Lewis Hamilton’s recovery from the lower reaches of the field to the podium at Sepang left Martin Brundle deeply impressed after Ferrari’s opening tyre gamble had threatened to ruin the seven-time world champion’s Bahrain Grand Prix. Having fallen as low as 17th and more than a minute behind the leader, Hamilton ultimately fought back to third place in Malaysia.
The result was particularly striking because Ferrari had placed the Briton on slick tyres when racing finally began following a rain-related delay. Intermediate tyres quickly proved to be the correct choice, sending the Briton backwards despite having qualified on the front row.
Lewis Hamilton turns Ferrari’s Sepang tyre gamble into a recovery drive
Ferrari’s decision left Lewis Hamilton facing a major deficit in the early phase of the race, but the picture changed as the circuit began to dry. Once conditions moved towards the slick tyres, the Ferrari driver started making his way back through the pack.
The scale of the original setback came from the Ferrari slick-tyre gamble at Sepang, which initially left both of the Scuderia’s cars in serious difficulty.
A crucial moment arrived when Valtteri Bottas stopped and triggered a Safety Car. Ferrari elected not to bring Hamilton into the pits, allowing him to remain on his Soft tyres. He capitalised on the situation and climbed to fifth place, running behind Isack Hadjar before finally making his first pit stop.
That decision became an important part of a comeback that eventually carried Hamilton all the way from the back half of the order to the final podium position. The full sequence of his strategy call and recovery can also be followed in our report on Lewis Hamilton’s fight back to third at Sepang.
Martin Brundle impressed by Lewis Hamilton’s progress
With just over 20 laps remaining, Martin Brundle assessed the scale of the recovery and suggested that even fourth place would represent an extraordinary result given where Hamilton had been earlier in the afternoon.
The Ferrari driver eventually exceeded that expectation. George Russell retired while the race was under Safety Car conditions, promoting Hamilton to fourth and creating the opportunity for a late battle with Isack Hadjar for the final podium position.
Hamilton completed the move at Turn 1, passing the French driver and securing third place. Brundle highlighted how far the race had swung from the chaos and difficulty of the opening phase, while also noting the enthusiastic reaction coming from the spectators around the circuit.
The result ended a run of six consecutive races without a top-three finish for Hamilton. After failing to score a podium throughout his first season with Ferrari, he has now collected six during his second campaign with the Maranello team.
Lewis Hamilton closes on George Russell in the championship
The podium also carried championship significance. Lewis Hamilton remains third in the Drivers’ standings, but George Russell’s retirement has reduced the gap between the former Mercedes teammates to 22 points.
Second place in the championship therefore remains achievable for the Ferrari driver. Finishing there would represent his best final championship position since 2021, adding another objective to the closing stages of his second season in red. The latest impact of Sepang on that battle can be explored in the 2026 Formula 1 standings after the Sepang Grand Prix.
Hamilton also came extremely close to being voted Driver of the Day. Race winner Max Verstappen received 25.93 per cent of the vote, while Hamilton finished just behind on 25.28 per cent. The narrow margin reflected how strongly his recovery resonated after a race that had looked close to being lost in its opening stages.
For a driver who had been more than a minute away from the lead on the wrong tyres, turning the afternoon into a podium represented one of his strongest Ferrari performances so far. Martin Brundle’s reaction captured the scale of the turnaround: what began as a strategic disaster ended with Hamilton back inside the top three.
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