Lewis Hamilton vows to come out fighting in next race
Lewis Hamilton insists he will come out fighting after his pit-stop blunder cost him a shot at victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel moved seven points clear of Hamilton in the championship race by virtue of winning under the floodlights at the Sakhir Circuit on Sunday.
Hamilton finished more than six seconds adrift of his main title rival with pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas crossing the line in third place.
Britain's triple world champion should have been closer to Vettel, but was hit with a five-second penalty by the stewards for blocking Daniel Ricciardo on the entrance to the pits.
Hamilton held his hands up for the misjudgement and apologised to his Mercedes team, but says he will bounce back at the next round in Russia a week on Sunday.
"It was a very difficult race," Hamilton, 32, said. "The pit lane was my fault so apologies to the team for losing the time there.
"The disappointment is there and losing points for a team, when you could have won the race, is defintly painful, but I gave it everything I could.
"Ferrari did a great job, but we are going to push hard together - re-gather as a team - and come back fighting."
Vettel and indeed his Ferrari team got every decision right on Sunday. Firstly when the German, starting third on the grid, blasted out of his blocks and made up the nine-metre difference to Hamilton by the time the title protagonists reached turn one. Vettel was braver on the brakes and passed Hamilton around the outside,
Then Ferrari blinked first and pitted Vettel with Bottas, who led the opening phase of the race, slowing up the chasing pack. The undercut worked to perfection with Vettel taking charge of the race.
The result rarely looked in doubt from that point in with Vettel, bidding to become only the third driver to win five or more championships in the sport's long history, punching the air as fireworks greeted his 44th career victory.
"It was a really great day," Vettel said. "I don't know what to say. The last half of the in-lap with all the fireworks and the track was all lit up - I just love what I do - and I can't find any words.
"I am not really looking at the championship. I am really enjoying the car. I was a bit down after qualifying because the gap to Mercedes was so big and we could have been a bit closer.
"But something inside me told me we had a good car and we can do well so right from the first lap I felt the car was there and the Easter hunt was on. They were hiding some eggs but it looks as though we found them today."
