“Tu as été incroyable ce week-end”: the top 3 reactions in Sakhir

Hamilton (1st): « We were lucky »

He is now the wise elder of the paddock. Benefiting from a fortunate scenario, the Brit immediately had this reflex during his radio message to congratulate Charles, who was very unlucky but had a great race. The same action upon getting out of the car: consoling the one who had been ahead of him until the 48th lap. « It was really a tough race. Both Ferraris were fast, and Charles did a fantastic job. We were lucky; he deserved to win. This guy will have many victories in the future », the day’s winner also told Martin Brundle in Parc Fermé.

A few minutes later, Hamilton had another gesture of attention for Scuderia’s hopeful, this time in the cool room, involving Valtteri Bottas.

« You have a long, long career ahead of you. I know it’s tough right now, but you have a long road ahead, more than twice what I have left, and twice as long as him (editor’s note: Valtteri Bottas) »

Well aware of the forces at play, Hamilton appreciated the battle on the track, especially the one with Vettel.

He will, however, need to take care of his starts, after losing a place to Bottas in Sakhir. But it’s indeed #44 who makes the best move of the weekend with his first victory of the season!

The move that put @LewisHamilton in a winning position 🔀

And the wave that acknowledged Charles Leclerc’s amazing effort 👋#BahrainGP 🇧🇭 #F1 pic.twitter.com/2jDC3jFNI4

— Formula 1 (@F1) 31 March 2019

Bottas (2nd): a good start and then gone

Winner in Australia, Valtteri Bottas particularly stood out at the beginning of the race. At the lights out, the Finn had a better start and took the 3rd place, which he conceded to his teammate by the second lap. The rest was much more disappointing, with #77 trailing well behind his teammate. “The start was excellent, unfortunately, the car was unpredictable,” the driver who finished second emphasized. “I had trouble finding the rhythm. Things only went our way towards the end, and the car became more reliable.”

Except for an easy overtake on Verstappen at the pit exit, the rest of Bottas’s race was smooth sailing, helped by Ferrari’s troubles, granting him an unexpected 2nd place. Although he leaves Bahrain leading the championship, Bottas admits, the battle will be tough to maintain it!

Valtteri puts a pass on Leclerc and it’s a 1-2. We’ve been in the same position and know how it feels… #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/xbFeHyHWZG

— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) March 31, 2019

Leclerc (3rd): « that’s part of motorsport! »

After a stunning attack on Vettel to retake the lead of the race, Leclerc was calmly heading towards the first victory of his young career. This first win ultimately went up in smoke due to an energy recovery issue late in the Grand Prix. Overtaken by Hamilton on lap 48, then by Bottas on the 54th lap, the new Scuderia Ferrari driver was perhaps already seeing himself pushed off the podium by a fast Verstappen. He was finally saved by the retirements of both Renaults and Ricciardo and the intervention of the Safety Car.

Groggy, Leclerc naturally had trouble digesting the outcome of a race that was promised to him. “I don’t know what to say, sorry guys,” he reacted on the radio after the checkered flag. Once out of the car, the young man (21 years old) was more talkative on Martin Brundle’s microphone. “It happens, it’s part of motorsport. It wasn’t our day today, even if we’re ultimately lucky in this unlucky situation. Without the Safety Car, I don’t even know where I would have finished!”

Leader before his retirement, poleman on Saturday, the Monegasque still wanted to highlight the fantastic work of his team, which regained a solid pace after the troubles in Australia. Even though he expects to come back stronger, there is no doubt that this end of the race will weigh on his mind in the coming days…