Lewis Hamilton has admitted that his best wasn’t good enough to qualify ahead of Max Verstappen ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The reigning F1 world champion had to settle for second on the grid for the 2021 season opener after recording a time 0.388 seconds slower than his rival.
“Max did such a great job,” Hamilton said post-qualifying. “He was so fast on that last lap.
“Absolutely gave it everything I had, but unfortunately it wasn’t good enough.
“It was the best I could do.
“I got absolutely everything out of the car – we did such a good job since testing, the guys back at the factory, to get the car where we needed it to be closer to the Red Bulls.
“In testing, we thought we were further behind.”
Meanwhile, Verstappen is not getting ahead of himself after qualifying for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in pole position.
The Red Bull driver was considerably quicker than Lewis Hamilton in Q3, laying down a marker ahead of the new season.
“We have to carry on with our feet on the ground,” Verstappen said after qualifying.
“It’s a good start.
“We already had a great test week and of course there are no guarantees but then we came back for the race weekend and the whole week so far, I think the car’s been working really well, and it’s just been really enjoyable to drive.
“With the wind changing a lot around every session, it’s not easy to set up the car but it all worked out perfectly in qualifying, so very happy with pole position.
“My first lap in Q3 wasn’t amazing, so I knew there was more in it. I never knew how much but the balance was there and I could push more and luckily when it mattered, we could perform.
“In general, the car has been working really well in short and long runs.”