WATCH: The story of George Russell's dramatic Mercedes debut in the Sakhir GP

Lewis Hamilton's absence from the Sakhir Grand Prix gave George Russell a golden ticket to drive the fastest Formula 1 car of all time, and it was a thoroughly memorable Silver Arrows debut for the Englishman.

Race day saw a dream start for Russell, who, after qualifying just 0.026s behind Mercedes regular Valtteri Bottas, jumped the Finn off the line, sweeping into the lead in Hamilton-esque fashion.

He then began to pull out a gap to Bottas and came back out after his first pit stop in the lead and with the race under control. Then Jack Aitken, Russell's stand in at Williams, clipped the barrier at the final corner and ripped off his front wing. That was the moment Russell's race began to unravel.

READ MORE: Mercedes already working on fix for radio problem that led to Sakhir pit stop mix-up, says Shovlin

He came in for a botched Lap 62 pitstop that ultimately saw his chances of a fairytale win fade away under the lights of Sakhir – a situation compounded by a late puncture as he eventually came home ninth.

The video above breaks down Russell's wild ride in Sakhir – from lights out to the chequered flag, including radio excerpts and race highlights from a weekend he will never forget.