Lewis Hamilton recorded his most impressive Grand Prix result since joining Ferrari, finishing fifth at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Despite a frustrating qualifying session that left him ninth on the grid, Hamilton made up ground on race day, showing strong race pace and strategic awareness.
A key moment came with the timely deployment of the safety car ahead of his second pit stop, which allowed him to maintain momentum. During his second stint on medium tyres, Hamilton demonstrated excellent speed and executed several clean overtakes—including a symbolic move on long-time rival Max Verstappen. Although he eventually dropped back from the lead group of George Russell, Lando Norris, and Charles Leclerc after the restart, Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line in fifth place. He later sounded notably more upbeat than he had during the qualifying session and was voted Driver of the Day by fans.
While he did win the Sprint Race in China earlier this season, his disqualification from the main race in Shanghai had previously left him without a top-six finish to his name. That changed with his performance in Bahrain, where he advanced to seventh in the drivers’ standings.
Hamilton Moves Away from Extreme Setup Changes After Joining Ferrari
Last season, the Briton concluded the championship in seventh place—his lowest-ever finish in Formula 1—and repeating that result in 2025 would certainly not meet his expectations. However, he appears to be building a stronger relationship with Ferrari’s SF-25, as recent comments suggest a shift in his approach to car setup.
After Sunday’s race, Hamilton expressed his intention to follow a more stable development path, similar to that of teammate Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver reportedly picks a setup direction early in the weekend and rarely strays far from it. Hamilton indicated that he plans to begin the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend from a more stable baseline and will incorporate lessons learned during the Bahrain weekend into his preparation.
The Telegraph interpreted Hamilton’s statements as a clear signal that he will no longer engage in the kind of radical setup experiments that became common during his final years at Mercedes. These unconventional adjustments were famously referred to as “wacky” by Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin, particularly in reference to Lewis Hamilton’s approach during the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix. In fact, Lewis Hamilton was known to experiment with car balance over multiple seasons in Brackley, often pushing beyond conventional limits.
Stefano Domenicali Sees Encouraging Signs for Ferrari and Hamilton
Hamilton’s decision to shift away from extreme experimentation is likely to be welcomed by fans, many of whom have voiced concerns over the risks he has historically taken with setup configurations. Following a disappointing qualifying performance in Japan—where Lewis Hamilton admitted to making the wrong setup calls and qualified five places behind Leclerc—some supporters even described his approach as “embarrassing.” Even McLaren’s Lando Norris has acknowledged that Hamilton is still adjusting to his new environment at Ferrari.
The Italian side debuted an upgrade package in Bahrain, highlighted by a redesigned floor. Although the Maranello team is still chasing its first podium of the season, the team delivered its most competitive overall performance so far.
Meanwhile, former Ferrari team principal and current Liberty Media CEO Stefano Domenicali remains optimistic. He has expressed confidence that Ferrari will be capable of winning races in 2025, citing the increasingly narrow performance margins among the front-running teams. Whether that prediction will be enough to satisfy the ever-demanding Tifosi remains an open question—but Bahrain provided at least a hint of what Hamilton and Ferrari might be capable of when things begin to click.
Leave a Reply