Lewis Hamilton: Fernando Alonso MOCKS Brit over F1 grid penalty
FERNANDO ALONSO has mocked Lewis Hamilton for his starting position at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel jumps to rival Lewis Hamilton's defence
Hamilton was struck with a five-place grid penalty after having to replace his car’s gear box just two races into the season.
Formula One rules state that a gear box may only be changed every six races but a hydraulic leak at the Australian Grand Prix meant the original had to be scrapped.
The four-time world champion finished fourth in qualifying so had to battle his way from ninth.
But during the first lap Hamilton collided with Max Verstappen and Alonso overtook the pair.
Fernando Alonso has mocked Lewis Hamilton following the Bahrain Grand Prix
I don't know what position I'm in but it can't be too bad if Hamilton is behind
However, the Spaniard was only able to secure a seventh-placed finish as his McLaren struggled to challenge the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari.
But Alonso still took time after the race to say how good it felt to see Hamilton left in his wake.
"When I looked in the mirrors and I saw [Lewis] Hamilton behind I thought 'I don't know what position I'm in but it can't be too bad if Hamilton is behind’,” he said.
“Fifth in Australia, seventh here, that's 16 points, so it's good.
Hamilton clashed with Max Verstappen on the first lap
“What counts most is not your grid position, it's your race pace, your start, the whole first lap, your tyre management, your fuel efficiency, there are a lot of factors and we're handling better than just qualifying speed.
“We were too slow in qualifying and need to improve that because when we start behind we compromise our race result."
Hamilton recovered from the setback, which forced Verstappen to retire, to clinch a third-placed podium finish.