Immediately after qualifying in Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton said he was actually relieved to still be in such a good position. Halfway through the qualifying he even hoped for more, but the fast lap of Verstappen at the end of the session pushed Hamilton to P2.
"Almost four-tenths in qualifying, that's quite mind-blowing," said the world champion for the Ziggo Sport camera. "I was very happy with the laps I drove and I think we worked well by gaining time back after the test."
Hamilton enjoys the challenge
"In Q2 I thought 'wow, we are close', maybe we are closer than we thought. And then he drove that lap and I thought 'okay [never mind]'," Hamilton said, making a throwaway gesture. Yet he is also visibly elated as he seems to enjoy the challenge.
So will he perhaps stand a better chance in the long runs? "I don't think so. They were faster on the long run, especially at the beginning and later that was a bit closer. Tomorrow they have at least one or two-tenths advantage over us, maybe even more. I'm going to do everything I can to make it as exciting as possible."