbelief. George Russell insisted that he gave it everything that he had. He did his best to manage to race at the start and he felt really comfortable. Russell also managed to maintain a gap between himself and Valtteri Bottas
George Russell opens up on the pit stop chaos
The Briton acknowledged that he could have caught up to Sergio Perez. Although he is gutted to miss out on an incredible performance, he was truly proud of what the team achieved. Looking back on the race, he admitted that it is a team sport and everyone is in it together.
He noted that everyone makes mistakes, and he wasn’t immune to that at Williams. There are also occasions when mistakes go the other way. However, the trick is to learn from the mistakes, especially since this was a late call. At least the silver lining was that he finally managed to score his first points.
In conclusion, he extended his congratulations to Sergio Perez. He knows that the Mexican driver deserves a race victory and he never really had the car under him. Russell also looked ahead to Abu Dhabi and admitted that his chances over there are fairly unknown.
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