Lewis Hamilton reveals late change hit Ferrari 'sweet spot' in Sepang turnaround

Lewis Hamilton felt Ferrari "hit the sweet spot" with one final change to his car before qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Hamilton will line up alongside Max Verstappen on the front row of the grid at the Sepang International Circuit, having been beaten by three-tenths of a second.

The seven-time F1 drivers' champion described the litany of tweaks and set-up alterations the Scuderia made on his SF-26 across the weekend, with those changes ultimately coming good when it mattered.

"It's so hot here. I keep saying it, but that's made it a massive challenge for the tyres, for the car, for the mechanics in the garage, and I'm really, really thankful to my team," Hamilton said after the grid-setting session.

"We made so many changes through all these practice sessions, and because the cars are sliding, and these tyres are overheating, it was really, really hard to find a good balance."

Hamilton revealed that one final change to his car paved the way for him to join his old adversary on the front row for the first time since the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2023.

"We made one last change going into qualifying, and I think we hit the sweet spot," the 106-time grand prix winner added.

"So to be able to close the gap to two or three tenths to Max, who's been so quick all weekend, is great. I'm so, so grateful."