SUMMARY
- Lewis Hamilton lines up in an underwhelming P9 for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
- Hamilton uncovers the mystery behind his struggles during the qualifying session in Sakhir.
If anything history has taught us, it’s that Lewis Hamilton is absolutely ruthless when it comes to teammate rivalries. Having faced some of the toughest world champions, including Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, the seven-time world champion has often made it a necessity to never let his shield down, even against his own teammate.
However, the ongoing Bahrain Grand Prix has portrayed a different story thus far. How you might ask? Well, Hamilton was struggling to match his teammate, George Russell’s lap times throughout the qualifying session under the lights. It was indeed bizarre considering the two Britons were almost on par with both one-lap and race pace during the practice runs on Thursday and early Friday.
QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION
Verstappen and Leclerc start on the front row for the season opener 🙌#F1 #Bahrain pic.twitter.com/Kmz6j1Jv7E
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 1, 2024
So, the question arose, is Hamilton really struggling against Russell? Has the one-time race winner finally found an edge against his ever-dominant teammate? The truth is that Hamilton has opted for an interesting strategy that is a complete contrast to the rest of the grid. And despite failing to match his teammate’s final Q3 lap time by over 0.2s, Hamilton is looking calm, composed, and a lot more excited for the main race.
So, what is it that Hamilton did that might just leave his rivals in a state of worry heading into Saturday?
Lewis Hamilton reveals his epic plan for Bahrain Grand Prix
Hamilton may have just offered himself a shot at the podium by opting for a rather unique strategy. Following the qualifying session, Hamilton was all smiles and didn’t seem too concerned about Russell’s searing pace. To add a bit of context, Hamilton will start the race from P9 while his teammate will be starting from further up the grid in P3.
#BahrainGP 🇧🇭 | Lewis Hamilton post-quali: “I definitely sacrificed [single lap pace], more then I had hoped to. I hope that it pays off tomorrow but we’ll see.”
“It’s a lot of work to do to get past all those quick cars ahead of me. But it’ll be fun!”
— deni (@fiagirly) March 1, 2024
During the post-qualifying interview, Hamilton confessed that his Mercedes was not built for qualifying but rather for the main race. “I definitely sacrificed [single lap pace], more then I had hoped to. I hope that it pays off tomorrow but we’ll see. It’s a lot of work to do to get past all those quick cars ahead of me. But it’ll be fun!” the Briton said with a tinge of excitement.
Overall, starting from the fifth row, the recovery drive isn’t going to be as easy for Hamilton. But, can he defy the odds to clinch his first podium of the season? Let’s see what the future holds for the seven-time world champion.