F1 2025: 'Lewis Hamilton needs to QUIT moaning' - Bahrain Grand Prix Hot Takes

Hamilton, Japanese GP, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Bahrain Grand Prix

'Lewis Hamilton needs to QUIT moaning' - Bahrain Grand Prix Hot Takes

The GPFans team's hot takes from the Bahrain Grand Prix

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 13 April 2025 20:53

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Oscar Piastri may have stolen the headlines with a dominant win at the Bahrain Grand Prix, but Lewis Hamilton's surly interviews also defined this weekend's F1 action.

The champion improved from ninth to fifth by the end of the race, but still finished behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc who looked set for a podium until a late overtake from Lando Norris.

Norris, who started sixth, seemed unfazed by a five-second time penalty for a false start at the beginning of the race, nearly made it a McLaren one-two as he put George Russell under pressure at the end of the grand prix.

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Meanwhile, Max Verstappen endured a nightmare outing in Bahrain where he was not only off the pace, but also had his race ruined by two slow pit stops from Red Bull.

Thankfully for Verstappen, a safety car allowed him to make up a few places as rival drivers pitted and finished the race in P6.

Here are the GPFans team's hot takes from the drama that unfolded at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

F1 RESULTS TODAY: Verstappen suffers nightmare as safety car and penalties cause chaos

GPFans' Bahrain Grand Prix Hot Takes

Dan Ripley - GPFans Deputy Editor

You won't see many 'processional races' as action packed as this. Oscar Piastri may have effectively led this from start to finish but what an incredible race behind him.

But this was actually a good weekend for Red Bull (stick with me here!). Granted, Max Verstappen moaned his way through it from start to finish, being overtaken by old rivals and new (Hamilton and Antonelli) and suffering pit-stop gremlins as he picked up only minor points.

Still though, finally a respectable drive for the guy in the second Red Bull seat for the first time in what feels like forever.

Yuki Tsunoda's weekend wasn't perfect but he was never too far away from Verstappen on race day. He looked competitive and maybe, just maybe, his ninth place finish is the confident boosting drive that could bring the troubled second Red Bull car back into play over the season.

To put it into perspective, that's the best finish for the second Red Bull driver in 175 days.

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Lewis Hamilton needs to stop moaning.

Yes, he was out-qualified and beaten by Charles Leclerc in Bahrain, but his glum post-session interviews are not the answer.

Much hype surrounded Hamilton’s Ferrari move and to not be consistently on the podium or winning must be a crash down to earth for the Brit.

However, his post-qualifying interview in Bahrain sounded like a surly teenager on a Monday morning, and it's not a good look for the champion.

We became accustomed to Hamilton’s unhappy interviews in his final season at Mercedes, and following his move to Ferrari there was hope he would return to the racer of old and this attitude would be extinguished.

If Hamilton continues to voice his disappointment in such a way, he’s at risk of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy and his negativity could be detrimental to his hopes of an eighth world title.

His behaviour also gifts Leclerc a massive psychological advantage over his team-mate, which will bolster his confidence - which could make things worse for Hamilton.

Chris Deeley - F1 Journalist

Things that were more interesting than Oscar Piastri’s race win on Sunday:

- Yuki Tsunoda scoring his first points for Red Bull
- ⁠Wondering how soon Ferrari's galaxy brain strategy would backfire
- ⁠Ollie Bearman coming through to finish in the points from last on the grid
- ⁠Hey, track limits are back!
- ⁠...I saw a cat running away from a squirrel?

That was certainly a race that happened. See you next weekend.

Ronan Murphy - Social Media Editor

For a minute there, it seemed as if the 2025 Formula 1 season had peaked. Ferrari were back. Just briefly. Their drivers were managing their tyres brilliantly, their team strategy was clever and inspired, their mechanics completed a brilliant double stop.

And then a former Ferrari driver ruined it all by breaking up his car. How Ferrari can you get? Carlos Sainz’s broken Williams left debris all over the track causing a safety car and the ex-Ferrari man could not even finish the race.

The safety car ruined the Scuderia’s best-laid plans and the podium drive that looked so on for Charles Leclerc. Ferrari were back. Until they weren’t.

It’s been 17 years since they won the WDC and 18 years since their last WCC. It won’t be happening this year either.

F1 HEADLINES: F1 team hit by LATE Bahrain GP penalty as qualifying hit by farcical timing issue

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton McLaren Lando Norris