Lewis Hamilton intends to make life tough for those at the front while fighting those behind him in Bahrain GP.
Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that Mercedes might not be in the position to fight for victory in Bahrain. But, he has vowed to hunt down those at the top eventually.
After finishing fifth in the qualifying in Bahrain, Hamilton said that Mercedes is not in the same league as Red Bull and Ferrari. However, the Briton is happy with his performance in qualifying and is enjoying the challenge.
He said, “those guys ahead of us are on another level at the moment. But we’ve made some improvements and we’re closer. So I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and where we’ve got to.”
💬 “Those guys ahead of us are on another level at the moment but there’s a lot to play for tomorrow at the start and with strategy so I hope I can at least stay with them and stay in the fight.”
Lewis, George, Toto and Shov debrief Saturday 👇
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 19, 2022
“I hope we’ll make another step next week and bit by bit, we’ll hunt those guys down,” he further added.
He said that the improvements come from the collective efforts of the team and everyone is working as hard as they can. “I know it’s a long, long way to go but I love a challenge.”
Also Read: Lewis Hamilton is moderately satisfied with his performance in Bahrain qualifying
Lewis Hamilton hopes to stay in the fight
Even though the seven-time world champion has previously downplayed his chances to win the race in Sakhir, he does not intend to make life easy for those at the front.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen form the front row for the first race. They are followed by Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz and Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez in the second row.
Hamilton said that his team is not quick enough to win but there is a lot that can be done. He said, “I hope I can at least stay with them and stay in the fight.”
Furthermore, Mercedes’ new driver George Russell who will start from the ninth on the grid hopes to make his way up to the top six.
He admitted that the pace of his car is certainly behind Red Bull and Ferrari. But it is better than the others, therefore, his target is to stay ahead of that group.
“The only promising thing is we have major issues and we’re still the third-fastest team. If we were in this position and everything felt great, then we’d be a little bit puzzled,” he said.
