Hamilton reacts as Mercedes make Bahrain statement and Verstappen plays catchup

29 February 2024 , 20:55

1000     0

Lewis Hamilton was surprised by his pace 24 hours out from qualifying (Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton admits he was "shocked" to see Mercedes at the top of the timing sheets come the end of Practice 2.

The Silver Arrows are aiming to close the gap on the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari this season having won just one race in the past two seasons. Mercedes have previously enjoyed huge dominance in the sport but have been overtaken in the Formula 1 pecking order as of late.

The season opener at Bahrain presents the chance for a shake up and Mercedes have produced something of a surprise with Hamilton posting a time of 1:30.374 whilst team-mate George Russell was just two tenths behind in second. The 39-year-old is growing increasingly optimistic having praised the changes.

He said: “This has been a crazy Thursday. I don’t understand it, and it is a shock to see us where we are, but we will take it for now. We cannot get ahead of ourselves. We need to keep our head down and keep working on the setup. But I am much happier with the car.

"I have a better feel of it approaching the corners, and there are other areas that have been fixed and improved. It feels like a race car and the last two cars didn’t feel like that. It is a really good platform to work from. We have to keep our heads down and keep on chasing.”

Mick Schumacher free to race for McLaren in 2023 after Mercedes deal reached

Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri rounded out the top five with world champion Max Verstappen in sixth. The Dutchman is eyeing a fourth straight world title and, despite his slow start to the weekend, Hamilton still expects him to be the man to beat.

He said: “I think we are going to be in the mix. We are there or thereabouts with Ferrari and maybe Aston Martin and McLaren. It is going to be close, but if Max is out in front he will drive off as he has done for the past couple of years.”

The Mercedes was quickest around the Bahrain Circuit in second practice

Hamilton last won in Bahrain back in 2021, holding off a Verstappen charge before the duo began their iconic title tussle. He's since claimed a podium in the Gulf state but has struggled to compete for race wins across the past 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.”

Samuel Meade