Lewis Hamilton has “exceeded expectations” in Ferrari, but will fight to “make a tooth” in this weekend’s Grand Prix in Bahrain, says the Le Mans Jamie Chadwick series driver.
Hamilton’s best scout in the first three races of 2025 was the seventh country in Japan last Sunday. He came to his 10th debut in Australia and was disqualified in China because of the excessive dressing of the board after the sixth ended.
However, the seven -time world champion won the Sprint race in China and said after Grand Prix Japanese that Ferrari had now scored a poor issue in their car that he hopes could lead to an improvement, with Italian dresses 76 points after McLaren in the Constructors Championship.
Said Chadwick Sky Sports News About Hamilton-Ferrari partnership: “I think it has exceeded expectations in several ways.
“What we saw in China was definitely a big step in just two races to perform like that. There are so many new ones for him in this car.
“He has spoken there potentially being an existing issue that has been there in the last races that is a kind of slightly obstructed performance.
“(Bahrain) is a track he knows very well in Ferrari from testing, so we hope this give them a better window to perform.
“But surely, at McLaren’s rhythm, it will be difficult for them to really make a tooth.”
‘Bahrain Track will suit McLaren’
McLaren won the first two Grands Prix of the season, with championship leader Lando Norris Trumping in Melbourne before Oscar Piastri secured victory in China.
Red Bull’s Max Versappen broke the Woking-based monopoly winning in Japan, with team director Christian Horner describing performance as “Inch-Perfect”.
The Dutchman grabbed Paul’s position with a record of the laps Suzuka and then kept Norris and the piastri in the race to win the Grands Prix for the consecutive fourth season.
Chadwick, however, thinks that McLaren can be the fourth chief in Bahrain, where the pre-season test was held, adding: “It is a track that suits them.
“In pre-season testing, the conditions were quite different from what I think will be this weekend in much hotter conditions.
“Mercedes, for example, tend to work better in colder conditions while McLaren are good in hot conditions, so it will change little who is where, I think.
“The thing about Bahrain is all the loads of everyone, so it’s super close. Everyone is quite called inside, both teams and drivers.
“I think drivers can change. If you make a mistake in the last moments of the last qualification, then this will be the difference.
“Both McLaren drivers are definitely very close, but it’s about them joining. It will be the same this weekend – who can execute the best.”
Bahrain GP program GP I SKY SPORTS F1
Thursday April 10
- 02:00: Driver’s press conference
Friday 11 April
- 8.50AM: Practice F3
- 10:00: Practice F2
- 12:00: Bahrain GP practice one (session starts at 12.30) **
- 1.55 Afternoon: F3 Qualification
- 2.40 Afternoon: F2 Qualification
- 3.35 Afternoon: Bahrain GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
- 5.15 Afternoon: Fust F1
Saturday 12 April
- 11.10 in the morning: p3 sprint racing
- 1.15 Afternoon: Bahrain GP practice three (session starts at 1.30pm)
- 3.10 Afternoon: F2 Sprint
- 4.10 Afternoon: Bahrain GP Creating Construction
- 5 Afternoon: Qualification of GP Bahrain
- 7 Afternoon: TED qualifying notebook
Sunday 13 April
- 10.50am: F3 Characteristics Race
- 12.20 Afternoon: F2 Characteristics Race
- 2.30 Afternoon: Bahrain GP Construction: Grand Prix Sunday
- 4 Afternoon: Bahrain’s Grand Prix Prix
- 6 Afternoon: GP Bahrain reaction: Controlled Flag
- 7 Afternoon: TED notebook
*Also live in Sky Sports Main event
Formula 1 continues her triple head in Sakhir for Bahrain’s Grand Prix this weekend, live in Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with now – without contract, cancel at any time