Bahrain to host penultimate Formula 1 race this weekend

16th race of season to be held at Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - The 16th race of the Grand Prix in the 2020 Formula 1 season will be held at Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday.

The 87-lap Grand Prix will be run at Bahrain International Circuit on a track 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) long, located in the desert region of Sakhir, thirty kilometers from the capital Manama.

George Russell of Mercedes will replace Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain after the seven-time champion Hamilton contracted coronavirus.

The 22-year-old British driver, who made his Formula 1 debut last year with Williams, has yet to score a point, finishing 11th once and 12th twice this season.

On Nov. 15, Hamilton won the 2020 F1 title in the Turkish Grand Prix with a first-place finish at Intercity Istanbul Park. He surpassed the legend Michael Schumacher's victories record of 91 and currently has 95 wins to his name.

Hamilton clinched 11 victories, followed by his teammate Valtteri Bottas (2), Red Bull-Honda's Max Verstappen (1), and Pierre Gasly (1) from AlphaTauri-Honda ahead of this Grand Prix.

The qualifying round will kick off at 1700GMT on Saturday as the race will start at 1710GMT on Sunday.

The virus-hit 2020 season will end after Round 17 in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 13.

- 2020 Driver standings:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain): 332 points

2. Valtteri Bottas (Finland): 201

3. Max Verstappen (Netherlands): 189

4. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia): 102

5. Sergio Perez (Mexico): 100

- 2020 Constructor standings:

1. Mercedes: 533 points

2. Red Bull Racing: 274

3. McLaren: 171