Hamilton believes critics finally silenced with Bahrain GP victory
Hamilton believes critics finally silenced with Bahrain GP victory
Lewis Hamilton declared it “a blessing in disguise” he was made to fight hard for his Bahrain Grand Prix victory on Sunday as it proved to his critics he can win in a car that is not the class of the field.
The Mercedes driver, whose team out-thought favourites Red Bull to win the season-opener, said he “loved every minute” of the experience even though he no longer has the strongest car on the grid.
“There’s always a chance to prove people wrong, and I like to think this is definitely one of them,” said Hamilton.
“There have been many in the past, I’ve been around a long time, but I hope there are many opportunities in the future to also be able to show what I was able to do today.
“We don’t have the fastest car at the moment but that’s all good for me. I don’t mind having to pull out extra in order to make the difference.”
Hamilton revealed the final few laps of the race had been “horrifying” as he fended off an attack from Verstappen, who made it by at one stage on lap 53 of 56 but was forced to give the place back as his move was made outside track limits.
The seven-time champion admitted he is relishing the chance to finally have some competition, after clocking up many of his victories in a car that has given his rivals very little chance.
“I loved every minute of the weekend,” he added. “Knowing for us as a team that we were behind in performance… these guys have done a better job so far and so for us to come away with this result, given we weren’t the fastest, is a real result.
“This has got to have started off as one of the toughest [seasons], if not the… I think Red Bull’s pace is incredibly strong, as you could see. We can’t match them in qualifying right now.
“I thought we could get closer within the race – but that was a little bit too close for my liking. We just don’t know how much better or worse they’ll be in other places. Maybe our car’s better in other places than it is here, or maybe it’s worse.
“We were fortunate with Max going wide but that won’t happen again, I’m pretty sure, so we’ve got to do better, we’ve got to be smarter. There’s a long way to go. Twenty-two [races]. Holy crap! I’ll be grey by the end of this!”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
McLaren leading fight for HUGE cash injection
- 16 minutes ago
Newey set to announce STUNNING Red Bull departure
- Today 17:57
Newey Red Bull exit wish CONFIRMED as F1 guru's reasons revealed
- 1 hour ago
F1 legend reveals 'FLOOD' of death threats after controversial decision
- 2 hours ago
Adrian Newey: The life and career of Red Bull's departing genius
- 2 hours ago
Sky Sports F1 pundit dumbfounded by key Ferrari decision
- 3 hours ago
- 2
Related news
Incredible statistic puts Verstappen AHEAD of Hamilton record
Fierce rival calls Hamilton F1's GOAT in surprise admission
Hamilton sends strong message over Gaza deaths
Former F1 chief hits out at Hamilton 'EXCUSES'
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860