Breaking news
Formula 1 Bahrain GP
Hamilton "absolutely gave it everything" in qualifying
Lewis Hamilton said he gave everything he could in Formula 1 qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, but Red Bull was simply too quick.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: Mar 28, 2021, 4:29 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The world champion ended up snatching second spot on the grid for the F1 season opener, but was powerless to prevent Max Verstappen earning pole position by 0.388 seconds.
And while Mercedes has made good progress since its troubled pre-season testing weekend, Hamilton reckoned there was nothing else he could have done to overhaul Red Bull.
"Congratulations to Max. He did such a great job, so fast on that last lap," said Hamilton. "I absolutely gave it everything I had, but unfortunately it wasn't good enough."
Read Also:
Hamilton praised the steps forward that Mercedes had made since testing, but was aware of the task that his team now faced to find more speed.
"There is always more, but that was the best that I could do, that is for sure," he said. "I got absolutely everything I could from the car.
"I think we did a really good job from testing to come here. The lads back of the factory they've really done such an amazing job.
"And our aero analyst, Kim, she's been giving such great information for us to be able to prove and get the car where we needed it to be closer to Red Bull.
"I think to be that close, considering I think in testing we were quite a bit behind, [was good]."
Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas said wasting a set of softs in Q1 put him on the backfoot for the final qualifying runs, as he had only a single set of new tyres for Q3 where he ended up third.
However, he thinks there is still everything to play for in the race, especially if he and Hamilton work together against Verstappen.
"It wasn't too bad, but obviously not where we want to be," he explained. "But at least starting third, and from there, anything is possible and obviously the aim is only for tomorrow.
"Of course now we have two cars in the mix at the front against Max, so I'm sure we can cooperate and do something good."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Vettel "upset and angry" after Bahrain Q1 exit
Next article Grand Prix qualifying results: Verstappen takes pole in Bahrain F1
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jonathan Noble
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
More from
Lewis Hamilton
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
8 h
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Charles Leclerc reacts to Ferrari fear: 'We know what line not to cross'
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Charles Leclerc reacts to Ferrari fear: 'We know what line not to cross'
Latest news
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 8 h
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 8 h
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
8 h
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
ARCA
ARCA ARCA 10 h
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe