Hamilton says Ferrari made the wrong tyre choice at the start — Sky Sports News

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton said he had insisted on using intermediate tyres before the start of the race at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, which Sky Sports calls the Bahrain Grand Prix. Ferrari nevertheless sent Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc out on soft slicks, expecting the wet track to dry quickly.

An unsuccessful choice at the start

Hamilton qualified second, but dry-weather tyres did not allow Ferrari to maintain the pace on the wet surface. Race winner Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Kimi Antonelli, who started third, were among 14 of the 22 drivers who chose intermediate tyres. According to Sky Sports, drivers on slicks lost more than a minute to the leaders in the early stages.

The seven-time world champion said he saw wet patches on his way to the starting grid and near the pit lane. According to him, the team believed the track would dry quickly and that the moment to switch to slicks had already come. When the tyre blankets were removed from rivals' cars and the intermediate tyres became visible, Hamilton realised Ferrari was in a difficult position.

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Return to the top three

During the race, Hamilton dropped as low as 18th position. On lap five, Ferrari offered him a switch to intermediate tyres, but he refused, believing that after the initial risk the team should wait for the track to dry.

This decision paid off after conditions improved and a safety car appeared, caused by Valtteri Bottas going off in a Cadillac into the gravel. Hamilton finished third. Leclerc, whose tyres Ferrari changed to intermediates at an early stage of the race, took fourth place.

Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur called the result a strong team effort, while acknowledging that the team had ended up on the wrong side of the tyre-choice decision. He noted that it was difficult to assess the condition of the entire track from the pit lane.