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Lewis Hamilton arrives in Bahrain

Hamilton concedes Mercedes 'miles away' from F1 podium

Lewis Hamilton arrives in Bahrain — Photo: © LAT Images

Hamilton concedes Mercedes 'miles away' from F1 podium

Hamilton finished 50 seconds behind Verstappen in Bahrain

Lewis Hamilton has conceded Mercedes are 'miles away' from the F1 podium after a disappointing season opener in Bahrain.

Hamilton finished fifth in Bahrain and 50 seconds off race-winner Max Verstappen.

Equally as concerning for the seven-time champion was the 12-second margin to third-placed Fernando Alonso - the Spaniard aided in his drive to the podium by Charles Leclerc's late-race retirement.

"We were miles away (from the podium)," said Hamilton.

"There was a Ferrari that would have been ahead of him (Alonso), so we would really have been sixth. The podium was nowhere near.”

READ MORE: Hamilton slates Mercedes W14 - 'This isn't the right car'

Aston Martin 'in a different league'

Hamilton and Alonso rolled back the years with an intense battle over fifth position.

The tussle was decided by a bold move from Alonso on the brakes into turn 10, with his former McLaren team-mate powerless to fight back on the exit.

Reflecting on the battle, Hamilton said: "It was fun for a moment. He was quick.

"We were in a different league performance-wise at the time as you could see from him pulling away so much. But I enjoyed the little tussle we had.

“I knew he was going to come by because of the way he caught me.”

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