'So cruel': Formula One world stunned by 'heartbreaking' drama

George Russell has been denied a maiden F1 race win in heartbreaking scenes at the Sakhir Grand Prix.

Sergio Perez, in his penultimate race for Racing Point and without a drive for next season, took the first win of his Formula One career in an extraordinary race.

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Russell, standing in for Lewis Hamilton after the F1 champ tested positive for coronavirus, appeared to be robbed of a probable victory on his debut following a puncture in the closing stages.

Russell, promoted to the fastest F1 machine in history after world champion Hamilton was struck down with coronavirus, was hunting Perez down and trailed the Mexican by just two seconds before he was forced to stop for new rubber.

Only moments earlier, Russell, a 3000-1 outsider to win here in the desert before Hamilton was sidelined for the first time in his 256-race career, dropped down the order following a Mercedes pit-stop howler.

The 22-year-old held a commanding five-second lead over teammate Valtteri Bottas when Mercedes called both of their drivers in for new rubber after a safety car was deployed following a spin by rookie Jack Aitken.

But there was a mix-up among the Mercedes mechanics as they mistakenly put Bottas’ tyres on Russell’s car. That meant Russell had to come into the pits again on the following lap dropping him to fifth.

“You should now have a tyre advantage,” Russell's race engineer for the weekend, Pete Bonnington told the young Briton. “I f****** hope so,” Russell replied.

The safety car pulled in with 19 of the 87 laps remaining and Russell - with the bit between his teeth - wasted no time in moving up the order, passing Bottas, Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon inside two laps.

He set about chasing Perez, taking more than one second out of the Racing Point man’s lead before his puncture.

It allowed Perez to cruise to a 10-second victory with Russell eventually crossing the line in ninth.

“I don’t know what to say. That was taken away from us twice,” Russell said after the race.

“I’m gutted, I’m absolutely gutted.

“Can’t really put it into words to be honest. I’ve had races where I’ve had victories taken away from me, but twice? I couldn’t believe it.”

F1 fans and commentators were also stunned.

“Heartbreaking. So, so cruel - George has been astonishing today,” tweeted F1 writer Luke Smith.

George Russell denied by ‘colossal f*** up’

Russell first discovered he could be replacing Hamilton for the penultimate round of the year following a 2am bathroom phone call with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff on Tuesday.

And after topping both practice sessions on Friday, before missing out on pole to Bottas by just 0.026 seconds, Russell then led the majority of the race and appeared on course to become only the fourth British driver to win this century.

Russell exploded off the start-line, flying past pole-sitter Bottas with ease to take the lead on the run down to turn one.

Indeed, after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed into Perez and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen smashed into the tyre barrier as he attempted to avoid the two cars, Russell's first-lap lead over Bottas stood at three seconds.

The safety car was deployed but when the racing resumed on lap seven, Russell remained in control, and after both Mercedes cars stopped for their scheduled one pit-stop, he had established an eight-second margin over Bottas.

But the race turned on its head on lap 63 of 87 when the safety car was deployed for a second time after Aitken hit the barriers.

Undeterred by his temporary team’s pit-stop error, Russell looked likely to put the pressure on Perez in the closing stages before his puncture.

“I can’t even watch this,” Wolff said of the pit-lane mix-up, calling it a “colossal f*** up”.

“These things happen and we need to learn from them.

“It was very emotional because if you’re in your first race in a Mercedes and you should have won it for driving a monumental race, there’s not a lot you can say.

“It’s just the beginning of a fairytale that didn’t work out today and I will say a new star is born.”

Perez took the chequered flag to claim the first win of his career ahead of Renault’s Esteban Ocon and Racing Point teammate Lance Stroll.

McLaren driver Carlos Sainz finished fourth ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, with Bottas eighth.

with AAP

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