What happened to Lewis Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia?

He qualified second but Ferrari started him on slick tyres in wet conditions, dropping him as low as 18th before he recovered to finish third.

Why was Hamilton investigated by the stewards that weekend?

He was investigated and warned for unnecessarily impeding Gabriel Bortoleto during second practice, with Ferrari fined €10,000 for not warning him about the approaching car.

Could Hamilton face a grid penalty later this season?

He already has two reprimands in 2026, and under FIA rules five reprimands trigger an automatic ten-place grid penalty, leaving him with little margin for further driving offences.

Where was the Bahrain Grand Prix actually held?

The race was held at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia rather than Bahrain itself.

Hamilton: Ferrari's tyre gamble at Sepang

Lewis Hamilton produced one of the most dramatic recovery drives of his Ferrari career to finish third at the rain-affected Bahrain Grand Prix, staged at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia on Sunday, after a questionable tyre call from his team dropped him to the back of the field at the start.

Max Verstappen took the chequered flag in 1:47:14.808, with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli second and Lewis Hamilton completing the podium 4.919 seconds behind the race winner.

A nightmare start that became a podium masterclass

From second on the grid to the back of the pack

Hamilton had qualified second on the grid at the Sepang International Circuit, with Malaysia hosting the race amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, but his hopes of victory were blown as Ferrari chose to start both him and team-mate Charles Leclerc on soft slick tyres in the hope that the wet track would quickly dry out. It proved to be the wrong call as conditions stayed treacherous longer than expected.

The fightback through the field

Hamilton ultimately produced a remarkable comeback, having at one stage dropped to 18th, to claim a podium in third, but was left with mixed emotions after the race over the decision made following the rain delay at the start. His recovery was helped by a mid-race incident, as stewards noted a Turn 2 incident involving Bortoleto and Sainz, with the Williams driver tipping into a spin and dropping from the top 10 to 18th, which aided Hamilton's recovery towards the points.

Hamilton reveals the tyre debate that split the garage

Lewis Hamilton said he was pushing to start on intermediate tyres before the choice of a slick compound led to a disastrous beginning to the Bahrain Grand Prix for Ferrari. His frustration was compounded by the knowledge that several rivals made the safer choice: plenty of drivers went for intermediates, while Hamilton, Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Gabriel Bortoleto and others gambled on softs, a split that defined the early stages of the race.

The episode fits into a wider pattern for the team this year, with Ferrari still searching for consistency in a season that has brought only a single win for the seven-time world champion since he joined the Formula 1 outfit at the start of 2025.

A separate warning that leaves Hamilton on thin ice

What the stewards ruled on Friday

Hamilton's weekend had already been complicated before a wheel turned in the race. He received a warning and Ferrari was fined €10,000 for impeding Gabriel Bortoleto during second practice, after he was found to have unnecessarily impeded the Audi driver under braking at Turn 9. The stewards said Hamilton was travelling at around 80-85 kph as he approached the corner while Bortoleto, on an out lap, arrived at approximately 240 kph, creating a closing speed of around 155-160 kph before Hamilton moved onto the racing line. Hamilton pointed to a damaged right-hand mirror as mitigation, which the stewards accepted alongside the fact Bortoleto was not on a push lap.

Why the reprimand count is starting to matter

A more detailed breakdown of the verdict later emerged showing just how close Hamilton came to a harsher sanction. The verdict on his incident with Bortoleto revealed that the stewards seriously considered labelling it as dangerous impeding, a ruling that would have brought the Ferrari driver one step closer to a grid penalty. Hamilton is already on two reprimands this season, the first at Silverstone for not slowing under a yellow flag and the second in Baku. Under FIA rules, a driver who receives five reprimands, at least four of which are for driving offences, is automatically given a ten-place grid penalty at the next Grand Prix, meaning Hamilton now has very little room for further errors before the end of the campaign.

What comes next

Ferrari's attention now turns to salvaging consistency for the remainder of the Formula 1 calendar, with Hamilton needing both quicker strategic calls from his pit wall and a cleaner run with the stewards to protect his grid position. Mercedes, meanwhile, has its own headaches after George Russell retired late from the same race in Sepang, leaving both of Britain's leading drivers with contrasting but equally pressing problems heading into the closing stretch of the Formula 1 season.

For Hamilton, the Sepang podium will be remembered as proof that his racecraft remains among the best on the grid, even if the manner of the recovery once again raised uncomfortable questions about Ferrari's strategic judgement under pressure.

Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari's risky tyre gamble that nearly wrecked his Sepang podium

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