F1: I f****d it up, fumes Bahrain GP runner-up Lewis Hamilton

The Finnish driver secured his maiden Formula 1 pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix but on race pace and strategy he reached the chequered flag in third place behind victor Sebastian Vettel for Ferrari and Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Vettel adopted the undercut, and benefited from a Safety Car period shortly after, to move into the lead, and he pulled away from the Mercedes pair to register his second win of the season.

“Over the years, nothing changes and I feel pain in my heart”, Hamilton said.

“I had a good feeling because Friday was a bit mixed [when he topped both practice sessions], we improved it for Saturday, and thought it would stay like that”.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel. There was some pit stop incongruity between the top finishers, but ultimately Vettel ran a quick race and was stuck to the back of Bottas before any pits were taken. Hamilton, who won in China last weekend, crossed the floodlit finish line 6.6 seconds behind.

The Ferrari garage took the first big chance of the race when Vettel went in for an early pit on Lap 11, said the report. “This was my fault”. You are supposed to have a five-second gap and I think I had a four-second gap. “I am getting old!”

“Our auto is obviously good; it is just how we use our tyres in the race – particularly when it is a bit warmer – that is a big question mark for us”. “You lose a senior member of a team and that has a bearing, it means the team is slightly on the back foot”.

“The beginning for us to be that close was great”. Sebastian and Lewis were putting on quite a lot of pressure and I couldn’t control the race. It’s a very tough call.

It was Hamilton’s teammate Valterri Bottas that started the race from pole, however after a faulty generator accidentally overinflated Bottas’ tires on the grid, the Fin quickly lost time to Vettel and Hamilton. The only goal was the victory.

“The auto was a dream today … the last half of the in-lap with the fireworks & the track lit up, I just thought I love what I do”, he added. “That was why we couldn’t win as a team and I couldn’t defend the position”, Bottas said.

“That first stint was looking really competitive”. Seb and Lewis were putting pressure on and I couldn’t control the race or build a gap.

“I had to take everything out of the tyre and then the tyre life was shorter”, Bottas added.

“You know, honestly, as a racing driver it is the worst thing you want to hear”, Sport24 quoted Bottas as saying.