In 2020, Mercedes sabotaged George Russell's first Grand Prix in Bahrain and his chances of victory

He was the chosen one, promised a brilliant future at Mercedes after completing his training at WilliamsPadawan George Russell became a Jedi Master in early 2022 after three years of waiting in the Grove antechamber, the unofficial training center for Mercedes drivers.

But before finally getting his chance at the star-studded firm, the Briton already had the opportunity to get a taste of his future role by competing in the Sakhir Grand Prix, the sixteenth and penultimate round of the 2020 season, with Mercedes. A few days before the event, Lewis Hamilton tested positive for COVID: admittedly annoying news for the German team, but not so bad because the Briton was already assured of winning his seventh world championship title since the Turkish Grand Prix.

George Russell took the opportunity to replace him for a weekend and the Briton did not fail to shine. In qualifying, he set the second fastest time, 0 seconds behind his teammate. Valtteri Bottas, which he dropped from the start. The number 63 took the lead at the start, while Leclerc harpooned Perez behind. The Mexican could start last, but not the Monegasque, who was out of the race, as Verstappen, forced to shoot straight into the wall to avoid the commotion in front of him.

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Mercedes' gross error denies Russell victory

George Russell was leading comfortably until lap 62 when Jack Aitken, his replacement at Williams, broke his front wing and triggered a Safety Car. Both Mercedes headed to the pits to change tires, but the mechanics made a big mistake: Bottas's tires were fitted to Russell's car! The King's Lynn native was forced to return to his garage a lap later, while Bottas suffered a pit stop of over twenty seconds, which saw him re-emerge far from the lead.

The Finn was 4th, ahead of his teammate, when the latter took the liberty of attacking him on the 70th lap and overtaking him with authority. George Russell then began a crazy comeback by overtaking Lance stroll et Esteban Ocon to place 2nd behind Sergio Pérez, the eventual winner, but a few laps from the finish his left rear tire punctured.

Forced to return to the pits, Russell came out 9th and got away with two points plus the fastest lap in the race: his first top 10 in Formula 1 had a bitter taste, that of victory lost along the way. Despite this frustrating race, where his destiny escaped his control, George Russell made enough of an impression at Mercedes to secure a promotion at the start of 2022.

“As the Bahrain Grand Prix approached, I remembered that five years ago it was my very first race for the team. shared the Briton on his X account. Getting my first chance to fight for a win in F1 was a moment I had always dreamed of and always believed would happen. To this day, the W11 is the best car I have ever driven, incredibly fast! Congratulations to the team on their 5th anniversary and let's keep moving forward."

Heading into the Bahrain GP, ​​I was reminded that it was 5 years ago when I had my first ever race for the team. Getting my first chance to fight for a win in F1 was a moment I always dreamed of and always believed would come. Still to this day the W11 is the best car I have ever… pic.twitter.com/Qp3sJuENse

- George Russell (@ GeorgeRussell63) April 9, 2025