Amid adverse weather conditions, including heavy rain, heat and humidity, our team claimed four points at Sepang International Circuit.
Read on for all the reaction from the trackside team in Malaysia.
Rain resulted in a 100-minute delay to the Bahrain Grand Prix. Parts of the circuit dried quickly as a result of 34°C track temperatures, while other areas remained wet.
The race began behind the Safety Car before a standing start. Though our drivers had initially both began on Mediums, the wet parts of the track resulted in split strategies; Lance pitted for Intermediates ahead of the start, while Fernando stayed out on the dry tyres.
Intermediates proved to be ideal during the opening laps; by the end of Lap 5, Lance had climbed to P13 and Fernando was running in P16.
A Safety Car on Lap 9 was an opportunity for our drivers to pit – both for Hard tyres. Racing resumed on Lap 12, with Lance and Fernando running in P11 and P18 respectively, and Fernando began climbing up the order.
Our drivers pitted again at the race's midpoint for another set of Hards, returning to the track in P13 and P14.
Fernando claimed P11 with an overtake on Esteban Ocon on Lap 36. Four laps later, he passed Arvid Lindblad and entered the points positions.
A Virtual Safety Car on Lap 43 allowed Lance to pit for Softs while maintaining position. Shortly after, a full Safety Car period began, and Fernando also made a pitstop without losing time.
Issues for George Russell and Lando Norris meant Fernando climbed to P8. He defended well from Norris during the final few laps and crossed the line to secure P8 and four valuable points. Lance finished just outside of the points in P12.
The triple header concludes on 9-11 October with the Singapore Grand Prix.
