Lewis Hamilton, days before the first race of 2022, admitted that Mercedes is not the fastest car on the grid. The seven-time world champion played down his chances of winning at Bahrain Grand Prix, which will take place on March 20. 

Hamilton was speaking on the last day of Formula 1 preseason testing. He further raised questions about how Mercedes will fare when the season starts next weekend.

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The 37-year-old is amongst the several drivers who struggled during preseason testing with what F1 calls “porpoising” — an aerodynamic issue where cars hop and bounce on the track — and with other issues like tire grip.

He was the ninth best on Saturday morning. Redbull’s Sergio Perez topped the session. Hamilton said that Ferrari look the quickest at the moment. 

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“We’re not the quickest at the moment, I think Ferrari look to be the quickest. Perhaps Red Bull and then maybe us. But we’re certainly not at the top,” the Mercedes driver said. 

Lewis Hamilton further added that Mercedes has a lot of work to do but there are some positives that came out of the pre season. 

“Everyone’s struggling out on this bumpy track, and we come out of it knowing we still have a lot of work (to do). Everyone’s sliding around, the tires are worse this year. The positive so far is following behind other cars feels a little bit better,” the British driver said.

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AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly, who was third fastest in the morning, agreed following is better than in previous years — which was one of F1’s hopes amid a series of regulation changes.

“That makes me quite optimistic in terms of racing,” the Frenchman said. “(The fans) should see some exciting races.”

It was proving a long day for McLaren’s Lando Norris driving alone on the Bahrain International Circuit, with teammate Daniel Ricciardo recovering from the coronavirus.