Lewis Hamilton 'Heart Sank' as Ferrari Went Against Tyre Instinct
Hamilton said Ferrari’s pit stops and strategy recovered a race that left the team more than a minute behind before the track dried.
- At the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Ferrari and McLaren gambled on slick tyres for the restart, but the Sepang circuit remained too slippery for dry-weather rubber, leaving both teams to rue their choices immediately.
- Heavy rain prompted an hour and 33 minutes of delays at Sepang, saturating the track surface; decreasing temperatures ensured the circuit took much longer to dry than expected, complicating Ferrari's crossover calculations.
- Lewis Hamilton admitted his "heart just sank" seeing rivals on intermediate tyres at the start, as he fell over one minute behind the leaders while waiting for the track to dry out.
- Remaining on soft tyres paid off as the track dried; Hamilton recovered positions and secured a podium finish after a late pass on Isack Hadjar and a retirement for George Russell.
- Hamilton joked he is "not going to go to the casino with the guys" after the gamble failed, yet expressed confidence that Ferrari can compete for a win at next week's race in Singapore.
16 Articles
16 Articles
The slick tyre gamble that hurt McLaren and Ferrari's chances in Bahrain GP in Malaysia
McLaren and Ferrari ultimately ended up splitting their strategies for the start of F1's Bahrain GP in Malaysia - but the damage was already done by their starting choice of slicks
Formula One Lewis Hamilton had a two-part race at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia: first nightmare, then ideal! Let's start with the (...)...
Norris: McLaren "got it wrong" with starting tyre choice in F1 Malaysia race
Lando Norris admitted McLaren got its tyre decision wrong during a chaotic 2026 F1 race in Malaysia, after the Briton eventually crossed the line in ninth place at Sepang. Heavy rain caused a lengthy delay to the start before the field initially headed out on intermediate tyres. When the race eventually got underway, teams split...
Ferrari errors cost Hamilton a win in Sepang
Lewis Hamilton recovered from a disastrous start to finish third at the Malaysian Grand Prix, but Ferrari’s decision to split from the safer tyre strategy may have cost the seven-time world champion a chance to fight Max Verstappen for victory. Hamilton and Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc were left at the back of the field after ...
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