Lewis Hamilton “shocked” as Mercedes make Bahrain statement and Max Verstappen plays catchup

Max Verstappen finished sixth and Lewis Hamilton led the Mercedes 1-2 as they were fastest in Bahrain’s second practice. The Brit was taken aback by their speed.

After Practice 2, Lewis Hamilton says he was “shocked” to see Mercedes at the top of the timing sheets.

Having won just one race in the previous two seasons, the Silver Arrows are looking to close the gap on teams like Red Bull and Ferrari this season. Mercedes has recently fallen in the Formula 1 standings, despite their historical extreme dominance in the sport.

Bahrain offers a chance for a change of pace for the start of the season, and Mercedes has pulled off something of a surprise with Hamilton setting a time of 1:30.374, only two tenths slower than teammate George Russell in second. The 39-year-old, who has praised the changes, is becoming more and more upbeat.

“What a crazy Thursday this has been,” he said. I don’t understand it, and it’s surprising to see where we are, but for the time being, we’ll accept it. We are unable to overestimate ourselves. We must continue to work on the setup with our heads down. But the car has made me much happier.

“There are other areas that have been fixed and improved, and I can feel it approaching the corners better. The last two cars didn’t feel like race cars, but this one does. It’s an excellent platform to work with. We must continue pursuing and keep our heads down.

Max Verstappen, the world champion, came in sixth place and was followed in the top five by Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, and Oscar Piastri. Hamilton still believes the Dutchman will be the one to beat even after his slow start to the weekend. The Dutchman is aiming for his fourth consecutive world title.

“I believe we will be involved,” he stated. Together with Ferrari, possibly Aston Martin, and McLaren, we are there or thereabouts. Although it will be close, Max will drive off as he has for the past few years if he is in the lead.

The last time Hamilton triumphed in Bahrain was in 2021, when he fended off Verstappen’s challenge to start their legendary championship battle. Although he has since placed third in the Gulf state, he has found it difficult to contend for race victories during the previous two seasons.

Verstappen though is not too worried despite struggling on the time sheets. “It is very close and maybe some people around us have turned up the engine in terms of top speed,” he said. “I’m not too worried about the gap to first, for example. It is going to be close in qualifying. I was happier about the long run for the race.”

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