If George Russell powers to pole position for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix in this evening’s qualifying it will turn Formula 1 on its head tonight.

The fairytale story is well told by now, now it’s up to George to show us what he really has and provide Mercedes with a headache caused by overdose of drivers on their roster – that will only happen with victory tomorrow, but a big set in that direction is what will happen tonight.

The big question is can he beat Valtteri Bottas when the chips are down. Big talking point number one. A small civil war within the Black Arrows camp.

They will have to contend with a fired-up Max Verstappen, itching to win again, and showing his hand in FP3 earlier in the day. He is going to be hard to beat.

Other points of interest:

How will Jack Aitken do?
How will Pietro Fittipaldi do after not sitting in a race car for eight months? How did he get a superlicence?
Will there be any good Ferrari news to talk about?
And so much more which we will have covered from head to tail.
But in the end its all about Geroge versus Valtteri tonight. Can the Young Gun shine under the lights of Bahrain International Circuit outer layout. Enjoy!

Reuters Facts & Stats:

Some statistics for Sunday’s Sakhir Formula One Grand Prix at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit, the 16th and penultimate race of the season:

Lap distance: 3.543 km. Total distance: 307.995 km (87 laps)
No previous race on this layout.
Start time: 1410 GMT (1710 local)
Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for COVID-19, the third driver to do so this season, and will miss the race — his first absence since he entered the sport in 2007.

World Championship

Both titles have been won by Mercedes for an unprecedented seventh year in a row.
Hamilton is the most successful driver in Formula One history with more wins, podiums and pole positions than fellow seven-times champion Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton had run up a record 48 points finishes in a row, which is also the most for successive classified finishes.
All of the 10 teams except Williams have scored points this season.

Sakhir Grand Prix

The race is the sixth new designation for a grand prix this season – after Styria, the 70th Anniversary, Eifel, Tuscany and Emilia Romagna.
The shorter outer circuit is being used for the first time by Formula One, with the Bahrain Grand Prix held on a different 5.4km layout.
The outer circuit is just 0.2km longer than a lap of Monaco. It will be the shortest of this year since the Monaco GP was not held due to the pandemic.

Race Victories

Four drivers have won races this season: Hamilton, teammate Valtteri Bottas, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly.
Hamilton has a record 95 career victories, of which 74 have been with Mercedes, from 265 starts. No driver has won more for a single constructor.
Hamilton has won 11 races in 2020, including the last four, and Mercedes 13. Team mate Valtteri Bottas has won two, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly one each.
Ferrari have won 238 races since 1950, McLaren 182, Mercedes 115, Williams 114 and Red Bull 63. Former champions McLaren and Williams have not won since 2012.

Pole Position

Hamilton has a record 98 career poles but cannot now reach 100 this season. Mercedes have started every race on pole bar one, the Turkish Grand Prix where Racing Point’s Canadian Lance Stroll was fastest in qualifying.
Mercedes-engined cars have taken every pole, however.

Milestones

Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi will make his debut at Haas in place of injured Frenchman Romain Grosjean. He will be the 32nd Brazilian F1 driver and first since Felipe Massa departed in 2017.
Fittipaldi is the fourth member of the Fittipaldi family to race in F1 after grandfather and double world champion Emerson, great-uncle Wilson and first cousin once-removed Christian. His uncle Max Papis also competed.
Britain’s Jack Aitken will also be making his debut at Williams, replacing George Russell who is filling in for Hamilton at Mercedes.