Hamilton still beaten by Rosberg

Lewis Hamilton was undoubtedly hoping for a better start to the season in 2016. The pilot Mercedes could not prevent his teammate Nico Rosberg from achieving a second victory by winning the Bahrain Grand Prix, his fifth over two seasons.

The Briton had nevertheless won pole, but the three-time world champion once again missed his start and was harpooned by Valtteri Bottas at the first turn. Despite damage to his W07 Hybrid, he managed to finish in third place but is now 17 points behind the Championship leader.

“This bad start has nothing to do with the previous one in Australia”, explained Lewis Hamilton. “I congratulate Nico on his victory. I managed to regain a few positions despite the damage to my car and I am still satisfied with the points collected. »

Lewis Hamilton could perhaps have exceeded the Ferrari by Kimi Räikkönen if he had not lost time by extending his second stint.

“The team left me on track in case a safety car intervened. I was in a direct fight with Kimi but I was in difficulty with my front wing.", said the Mercedes driver.

Discover the analysis of the Bahrain Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2057 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.