Ferrari and Red Bull have locked the front row of the Bahrain GP starting grid. The most shocking incident is that fans would not see Lewis Hamilton or George Russell’s Mercedes W13 in the front row. Last season, both Mercedes cars were at the front of the grid at P2 and P3. But this time the best they got is P5 with Lewis Hamilton while George Russell finished P9 in the Saturday qualifiers for the 2022 season opener.
The seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton didn’t let the qualifying results affect him. Instead, the 37-year-old Briton encouraged his team on the team radio after finishing P5 in the Q3.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Sir Hamilton said on his team radio, “That’s a great effort, guys. Thank you for continuing to push man. Let’s just keep it up and we will improve.”
Lewis Hamilton is happy with P5
The German constructors always have at least one car in the front row, but they failed to do that this time around. However, the Silver Arrow ace Hamilton is quite impressed with the results of the Bahrain qualifiers. Even prior to the race week in Bahrain, Hamilton was favoring rivals Red Bull and Ferrari to dominate the first race, as his team isn’t ready to win yet.
Hamilton reported after Q3, “I’m generally really happy with today. I think given where we’ve been in the last few weeks. The struggles we had, the problems with the car, it’s been a nightmare to drive. But we’ve just kept our heads down and kept working away. So, I’m proud of everyone for just staying positive.”
“Yeah, to qualify fifth inequality to those guys ahead of us are in another league. So, I’m generally happy with where we are. It’s not front row but we’ll make improvements and we’ll do the best we can tomorrow.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The @MercedesAMGF1 guys gave it everything they could to end qualifying as high as possible ahead of tomorrow's race 🙌
There is some pace to find, but points are handed out on Sunday 🏆
Lewis and George will be ready to go on the attack 💪#BahrainGP #OutRaceYourself #F1 pic.twitter.com/IEoATGAZB7
— PETRONAS Motorsports (@PET_Motorsports) March 19, 2022
Sir Hamilton still believes that he won’t be able to defeat Red Bull and Ferrari for the time being. Therefore, instead of trying to defeat them, he would try to hold his position. However, the seven-time world champion will eventually try to go ahead of the Austrian and Italian F1 cars later in the season.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WATCH THIS STORY: From Shocking Lewis Hamilton Crash to Ferrari Pit Stop Blunder: Most Sensational Moments in Bahrain GP History
Undoubtedly, the 2022 season opener is going to be a nail-biting experience. It would be fascinating to see whether Lewis Hamilton will be able to win the Bahrain GP against all odds or will he lose to the Ferrari and Red Bull drivers.