What did you think of today’s race? Share your verdict on the Sakhir Grand Prix.
RaceFans has held polls on every F1 race since 2008 to find out which fans thought of each round of the season.
Join in the latest poll and give your verdict on the race: 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest. Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.
What were the best and worst moments of the race? What was the main thing you’ll remember about it? Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:
Rate the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix out of 10
- 10 (38%)
- 9 (32%)
- 8 (20%)
- 7 (7%)
- 6 (2%)
- 5 (0%)
- 4 (0%)
- 3 (0%)
- 2 (0%)
- 1 (1%)
Total Voters: 287
Loading ...1 = ‘Terrible’, 10 = ‘Perfect’
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2020 Sakhir Grand Prix
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BasCB (@bascb)
6th December 2020, 20:55
Ha, first vote in then. Like to see this one with a 10 for a moment until the second vote gets in :-)
AFTV (@aftv)
6th December 2020, 20:56
Has to be a 10 for me too.
bosyber (@bosyber)
6th December 2020, 20:58
Not perfect 10 anymore @basb and @aftv, ‘only’ 50%, but that’s also my vote. This was just such a roller-coaster with a lot of great drives and drama and beautiful as well as heartbreaking stuff.
bosyber (@bosyber)
6th December 2020, 20:59
Sorry @bascb
GeeMac (@geemac)
7th December 2020, 4:51
Someone gave it a 1. Can’t please some people…
Todfod (@todfod)
7th December 2020, 7:13
That was probably Hamilton putting in his vote from home.
DeanR (@deanr)
7th December 2020, 8:07
Think Lewis will be quietly happy. Everyone with an ounce of racing knowledge knew Russell was quick as stink. However, He could have won that race if he didn’t treat those pirellis like real racing tyres! 😃 of course he could have won if Merc didn’t screw up his and Valterris pit stops too but we will never know. He was pulling off some great moves in slightly unexpected places. The combination of Merc and Pirelli do not allow this! People moan about Lewis not “Going for it” but hey… he knows his car and knows these tyres.
As a fellow Norfolk boy I’ve been waiting for George to show his talent to the disbelievers for 3 or 4 years now. He has now proven he is every bit as good as Verstappen and Leclerc but Lewis won’t be concerned. On the contrary he, like myself, will be chuffed as hell that the future of F1 is set to remain in British hands! Get in George!!!
MacLeod (@macleod)
7th December 2020, 7:51
A 10 over the whole race just a 7 there were moments for a 9 but a ten nope to much.
STEVENHOLMES
6th December 2020, 20:58
Strange how much more exciting the Grand Prix was WITHOUT……..
Lewis Hamilton
Ten out of ten
pSynrg (@psynrg)
6th December 2020, 21:03
You could say the same for Verstappen & Leclerc?
Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
6th December 2020, 21:24
How many times has Verstappen and Leclerc dominated versus how many times have we seen Hamilton lead into turn 1 of lap 1 and known the race was over and going to be a snoozer? If Ver and Lec have done it a combined five times, Hamilton has done it 50 times.
pSynrg (@psynrg)
6th December 2020, 21:47
Pre-race, their presence in the top 4 was considered the spice of the race.
Yet here we are, after one of the most thrilling races of the season, and with a Mercedes many actually wanted to win. Without Lewis, Max or Charles…
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
6th December 2020, 22:10
Well, that’s what happens when everyone is nearly the same level. Checo would probably not have win if Lewis was there and Merc were operating like Swiss clockwork:)
DeanR (@deanr)
7th December 2020, 8:09
Yeh. That’s what happens when you take the best driver out of the field.
Minardi (@gitanes)
6th December 2020, 21:00
I think at one point near the end the top 6 were all drivers who had never won a race before so hard not to enjoy that. Triumph, heartbreak, some good wheel to wheel battles, this race had it all.
And in the end It was mostly a feeling of relief that Perez might now be able to leave F1 as a race winner and not always think of what might have been in Malaysia 2012!!
Broke84 (@broke84)
6th December 2020, 21:40
Nice point
Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
6th December 2020, 21:02
10, no question. F1 will be reinvigorated and very competitive when Hamilton leaves. This Bahrain location, regardless of track layout, produces spectacular racing.
Invisiblekid (@invisiblekid)
6th December 2020, 23:56
So the gap between the two mercs and 3rd in the beginning?
I think you mean, when Merc are not the only ones to make a good car.
Jere (@jerejj)
6th December 2020, 21:06
A great race, exciting and unpredictable. Perhaps, even the race of the season.
pSynrg (@psynrg)
6th December 2020, 21:07
10
Ecstasy and heartbreak in equal measure. 2 big guns out (Hamilton & then Verstappen), the “top team” rookie Russell redefining lacklustre, as applied to Bottas.
Crushing disappointment evaporating as Checo gets his win :)
David BR (@david-br)
6th December 2020, 21:09
9/10. Despite the huge frustration of seeing Mercedes’ pantomime wrecking of Russell’s fantastic race.
Todfod (@todfod)
7th December 2020, 7:19
@david-br
Gave it a 9 as well. It would have been a 10 for me if Russell didn’t get that puncture when he was chasing Perez down. Would have been an absolutely epic battle for the win between Checo and George.
Nonetheless, this race had everything. Great battles up and down the track.. an exciting new element in George at Mercedes.. strategic battles.. crashes, etc. It’s hard to get such exciting races without changing weather conditions.
For me, this was the race of the season.
Dave
6th December 2020, 21:10
Total Insanity.
joe jopling (@jop452)
6th December 2020, 21:14
Its a 10….it had everything…I felt drained at the end….Please give George the Bottas car for next year. I am also not clear why Ferrari did not take an engine penalty for Sen, and help him next weekend. Oh and please keep this short track configuration for next season….despite my doubts, it was perfect
Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
6th December 2020, 21:25
Agreed, two things we learned, Russell needs to be replacing Bottas and Perez needs to be in the Red Bull. Criminal if Checo has no seat after this season.
Invisiblekid (@invisiblekid)
6th December 2020, 23:57
For sure. Bottas needs the last race to take 2nd in the championship lol. Like wha???? In a Merc. SMH.
AlAmmari (@alammari)
6th December 2020, 21:36
The original layout provide great racing, but this layout also give that racing a bit madness
macaque (@macaque)
7th December 2020, 7:15
They can always alternate between the two. But it’s also a matter of how many spectators can attend for each layout.
For next year we could still see both, depending on the pandemic.
Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
6th December 2020, 21:17
7/10
I like to judge a race as a whole and not by it’s ending and the first part of the race was quite poor. I’m super happy that Perez won a race,but the race as a whole was decent and nothing more.
PS: We have to try and keep the poll as objective as possible,as it is used as an extremely interesting comparison throughout the years.
Todfod (@todfod)
7th December 2020, 7:26
@miltosgreekfan
It’s hard to keep the ratings of these races absolutely objective. I thought the first half of the race was quite interesting. George had a narrow 2 second margin on Bottas, followed with midfield drivers close battle with Sainz, Gasly and Ricciardo. Perez was working his way through the field. Albon and Vettel had some interesting battles as well. Sure, the second half had more drama and action, but it was a gripping race from the first lap to the last.
I actually don’t see how anyone could rate this race lesser than 8. I think there have been far lesser interesting races over the years that have achieved a rating of 8-9.
Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
7th December 2020, 7:46
Μy issue regarding objectivity has to do with many comments i saw here and there saying that “Hamilton’s was gone so the race was perfect” or some comments like that… Ι obviously don’t mind someone giving it a 10/10 if they enjoyed what they saw,but giving it a 10 because a driver was absent,yeah it ain’t good…
As for the race itself, the first part was extremely dull for me ,with limited on track action despite the close pack. If George hadn’t gotten a punchure and he was able to chase/battle with Perez,i would have given it an 8(like in Monza). First part was a 3-4/10 and the second part was a 10/10,so I came up with the 7.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
6th December 2020, 21:31
Objectively, it was still disheartening to see both Mercedes cars disappearing down the road and barring the pit stop shenanigans they would have finished a substantial way ahead of everyone else.
That being said, the race was still pretty good fun to watch – lots of emotion, lots of highs and some awkward lows. It was a good one.
RedEaredRabbit (@redearedrabbit)
6th December 2020, 21:31
I enjoyed it and great to see Sergio win. In two minds about the track. It kept the field close together but the whole thing looks pretty much the same.
Russell will have his day. Future champ.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
6th December 2020, 21:35
@miltosgreekfan
Other than keeping this in mind there is not much else we can do when voting. There is nothing objective about how much you enjoyed a race, because everyone has their own criteria for what they enjoy most. You objectively rated it a 7. I objectively rated it a 10. Neither of us are wrong, it’s we clearly look for and enjoy different things in a race.
But in terms of statistics, when taken as an average over all the people who voted you will get a general sense of what type of races people enjoy, and which ones they find boring. So it should suit your purposes whatever the outcome is.
Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
6th December 2020, 21:42
@keithedin
Unfortunately i believe that the exciting ending both in here and at Monza made some voters forget how uneventful the event was halfway,so the vote was made by having in mind the unexpected ending.
My main reason for my initial comment was some comments that I saw here and there, saying that the race was ” a ten because Hamilton was absent” or something like that…
GoldenGaeTea (@retroka)
6th December 2020, 21:37
9. After the first lap it became kinda boring but the last 20 lap are emotionful. Russel almost got his victory but he got a very bad pit stop, he went out again because of tyre and he got a puncture and he still gained some points. Bottas had poor tyres. Perez won after then first lap incident. Ocon finally had a great race.
GoldenGaeTea (@retroka)
6th December 2020, 21:39
Maybe this season isn’t so bad than we tought.
Broke84 (@broke84)
6th December 2020, 21:38
10 for me, an amazing race that had drama, heartbreak and fairy tales. George Russell showed his worth today and I was rooting for him but finally I’m happy Pérez got this win as I’m not sure he’ll get another chance like this which is a chance Russell will have again.
AlAmmari (@alammari)
6th December 2020, 21:38
Closing racing, drama, safety cars, new winner and SPARKS, this race has it all. I like the original layout but this is not bad at all made everyone close to each other.
Ronald (@mosquito)
6th December 2020, 21:41
Close racing after the second safety car, before that less special. Nice race, but not that special.
melanos
6th December 2020, 21:44
Any race without Carl Davidson driving a Merc has the potential to be a great race. This big disappointment with this one was George Russell’s slow puncture near the end, when a nail-biting finale between Perez and him was expected. Also gutted for Sainz’s bad luck with the pitstop timing just when the VSC period ended, he had a fair chance for the podium and even (considering Merc’s uncharacteristic comedy of errors) for a win.
David (@davidjwest)
6th December 2020, 21:52
Nearly gave it a 9 but settled for 8 as there were quite a few longish periods where not much was going on, but overall a very enjoyable race.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
6th December 2020, 22:08
Emotional race for sure. Gutted for Russell, elation for Perez, wasted opportunity for Verstappen, Sainz, and Ricciardo. A sobering moment for Bottas.
In a single race without Lewis, Mercedes went from the best team on the grid to the worst team. Coincidence?
melanos
6th December 2020, 22:31
It seems unfair to blame the uncharacteristic Merc pitstop mishap to the absence of Lewis. On the other hand, Lewis might as well have refused to pit.
baasbas
6th December 2020, 22:09
I disagree with all the high marks. I feel robbed. Robbed of a VER – Merc battle. Then robbed of a BOT – RUS battle. Then robbed of RUS – PER battle. The battle for the lead now turned out to be PER blasting past the Renault of OCO. I’m happy with PER winning but there was more in it. This will also end the exciting battle for 3rd in the constructors and there was more to expect in the battle for second between BOT and VER.
For me it therefore was a race of missed chances
kuvemar
6th December 2020, 22:20
Very good race and a 7.5/10.
Jorge Lardone (@jorge-lardone)
6th December 2020, 22:50
Good race with a happy ending. Everybody happy with the triumph of Perez, a very good driver. It will be a shame if he don’t get a car to race next year.
Very good race also for Ocon, Stroll and Sainz.
Bad for Bottas and Russell, the new invention of the mercenary English press.
They want us to believe that he is a great driver… He started behind Bottas and came behind Bottas, a barely mediocre driver.
Todfod (@todfod)
7th December 2020, 7:35
If they gave awards for the most illogical and unintelligent comments .. you sir, would be a clear winner.
Bulgarian (@bulgarian)
6th December 2020, 22:55
I know this might not be a popular view, but only solid “7” from me, as I missed Hamilton, Verstappen and Leclerc.
Maciek (@maciek)
6th December 2020, 23:43
Drama, drama, drama; Perez fantastic, Russel scintillating, unexpectedly memorable race.
JohnH (@johnrkh)
6th December 2020, 23:54
9 nearly perfect if only Verstappen and Leclerc had not gone out we could have seen a fight between the top five young guns. Perez is young at heart :)
slowmo (@slowmo)
7th December 2020, 0:10
Voted 8 because the ending was spoiled by the slow puncture for Russell. Would have been a 9 or possibly even 10 had Russell won as he deserved. Happy for Perez but we were robbed of a epic finish imo.
F1.Fan (@f1-fan)
7th December 2020, 0:25
@slowmo
Care to elaborate?
Checo was dead last after 1st lap.
slowmo (@slowmo)
7th December 2020, 8:42
Russell would have won on merit, not due to the misfortune of 3 faster cars in the race. Perez was a worthy winner but he did luck into the best tyre strategy and he blew past the Alfas, Williams and Haas very quickly.
F1.Fan (@f1-fan)
7th December 2020, 11:52
@slowmo Oh, ok. “would have” is what you say. It is useless to talk with people that use a hypothetical scenario and they have it on their mind as “fact”.
slowmo (@slowmo)
7th December 2020, 13:05
@f1-fan I’m devastated /s
Rapid
7th December 2020, 8:57
@f1-fan If dead last on lap 1 means a driver deserves a win then we have to feel bad for Latifi not winning every weekend. Of course we support the driver who comes through the field but it doesn’t make them more or less deserving than any others. It’s quite simple, luck aside George Russell had the best pace and drove as good a race as was possible, so he deserved to win.
HarryBunns (@harrybunns)
7th December 2020, 0:24
I’m sure this will sound a bit cheesy in the morning when all the excitement has died down, but what a driver George is, what a man. 9 from me btw….makes me wonder what a 10 looks like though 😅
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Setha2z
7th December 2020, 11:28
It was a 9 for me because it was very entertaining and kept me interested all the way through. In rain it would probably have been a 10. (Back in the day, low forward onboard videos of Senna in heavy rain were absolutely electrifying. Lewis and Max are also “rainmeisters” who put on a show of impossible moves in the wet). But I digress. This race presented all sorts of unexpected situations, possibilities, and results on the track, in the pit, for the silly season, and by Covid19. The unusually short, fast track with witch all the teams were unfamiliar added interesting spice to the mix. I recorded it and will watch it again.
As to the guidance, I feel you up to the bottom line. Life is about making mistakes and learning from them. You reach spiritual maturity by seeking ideals, not attaining them. You know, it’s the journey not the destination. The perfectionism required to attain all of the goals in your prose would be a setup for unnecessary failure, and the potential for unwanted consequences.
I’ll go with something like “Seeking these goals forms the measure a man, grasshopper.” :-)
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
7th December 2020, 1:37
7/10 from me.
The result was nice & it was really mixed up by the safety car & Mercedes pit errors but as a race I thought it was quite dull for the most part.
We saw some good racing early on but as soon as DRS got enabled we just had a DRS train where nobody could really do anything. The pit stops created some movement with the undercuts but after that things were fairly static.
Had the SC not come out & had Mercedes not messed up with the pit stops it would have been a fairly standard 2020 race just with Russell leading most of it instead of Hamilton.
Jimmie in LA (@)
7th December 2020, 3:55
Can we give it to the track?
This warped oval, warval?, and its sub minute laps were fun to watch. Sure, in a cleaner race, the lower tiered cars could multiple laps behind, but I think it was fun to watch
Esploratore (@esploratore)
7th December 2020, 4:16
I gave it 9, was a very eventful race, russel deserved to win, perez though also deserved to win (and a seat) and he got the first of the 2 things.
Shame for verstappen and leclerc, would’ve been interesting with them too.
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
7th December 2020, 4:40
6/10
Daniel Ricciardo said one thing that struck me: you cannot have a car that was last at the end of lap 1, win a race. There is something wrong in it. Mercedes did not look like a championship winning team at all. It is mental to have a double stack in a short lap circuit, no matter the pace advantage. I am sure, if Lewis was driving the car, he would have seriously questioned this. But Russel is on his debut and Bottas does not have a thinking head, despite being the defacto leader this weekend.
But well done to Sergio Perez. He has a F1 race win unlike Hulkenberg.
hemzshaw
7th December 2020, 6:57
HUL doesn’t have any podiums too, not only a race win.
Very poor rating for a race that was entertaining
Rapid
7th December 2020, 9:00
@pinakghosh I will never understand blaming a driver for a team’s call, especially when according to Toto it was a good decision with bad execution. Codemasters games aside, strategy is the pitwall’s job. You probably know more about the race from the TV screen than the driver in the car. The driver just drives.
Do elaborate on your low rating though. I guess the race dipped in excitement a little after the opening shenanigans but the closing drama certainly boosted my overall enjoyment.
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
9th December 2020, 13:10
Driver does more than driving in F1. If you see a very recent video of Ricciardo over a single hot lap (linkk), you will see all these adjustments happening while a formula 1 car is driven. The culmination of some of these adjustments, along with how good or bad the tyres are over a phase of the race plays a crucial role in determining strategy for example whether the pit stop will be T+9 or T-3. I hope you understand the point that I am trying to make. The pitwall cannot influence how a driver drives the car and inputs are always needed, for example when to switch over from wets to intermediates is something that drivers can influence, not pitwall. If a driver is not capable to assert his position such that the pitwall is forced to take his views into consideration, then that driver is not championship material.
As regards low rating – several factors such as poor Mercedes strategy (human or otherwise), poor performances of Bottas and Albon, errors from LeClerc and Verstappen (mind you, all are winners). Also, there is no guarantee that Russel will get a race winning machinery when he comes to Mercedes. A race win could have boosted his morale, plenty.
Philip (@philipgb)
7th December 2020, 9:23
If I was rating this on my heartbreak it would be a clear 10
If I was rating it just on the result and how much ofa fairytale story it is for Perez it would be a 10
But I’m not, I’m rating the race, so it’s a 10
Patrick (@paeschli)
7th December 2020, 10:33
Quit an average race, 7/10. Mercedes were cruising away in the distance without challenge until they shot themselves in the foot.
I would have enjoyed it more had Verstappen been there in the mix.
setha2z
7th December 2020, 11:38
. . . and Hamilton. It was full of unusual, unexpected and interesting factors and lots of action. Triumphs and Tragedies. It was a solid 9 to me.