F1: Q&A with Lewis Hamilton: "A Fantastic Achievement"

Massa claims Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton finishes second

Q: Can you talk a little about that second stint. Why was that, you were still on the soft tires at that point?

"Yeah, I was still on the softs but the car was quite a bit different with the scrubbed tires and I had quite a bit more understeer. I guess that was really where I was losing, the balance wasn't very good and I was unable to brake as late and carry as much speed through certain corners and therefore I was losing a lot of time to Felipe. But then we got back onto the hard tire and I was able to keep up the pace."

Q: It looked as if you saw quite a lot of Anthony Davidson's oil as well towards the end?

"Yeah, I don't know if that was oil, or what, but it looked as if something was damaged on his car. But I think the marshals did a great job today and the stewards, getting the blue flags out. I think it was a lot better here than it has been in the past and so fair dos to them."

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Q: You have made history today - three successive rookie podiums. Your thoughts on that?

"Sweet! I'm happy with it. I think this weekend we have definitely closed the gap to Ferrari and to have another second in only my third race, I couldn't ask for more. There's only one more step for me and we'll be pushing and making sure that in Barcelona we'll be just as quick."

Q: Lewis, fantastic again; still no mistakes?

"I don't think I made many mistakes, not that cost me that much. A couple on my out laps of the second stint, I struggled a little bit on the used tires. The balance wasn't very good, I don't know why but we will have to look into it. I locked up a couple of times but that was about it. It was pretty smooth."

Q: It was an attacking drive as well; what was it like in those early stages with Felipe ahead of you and Fernando behind you?

"Well, it was definitely a much better experience not having to defend my position and to have the pace to put pressure on Felipe. I think it was great that we had the pace, especially in the first stint, that we were able to keep with them. I think if we were in front we would have pulled away. I think my balance was perhaps better than Felipe's and we were slightly faster."

Q: You were talking about Anthony Davidson's oil; that didn't get on your visor or anything?

"No, it didn't get onto my visor. I don't know if it was oil. I do believe there was some on turn 14 at some point but I don't know if it was Anthony's. It didn't cause me any trouble, he pulled out of the way which was good."

Q: For the first time in history you [a rookie] are on the podium [three times] and you are leading the championship. How do you feel now?

"I'm still third, right? I'm still effectively third. But it's fantastic, obviously, to be equal on points with Fernando and Kimi. I think the team's done a fantastic job. I think we had a very good pace this weekend, possibly the pace to be on pole but I think Felipe did a fantastic job in qualifying and in the race. Usually the Ferraris start to pull away during the stint but we generally had similar pace, if not quicker in both first and last stints, so I think we've made a fantastic step forward and I'm really happy for the team. I know this break coming up is going to be really good, we are going to be working extremely hard to make sure we make some more steps forward, to make sure that we go to Barcelona even quicker."

Q: Do you think at this point that you have the same chance to fight for the World Championship as Fernando?

"Yeah, absolutely, I don't see why not. I have the same car and I seem to be as competitive as him, so as long as I can keep up this consistency I know and feel a lot more comfortable now that a win is going to be possible. We just have to make no mistakes, as I've said, and try to take advantage of these three or four weeks that we have until the next race, and try to keep on beating the Ferraris."

Q: Throughout the first three races of the season we've been looking at your debut and there's been debate about the impact you've made on the sport, whether this is the greatest debut ever in Formula One and we now know that it is. You've torn up the record books. How do you feel and what do you imagine the reception is going to be like in England where you've got probably millions of new fans?

"I think it's a fantastic achievement, another to add to my career. I'm extremely proud. I think we've worked extremely hard to get where we are today and when I say we, I mean me and my family, but also the team in terms of how competitive we are. I'm looking forward to going to home. I've not been home for about nine weeks now and I still have to fly to Shanghai tonight but still, I'll be back next week. I think the support is growing and I'm looking forward to getting to Silverstone and seeing how many fans will be there, but it's great. I've not experienced it yet so it will be new to me, and I just hope that I'm still able to walk on the streets."

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