Before the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday, Lewis Hamilton made fun of journalist and F1 TV presenter Lawrence Barretto by teasing him about his preseason predictions.
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The seven-time world champion qualified ninth on the grid after a promising set of free practice sessions but was still feeling in high spirits ahead of Saturday’s race given his decision to prioritise a race pace set-up over one-lap speed.
Chatting during the pre-race drivers’ parade, Hamilton was asked: “Lewis it’s great to see Mercedes this year with a car that hopefully you can kind of attack and move forward [with].
“I know you’re maybe not too far up the grid or where you’d like to be, but are you excited about the prospects of what you can achieve from ninth today?”
Instead of answering the question, Hamilton donned a serious look and replied: “Yeah let me pull you up on something. You rated me pretty low on the predictions.”
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The Mercedes star then burst out laughing, telling Barretto: “I’m messing with you… just putting you on the spot!” He then turned to the camera and added: “You should see his face!”
The 39-year-old has been feeling more optimistic all weekend as he prepares for his final season as a Mercedes driver. Hamilton will join Ferrari at the end of the 2024 campaign, bringing an end to a 12-year partnership with the Silver Arrows.
Addressing his thoughts ahead of the Bahrain GP, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: “It was not great [in qualifying]. But I was genuinely really excited to be here.
“I think George’s position and pace really highlights, and is a real testament to the team, how hard everyone has worked over winter. It’s amazing to have a car we can fight with.
“It really unites the fire and flame within us drivers. For me, Bono and everyone did a great job, and I struggled in qualifying today. Yesterday, was really good. Me and George were on the same set-ups but he went left and I went right. Right was definitely not good for a single lap but I felt more comfortable with more fuel, so I hope that reflects tomorrow.
“I’ve definitely sacrificed more than I hoped to and I hope it pays off tomorrow. It’s a lot of work to do to get past all those quick cars ahead of me but it will be fun.”
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