Hamilton happy with second after experimenting throughout qualifying

Lewis Hamilton was satisfied with second place in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix after struggling all weekend compared to his teammate, Valtteri Bottas.

The Briton finished just 0.023s behind Bottas in the fight for pole position and a whopping three-tenths of a second ahead of the nearest Ferrari in Sebastian Vettel.

Speaking after the session ended, Hamilton admitted that he was experimenting throughout qualifying in the pursuit of more time.

"Valtteri was particularly quick in the first sector so I was experimenting throughout the session," Hamilton said.

"I think I had the quickest sector in the end but it was a little bit too late. But still it's all about making improvements.

"It wasn't to do with tyre temperature it was just to do with balance and getting the flow, utilising the grip in the right areas.

"As I said I've been struggling with the car, just battling the thing. It's obviously a great car but the first few races are always quite tricky.

"It shifts later on in the season and you get a better understanding."