F1 2026: Lewis Hamilton expresses mixed emotions after Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia

Lewis Hamilton was among the few during the race who switched from intermediates to slicks on a still‑drying track in Sepang. | Photo Credit: AFP

Lewis Hamilton said that he had “mixed emotions” after a chaotic, rain-hit Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia where a tyre gamble left him 18th before he recovered to finish third.

After a 90‑minute rain delay, Hamilton was among the few who switched from intermediates to slicks on a still‑drying track. He got a poor start, dropped to 18th, and, despite Ferrari urging a pit stop, chose to stay out, saying, “No, we’ve already waited another 26 seconds. What’s the difference?”

As the circuit dried and safety cars bunched the field, he began cutting through the pack, eventually passing Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar late on to secure a podium behind Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli.

“As a team, we ended up taking that soft (tyre) and at the end of the pit lane, these two (Verstappen and Antonelli) took off their (tyre) blankets, and my heart just sank, because I knew straight away that we were in trouble,” Hamilton said.

“As we pulled out, all the spray came out the back of Max’s car, and I was like, ‘Okay, I’m done. My race is really in trouble’. We made the decision to live with it. I just waited for the track to dry, and once it did, it felt good that I was catching people. The car felt great. Then after that, really good pit stops from my guys in the garage,” he added.

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Hamilton admitted that he never thought he would get on the podium but credited the team’s good strategy for the result, stating that “I’m really, really grateful.”

His teammate Charles Leclerc finished fourth and said it was the best result for Ferrari given Red Bull and Mercedes’ pace.

“Honestly, the first part of the race, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. And on the second part, everything that could have gone right went our way,” Leclerc said.

“So at the end of the day, I prefer it that way than the other way around. We were P4 today, and I honestly think that with a normal race we would have finished P3 and P4. The two guys in front were just way too quick for us,” he observed.