BWT Racing Point F1 Team had a great 2020 campaign, but misfortune in the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix saw the team miss out on third place in the Constructor’s Championship by only seven points to McLaren Renault F1 Team.
F1’s newest race winner Sergio Perez was forced to retire after an engine failure on lap ten, and Lance Stroll finished in tenth place, while both McLarens of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz finishing fifth and sixth respectively.
Perez was heartbroken that his time with the team had to end with a DNF after starting nineteenth, as Sebastian Vettel is set to take up his seat when the team re-brands as Aston Martin Formula 1 Team next year.
“I’m really sad that my final race with the team ended so early and with a repeat of the engine problem we had in Bahrain,” Perez said.
“I really wanted to sign off with a strong race for everyone in the team. I hope people remember winning the Sakhir Grand Prix instead of this weekend!”
Stroll was just as defeated about the finish as Perez, admitting to struggles all race long, losing two places from his starting position of eighth.
“There were moments when our pace was strong, but it wasn’t consistent enough,” Stroll said.
“The tyre life and temperature also dropped off significantly at the end, which cost us a place to Esteban [Ocon]. We need to look into why that was the case.”
The Canadian was upset the team couldn’t bring home third place in the Constructor’s for all the hard work the team had done.
“…I think everyone in the team deserved it for all their hard work. We’ve had some real highs this year and there’s been missed opportunities too – so there’s plenty to reflect on and improve in the future.”
Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer was just as upset about the result as his drivers, but all emphasized the success of the team’s season and the bright future ahead under the Aston Martin name.
“It’s been a year of missed opportunities for several reasons – including more than our fair share of bad luck that cost us valuable points,” Szafnauer said.
“We will take the disappointment tonight in our stride and focus on the positives of an incredibly strong season where we enjoyed some great moments. We have shown that we have a competitive car and team, which will give us a great base to come back even stronger in 2021 under the Aston Martin name.”
