MOTORSPORT
Mercedes realise they have work to do
Despite Lewis Hamilton’s inherited victory in Bahrain, Ferrari remain favourites to win the next F1 race
Lewis Hamilton added another victory to his tally at Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix but neither the five-times Formula One world champion nor his Mercedes team were under any illusions about who should have won. “It’s a bit subdued because we are all racers and the emotional winner today was [Ferrari’s] Charles [Leclerc],” team boss Toto Wolff told reporters. Hamilton agreed: “He deserved the win today. He’s done the job all weekend.” Leclerc, Ferrari’s 21-year-old Monegasque newcomer, had been heading for his first Grand Prix win after becoming the Italian team’s youngest driver to start from pole position. He was leading comfortably when a power unit problem in the closing laps dashed his hopes, leaving him unable to fend off Hamilton and the Briton’s second-placed Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas. A late safety-car deployment at least enabled Leclerc to hang on for third place and a first career podium. “He was the quickest car, or the quickest guy, and he should have won the race. ...
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