MANAMA (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton has gained a report 103 Formula One grands prix however Mercedes’s seven-times world champion was all smiles in Bahrain on Sunday after third place exceeded his expectations.
“This is admittedly one of the best end result we might have gotten,” stated the Briton after a season-opening race that appeared certain to be a battle after he began fifth behind the Ferraris and Red Bulls.
The retirement of Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen and group mate Sergio Perez supplied a shock 183rd profession podium for Hamilton behind the Ferrari one-two of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Champions Mercedes have began the game’s new period on the again foot, Hamilton and group mate George Russell wrestling with a bouncing automobile and warning followers that rivals had been clearly faster.
“I awoke this morning hoping — tremendous, tremendous hoping — that we’d have an opportunity to combat, have a automobile that’s higher than we predict or one thing like that however we did battle within the race,” stated Hamilton.
The 37-year-old had certified some seven-tenths of a second off Leclerc’s pole time and appeared set to remain fifth till the Red Bull pair had been faraway from the reckoning.
“Whilst we’re presently not essentially performance-wise combating with these guys, this isn’t harm limitations however only a actually, actually nice end result,” stated Hamilton, winner of the earlier three Bahrain Grands Prix.
“Of course we had been lucky however in the end we have performed a greater job, we’ve higher reliability.”
Team boss Toto Wolff stated placing each drivers on onerous tyres had been a unsuitable transfer like placing a “hand down the bathroom” however the finish end result was “improbable” for a group chasing a ninth successive constructors’ championship.
“If we’d have are available final 12 months third and fourth it will have been very irritating however this 12 months I believe we’re punching above our weight class,” stated the Austrian.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, enhancing by Clare Fallon)
