Lewis Hamilton warns F1 rivals Mercedes are COMING now they have 'car we can fight with'

Lewis Hamilton has predicted that Mercedes will be a F1 force to reckon with in the Bahrain Grand Prix, despite his disappointing ninth-place finish in the qualifying round.

Hamilton admitted that his poor performance was due to a set-up error on his part. However, he remains hopeful that his decision will yield positive results in the main race. He praised the hard work of everyone involved in preparing the car for the race. Speaking to Sky Sports after the qualifying round, Hamilton said: "It was not great. But I was genuinely really excited to be here. I think George's position and pace really highlights, and is a real testament to the team, how hard everyone has worked over winter.

"It's amazing to have a car we can fight with. It really unites the fire and flame within us drivers. For me, Bono and everyone did a great job, and I struggled in qualifying today.

"Yesterday, was really good. Me and George were on the same setups but he went left and I went right. Right was definitely not good for a single lap but I felt more comfortable with more fuel, so I hope that reflects tomorrow. I've definitely sacrificed more than I hoped to and I hope it pays off tomorrow. It's a lot of work to do to get past all those quick cars ahead of me but it will be fun."

Hamilton has celebrated winning several times in Bahrain, most recently in 2021, when he successfully tackled a fierce Max Verstappen. The Red Bull star remains the top racer having achieved his career pole position with dreams of a fourth consecutive world championship.

Russell feels that Verstappen might be out of reach from the two Mercedes drivers even though they pushed him close in qualifications. Questions hang over every team's race pace but Russell seemed