star made his intentions clear on Sunday with a dominant win on the Bahrain Grand Prix. The staff's one-two to kick off the brand new season despatched out a warning to the chasing pack, with and properly off the tempo.
The Silver Arrows have successfully written off the present season as they work on a radical new design within the hope of creating it again to the highest. All efforts have been poured into the method, with even the difficulty of Hamilton's new contract taking a again seat.
A P5 for Hamilton and a P7 for team-mate George Russell made for a disappointing weekend's work at Mercedes, whereas Aston Martin introduced themselves among the many race leaders in emphatic trend as Fernando Alonso took an excellent third place in Sakhir.
With a lot to chew on after an intriguing first Grand Prix weekend, comply with Specific Sport's stay updates beneath...
Verstappen makes daring Alonso claims
Max Verstappen has steered that Fernando Alonso has the tempo with Aston Martin to win 'two or three races' this season.
The Spaniard began the yr with a bang by clinching third spot in Bahrain, behind solely Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
"I have been in the identical place the place some races I am ending 20 to 40 seconds behind the winners and you continue to win two or three races a yr as a result of generally they're some tracks which actually fit your automotive and every little thing simply comes collectively and you'll win a race with perhaps generally a little bit of assist or luck," Verstappen advised . "However for positive they've a extremely sturdy package deal. And now after all it is all about growing it additional.
"I believe for this yr, troublesome to say if they'll problem for the championship, however race wins are undoubtedly on the desk."
Mercedes make Hamilton contract name
Mercedes have taken the choice to place Lewis Hamilton's contract negotiations on the again burner as they attempt to resolve their depressing begin to the season.
Having gained momentum in direction of the tip of final yr, followers hoped that the Silver Arrows had turned issues round, however the Bahrain Grand Prix uncovered how far they continue to be behind Purple Bull and Ferrari.
In keeping with , Mercedes are shifting all their efforts into fixing their present points which is about to delay the method of Hamilton signing a brand new deal.
"You heard Lewis on the radio. He's an integral a part of the staff, selecting the staff up, and we’re all sticking collectively," stated Wolff in Bahrain. "I don’t assume that’s going to alter simply because we had one other begin that was actually unhealthy."
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Amid the continued fallout from Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix, we'll hold you updated on the newest developments involving the most important names on the grid.
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