Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari/2nd): “Verstappen is lightning fast, tyres are critical”

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton will start the Bahrain Grand Prix on 4 October from the front row of the grid; the 41-year-old Briton set the second-fastest lap time in a rather astonishing qualifying session, behind Max Verstappen.

Hamilton was just under three tenths of a second off his first pole position since Hungary in 2023; his second place in Malaysia is his best qualifying result of 2026, alongside Barcelona, where he was also the second-fastest.

After the thrilling GP qualifying session (Bahrain hosting the race at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit), Hamilton said over the radio during his cool-down lap: “Let’s go, lads! At last! Fantastic work in qualifying, lads, absolutely brilliant. The timing was perfect. The car felt brilliant.”

Shortly after qualifying, the driver with 105 pole positions to his name continued: “It’s so unbelievably hot here, I’d almost forgotten what it feels like. The heat makes managing the tyres a real challenge; everything is at the limit – the car, but also the mechanics in the pits.”

“I’m really grateful to my team for the brilliant job they’ve done here. We completely overhauled the car during free practice to get it into the best operating window. Because the tyres are constantly prone to overheating, you slide around a lot here, which makes it so tricky to find a good car balance.”

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“We then made some further adjustments before qualifying, and that really made my Ferrari fly.”

“That allowed me to close the gap to Max to just a few tenths, and he’s been lightning-fast all weekend.”

“I’m very happy with my car today, but the race will be a completely different kettle of fish. The key to a good result will be good tyre management. Basically, they get too hot very soon after the start. That means – letting the wheels spin too much just once, or a spin, perhaps caused by a gust of wind, will be decisive in determining how long the tyres last.”

“Max was very impressive in the endurance runs, but we have good car balance, so naturally I’ll be aiming to secure my first podium finish since Silverstone.”