F1 Q&A: Hamilton, Malaysia Wet Races, Red Bull, Ford, and Engine Future
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Wet Races and Engine Future in F1
Red Bull's Max Verstappen won his first race of the season in a dramatic rain-affected Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Kimi Antonelli finished second in the Mercedes, and Lewis Hamilton, who fought his way back to the front after an incorrect tyre choice at the start, completed the podium.
Antonelli extended his lead in the championship to 84 points, after team-mate George Russell retired with an engine failure.
This weekend, it's the Singapore Grand Prix - Formula 1's original night race. Before the race at Marina Bay, BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your latest questions.
Do we miss out on exciting wet-weather racing?
Sam asks: "Do we miss out on exciting wet-weather racing because an overly cautious approach is applied when rain occurs prior to the start of the race?"
This question comes up often with wet races, but in Malaysia, the delay wasn't due to conservatism. A bug in the wet-weather engine settings affected several cars, including Verstappen and Hamilton, leading to aborted formation laps. While the track dried, the original start time was postponed as drivers couldn't see where they were going.
On a general level, F1 doesn't object to racing in the wet, but there's an agreement that races won't start when visibility is poor. The Brazil 2024 race, won by Verstappen in wet conditions, proves this. F1 needs to introspect and learn from such incidents.
Hamilton's Claim on Intermediate Tyres
Michael asks: "After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton said that had he started on intermediate tyres, he could have won the race. Given the race data and his pace, do you think that's a realistic claim?"
The truth is no one will know for sure. There was no direct comparison between Hamilton's pace and Verstappen's in similar conditions. In the early laps, Hamilton was on slicks while Verstappen had intermediates, making a direct comparison impossible.