Hamilton Reveals Ferrari Tyre Debate Before Disastrous Bahrain GP Start

Lewis Hamilton disclosed that he actively urged Ferrari to start on intermediate tyres before the team opted for a slick compound, a decision that severely hampered his opening lap at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The race, held at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia amidst regional conflict, saw Hamilton qualified second, but his victory hopes evaporated when Ferrari gambled on the track drying quickly.

Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc were fitted with soft slicks, while 14 of the 22 drivers, including winner Max Verstappen and third-place starter Kimi Antonelli, chose intermediates. As the slick runners struggled on the tricky and dangerous track, they fell more than a minute behind the leaders in the early stages.

Despite the setback, Hamilton staged a remarkable drive from 18th to claim third place, though he described his feelings as “mixed.” He told Sky Sports F1 that his confidence turned to despair upon seeing the cars ahead and behind him remove their blankets to reveal wet tyres while his own car remained on slicks.

“I said, ‘look, there was a lot of spray on the laps to the grid,'” Hamilton recalled during the post-race press conference. “I went into the pit lane, I looked at the ground, I was like, ‘it’s still wet’. I went to the pit wall and I was like, ‘it’s still wet’. And they’re like, ‘yeah, but because it’s been so long, it’s definitely going to dry up real quick and maybe we’re already in the crossover.'”

Hamilton further compicated his position by rejecting a pit stop call on lap five to switch to intermediates. Insisting the team had already made a gamble, he argued they should stick with the decision rather than lose even more time. His strategy eventually paid off as the track dried and a Safety Car period, triggered by Valtteri Bottas spinning into the gravel, brought him back into contention.

Reflecting on the teamwork dynamics, Hamilton quipped, “Not going to go to the casino with the guys.”

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur acknowledged the difficulty of the call, noting that viewing conditions from the pit lane do not provide a complete picture of track status. He admitted the team was “on the wrong side” of the tyre choice but praised the drivers’ resilience. Leclerc, who did switch to intermediates early, recovered from a first-lap collision to finish fourth. Vasseur highlighted that recovering from 21st and 22nd on the opening lap to secure third and fourth constituted a strong performance.