Hamilton chasing maximum points and another record
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[April 04, 2018]
By Abhishek Takle
(Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton will be out
to secure maximum points, and equal a Formula One record, in Bahrain
on Sunday after victory was plucked from his grasp in the Australian
season-opener.
Mercedes' four times world champion has scored in his last 26 races,
one short of Kimi Raikkonen’s unprecedented run of 27 with Lotus in
2012-13, and stood on the podium in 19 of them.
The 33-year-old Briton, who last drew a blank when he retired with a
blown engine while leading the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix, will also
be looking to make a statement as he moves on from Melbourne.
Hamilton was on his way to a comfortable win from pole position at
Albert Park when an ill-timed virtual safety car and a computer bug
threw Mercedes’ strategy predictions off and handed victory to
Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel instead.
"It feels like a dark cloud but it’s not," he told reporters after
finishing second.
"We have a great car, we are still the world champions and with a
couple of adjustments we can win the next race."
Hamilton has taken two of Mercedes's three wins from the last four
years in Bahrain but Vettel and Ferrari broke the stranglehold last
year when Bahrain followed China as third round of the season.
Mercedes are expecting another thriller under the floodlights.
"We saw in Melbourne that the Ferraris in particular were very
quick, so I expect it to be a close battle," commented team boss
Toto Wolff.
The circuit’s four long straights could allow Ferrari to edge closer
but Vettel -- set to start his 200th race -- may need another dose
of luck to celebrate an unprecedented fourth win in Bahrain.
Ferrari will also have to watch out for Red Bull, whose Australian
driver Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest lap in Melbourne and piled
the pressure on Raikkonen in his bid for a home podium.
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Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton celebrates second place on the podium with
the trophy REUTERS/Brandon Malone
"The track is one that I’ve always done well on,” said Ricciardo,
whose lowest finish in Bahrain since he stepped up to Red Bull in
2014 is sixth. "So let’s hope it continues to be good to me."
Sunday will also set the stage for another hard-fought midfield
battle.
McLaren, who have Bahrain’s Mumtalakat Holding Company as major
shareholders, will hope to win that one after ending their first
race with new engine partners Renault solidly in the points.
But they will have to overcome a Haas team whose Ferrari-powered car
drew intense scrutiny after they stunned rivals with their pace in
the opener.
The U.S.-owned team will be hoping to put behind them the
disappointment of having both drivers retire in Melbourne after
botched pitstops while on course for a best-ever result.
Off the track, the big story will be a presentation to teams by
commercial rights holder Liberty Media and governing FIA of how they
see the future unfolding after current agreements expire at the end
of 2020.
New engine regulations are a key part of that, with the focus also
on Ferrari after the Italian team threatened to walk away from
Formula One if they do not like what is being proposed.
(Editing by Alan Baldwin)
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