BWT Racing Point looking to finish season as ‘best of the rest’

The BWT Racing Point team, partnered by Acronis, will be looking to finish off the season on a high and cement third place in the constructors’ standings at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.

Following on from Sergio Perez’s spectacular victory in Bahrain and Lance Stroll’s podium, the team finds itself an enviable third place in the standings behind big hitters Mercedes and Red Bull Racing.

“It’s taken a few days to fully realise what we achieved together last weekend,” said Perez in his team’s race weekend preview. “It’s a result I have been working towards for 10 years and it was a very emotional day for me, my family, the team, and everybody who has supported me on my journey. We came close a few times in the past, and sometimes you need a bit of luck, but I think we really deserved to win that race given everything that has happened this year.

“It’s been a great challenge, especially with P3 being on the line at the end of the season. It’s been close throughout the year and every point matters, which makes it exciting for fans back home too. I really hope we can secure P3 in the Constructors’ Championship. It’s what the team deserves for creating a good car and performing well this year.”

For Perez, it is sure to be a bittersweet end to the season as he leaves a team that he had been a part of in its various iterations since 2014.

“I have wonderful memories with the team. From scoring a podium in just our third race together and then winning a race last Sunday. We’ve now celebrated seven podiums together and they were all special days where we came together as a team and often against the odds. I wish the team all the best in the future and I’m really motivated to sign off in style this weekend.”

Lance Stroll will be remaining with the team, which switches from BWT Racing Point before becoming the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team.

“We come here after a fantastic team result so there’s definitely some good energy in the team right now,” said Stroll. “We’ve just got to stay focussed this weekend and deliver another strong result. Whatever happens, we’ve been on an incredible journey this year with 17 races squeezed into six months. It’s been my best season in Formula 1 to date, but there’s been some frustrating moments too. It would be good to sign off the year on a positive note.”

There may have been a little bit of a celebration earlier in the week, but now it's heads down and working hard for the final race weekend of the year 🇦🇪

🎙️ Find out what our drivers have to say ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 👉 https://t.co/zSbnlLmIkC#AbuDhabiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/i1VHpybChy

— BWT Racing Point F1 Team (@RacingPointF1) December 10, 2020

Following on from the drama of racing at the unfamiliar Bahrain outer circuit, drivers return to a more familiar circuit in Abu Dhabi, but one that still offers its fair share of challenges with two long straights offset by chicanes that will provide a tough test on the car’s suspension.

“It’s always good to race somewhere where you’ve got plenty of experience already, but I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of racing at new circuits! We also saw how closely matched the grid was last weekend and that made things really exciting for everybody. Abu Dhabi is very familiar to all of us and it’s a very different challenge. It’s one of those circuits where it’s not so easy to overtake – certainly compared to Bahrain – so there’s greater emphasis on qualifying and track position.”