Before the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix weekend began, I posted five prediction polls on the Lights Out twitter account. How many of the questions did you get right? Find out below!
1. WHERE WILL RUSSELL QUALIFY?
1. Where will George Russell qualify for the 2020 #SakhirGP?#LightsOutF1Predictions #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) December 3, 2020
YOUR PREDICTION: 3RD
CORRECT ANSWER: 2ND
George Russell replaced Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the Sakhir Grand Prix. He impressed in qualifying, lining up on the front row of the grid. Valtteri Bottas took pole position, lapping only 0.026 seconds quicker than Russell.
2. WHERE WILL RUSSELL FINISH?
2. In which position will George Russell finish the #SakhirGP?#LightsOutF1Predictions #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) December 3, 2020
YOUR PREDICTION: 2ND OR 3RD
CORRECT ANSWER: 6TH OR LOWER
Over 60% of voters backed George Russell to finish on the podium on his Mercedes debut – and he very nearly did. Russell comfortably led the race until Jack Aitken had an off in the Williams and brought out the Safety Car. Mercedes pitted Russell, but accidentally equipped his car with Bottas’ tyres. It meant that Russell had to pit again. He dropped down the field but pulled off a superb comeback to second place. Unfortunately, a puncture saw him need to pit again. He ended the race in ninth place.
3. WHICH ROOKIE WILL FINISH FURTHER UP THE ORDER?
3. Who will finish the #SakhirGP further up the order – Fittipaldi or Aitken?#LightsOutF1Predictions #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) December 3, 2020
YOUR PREDICTION: JACK AITKEN
CORRECT ANSWER: JACK AITKEN
It was a close poll, with 52.5% of voters backing Jack Aitken to finish further up the order in the Sakhir Grand Prix than Pietro Fittipaldi. In the end, it was a close result on track too – with Aitken finishing 3.184 seconds ahead of Fittipaldi.
4. HOW LONG WILL THE POLE LAP BE?
4. How long will the pole lap for the #SakhirGP be?#LightsOutF1Predictions #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) December 3, 2020
YOUR PREDICTION: LESS THAN 55.5 SECONDS
CORRECT ANSWER: LESS THAN 55.5 SECONDS
F1 was expecting lap times of around 56 seconds on the Outer Layout of the Bahrain International Circuit. Valtteri Bottas’ pole time was quicker than the expectations, lasting all of 53.377 seconds. It’s a new record for the shortest pole time in F1, breaking a 46-year old record set by Niki Lauda at the 1974 French Grand Prix.
5. HOW MANY DRIVERS WILL FINISH ON THE LEAD LAP?
5. Other than the winner, how many drivers will not be lapped in the #SakhirGP?#LightsOutF1Predictions #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) December 3, 2020
YOUR PREDICTION: 4 OR 5
CORRECT ANSWER: 8 OR MORE
At one point, it looked as though the Mercedes drivers would lap every other car on the track. A number of Safety Cars, however, saw their advantage diminished. In the end, race winner Sergio Perez did not lap any of the seventeen drivers who finished the race.
Let us know how you got on with this race’s predictions! There’ll be more at the next race, follow us on twitter to take part: @LightsOutF1Blog!