Lewis Hamilton left Bahrain on Sunday evening with something he hadn’t had for weeks — belief.
“I think I’ve figured out how this car likes to be driven,” the seven-time world champion told reporters. “It’s taken some adjusting.”
After a rocky qualifying left him stranded in ninth, Hamilton battled back to finish fifth — his best result yet since joining Ferrari at the start of the season. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, came home in fourth.
It was a quiet but significant step forward for the Briton, whose move from Mercedes to Ferrari has yet to produce the fireworks many expected.
“This car needs a completely different approach,” Hamilton said. “I’ve been driving the same way for so long. It’s like learning a new language — and now it’s starting to click.”
He explained that small details, like engine braking and brake setup, have required him to rethink years of habit. “We didn’t use engine braking at Mercedes. This car demands it. It’s a big shift.”
His performance came as a relief to Ferrari fans after a frustrating Saturday. Hamilton had qualified poorly and offered a blunt post-session verdict: “I’m not doing a good enough job.”
He also apologised to the team and its supporters. “It was a poor performance,” he said at the time.
But on Sunday, the tone changed.
“I’ve got to make things easier for myself,” Hamilton said after the race. “Right now I’m doing it the hard way. If I can start the weekend stronger, stay closer to Charles, and not deviate too much, I can deliver more.”
Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur backed Hamilton’s words with quiet encouragement.
“I understand his frustration in qualifying,” Vasseur told The Times. “He was very close to Charles in Q1 and Q2. Then in Q3, one lap was deleted, and the other had a mistake. You pay for that.”
But the Frenchman praised Hamilton’s recovery drive. “It was a strong race,” he said. “His pace was not far off Russell or Norris. He was consistent and made up good ground.”
The result doesn’t change the standings dramatically — Hamilton is still trailing in the early championship fight, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri dominated the race ahead of Norris and Russell. But it hints at a shift in momentum.
Hamilton isn’t declaring anything just yet.
“We’ll see,” he said with a shrug. “If I can qualify better next time, maybe we’ll really be in the mix.”
The Formula 1 circus now heads to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the third race in as many weekends. Whether Hamilton can build on Bahrain remains to be seen. But after Sunday, he’ll arrive there with something he’s been missing for a while: hope.
