SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team, had a seemingly good year, technically their first full season, even though they carried over pretty much everything from the 2018 FIA Formula 1 Championship from Force India. For 2019 they brought a new lineup to the table as Sergio Pèrez carried on with the team and Lance Stroll joined from ROKiT William Racing.
The team took seventh place in the championship, as they collected a total of seventy three points. Pèrez took a total of fifty two and ended up in the top ten of the championship in tenth. Stroll took twenty one points with him finishing fifteenth in 2019 FIA Formula 1 Championship standings.
High Point – Stroll Taking Fourth at the German Grand Prix
The high point for the Canadian team, takes us to the 2019 German Grand Prix.
Stroll took the teams’ best result of the season with a fourth place finish, at one point he managed to lead the race and also battled with Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Valterri Bottas. Due to Stroll being on slick tyres in the changing weather conditions, it meant he was overtaken and missed out on the podium which would have replicated his result from the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Low Point – Pèrez’s crash and retirement at the German Grand Prix
It is hard to find a low points, as the team seemingly had a good season, even though the German Grand Prix may have been a high point of the 2019 season, it may have also been their low point, this is because of the crash which Pèrez was involved in at the very start of the race.
On lap 2, half way around the track, the Mexican lost the rear end of his car, crashing out and being forced to retire at turn ten of the track. It can be seen as a low point because Pèrez was confident that he could have performed well and secured a haul of points for the team.
Qualifying Battle
The qualifying battle saw Stroll struggle all year, it took him to the 2019 Italian Grand Prix to get himself out of the second qualifying session and into Q3. Pèrez took the battle of qualifying, as he out-qualified his teammate eighteen times to Stroll who only managed to out-qualify him three time in the twenty one race calendar.
Pèrez’s qualifying during the season was stronger than Stroll’s, but he still struggled to get through to the third session.
Out of the twenty one race weekend, Pèrez only stayed in the first session seven times, meaning it became easy for him to out-qualify his teammate, who will have to up his game in 2020 for qualifying.
Race Battle
Again, the winner for the battle in the race, becomes clear when you look through the results. Both Stroll and Pèrez retired twice throughout the season, Stroll retired in Brazil but was classified. Pèrez again won the battle as he beat his teammate in seventeen races, where as Stroll only beat Pèrez in five races.
Overall, Pèrez performed better, taking the bulk amount of points for the team. However, Stroll, was finishing on the verge of the points in a lot of the races. Next season he will have to improve to get into the points and help his team get higher up the table.
Season Results
| Round | Pèrez Qualifying | Stroll Qualifying | Pèrez Race | Stroll Race |
| Australia | 10 | 16 | 13 | 9 |
| Bahrain | 14 | 18 | 10 | 14 |
| China | 12 | 16 | 8 | 12 |
| Azerbaijan | 5 | 16 | 6 | 9 |
| Spain | 15 | 17 | 15 | Retired |
| Monaco | 17 | 18 | 12 | 16 |
| Canada | 16 | 18 | 12 | 9 |
| France | 14 | 18 | 12 | 13 |
| Austria | 16 | 17 | 11 | 14 |
| Britain | 15 | 18 | 17 | 13 |
| Germany | 8 | 15 | Retired | 4 |
| Hungary | 17 | 17 | 11 | 17 |
| Belgium | 9 | 13 | 6 | 10 |
| Italy | 17 | 10 | 7 | 12 |
| Singapore | 11 | 17 | Retired | 13 |
| Russia | 12 | 15 | 7 | 11 |
| Japan | 17 | 12 | 8 | 9 |
| Mexico | 11 | 16 | 7 | 12 |
| USA | 20 | 14 | 10 | 13 |
| Brazil | 15 | 17 | 9 | 19 |
| Abu Dhabi | 10 | 12 | 7 | Retired |
Who To Look Out for in 2020
In the 2020 FIA Formula 1 Championship, Pèrez and Stroll will continue to be teammates, with the Mercedes engines. The interesting thing, will be whether Stroll can improve on his qualifying.
If he manages this it would be a boost for Racing Point as Stroll is known for his lighting quick starts. Improving on his qualifying, would additionally, bring a more intense battle between the two Racing Point cars.
