Frustration at Honda: "When the race was flagged I was speechless"

The Bahrain Grand Prix was all about the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, with the last few laps being the highlight. Red Bull Racing just missed out on the victory, but despite the visible disappointment there is also positivity: finally the battle with Mercedes can be fought.

Honda chief Masashi Yamamoto faced it head on. "Our performance was good in Bahrain, so when the race was flagged I was speechless. If it was our first podium second place would be good enough, but in terms of the championship it's a lost race," he said in an interview with AutosportWeb.

Yamamoto also states that he thinks there was only one chance for Verstappen to overtake Hamilton, but that giving back the position was the right decision. Still, that doesn't diminish the Japanese's frustration. "This was the most frustrating and physically demanding day I've had in my six seasons in Formula One, " he declared.

There is nothing left now but to come to the next race as prepared as possible, and try again there. "We have to try to improve the performance for the second race so that we can compete," Yamamoto concluded.