Lewis Hamilton has conceded that he expected more from the Bahrain GP qualifying hour after FP3 improvements failed to translate into qualifying pace. The Mercedes driver could only manage a P7 result during qualifying, falling behind teammate George Russell in the process. With Mercedes also qualifying behind Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, the two Red Bulls and the two Ferraris, the team will be hoping for a greater showing in the Grand Prix. "I went in with an open mind," Hamilton commented to Sky after being asked about his qualifying expectations. "We did a lot of work overnight with the engineers, and we did a great job and made a step forward. The car was feeling much more alive this morning, and all of a sudden we were in a different place today. "But when we got to qualifying, the car just didn't come alive. It felt kind of average. "A six tenths [gap], you can't catch that. We were about six tenths behind last year, but we had all the bouncing and all sorts of things, so it's not impossible."
Most read
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..









