Lewis Hamilton has revealed he pushed for intermediate tyres before Ferrari opted for slicks at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix, a call that nearly wrecked his race before a stunning recovery drive salvaged third place.

The race, held at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, saw Hamilton start from second on the grid. But after a lengthy delay for rain, Ferrari sent both Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc out on soft slick tyres, betting that the track would dry quickly. Fourteen of the 22 drivers, including race winner Max Verstappen and third-place starter Kimi Antonelli, chose intermediates instead, and that group immediately shot more than a minute clear as the slick runners floundered on the greasy surface.

Hamilton dropped as far back as 18th before mounting a remarkable comeback to finish on the podium, but admitted the result left him with "mixed emotions." He said that as the covers came off the cars around him revealing intermediate tyres, while Ferrari sat on slicks, his heart sank and he feared the race was already lost.

Speaking afterwards, Hamilton explained that he had argued for intermediates in the moments before the start, telling his team the track still looked wet both from the pit lane and the grid. However, the pit wall believed conditions were about to flip quickly into "crossover" territory, and Ferrari ultimately committed to softs. Hamilton said that seeing rivals shed their tyre blankets to reveal intermediates confirmed Ferrari had made the wrong call.

Compounding the error, the team tried to call Hamilton in for intermediates on lap five, but he refused, insisting Ferrari had to commit to the gamble rather than compound the mistake. That decision proved correct as the track dried and a Safety Car, triggered by Valtteri Bottas spinning his Cadillac into the gravel, allowed Hamilton to close the gap and surge through the field. He credited strong pit stops and strategy for the turnaround, joking when asked about avoiding future gambles that he wouldn't be "going to the casino with the guys."

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur praised the overall recovery, noting both cars had been running last early on - slightly exaggerating their true positions - before climbing to third and fourth. He acknowledged the tyre call was difficult to judge from the pit lane, with the grid split evenly between slicks and intermediates, and admitted Ferrari ended up "on the wrong side" of that gamble, compounded by Leclerc needing a nose change after lap-one contact.

Source: Sky Sports

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