Hamilton honest: "The second session wasn't without its challenges"

Mercedes had a slow start to the winter tests in Bahrain. Valtteri Bottas ' morning session was shattered by a gearbox problem, and when Lewis Hamilton stepped in for the afternoon session the weather conditions deteriorated.

Challenging Friday

Hamilton admits in a team press release that Mercedes did not get off to a nice start in 2021. "But these things are sent to try us. Everyone has worked extremely hard to get us here. We had that mishap in the morning which was very unfortunate for Valtteri in terms of losing time on track."

Bottas drove just six laps after experiencing problems with his gearbox. The team worked hard to get the car back on track as soon as possible. "The second session wasn't without its challenges, but we exist to find solutions to the problems we're faced with. We just had a good debrief and we'll keep working away", Hamilton continued.

Less and less time

"We only have a day and a half in the car before the first race, with different tyres and different aero modifications so it's not easy but it's the same for everyone. I'd like to think my nine years' experience with this team will help me get the best out of it," concludes the seven-time world champion.