Lewis Hamilton is excelling in his new role as the Mercedes Number One. 

Last year, he qualified 2nd on the grid, behind the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel. Nico Rosberg finished 5th in Bahrain last year, but only behind four Renault-powered cars. 

Despite this, the Mercedes car Lewis Hamilton is now driving is quick in a straight line, while the Red Bull machines of Vettel and Mark Webber are somewhat slow. 

And while Hamilton did well in qualifying last year, he only managed to finish 7th by the end of the race.

He is hoping for better luck this weekend. “The weekend in China was really positive for both me and the team,” the 28-year-old said after the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend. “With each race, I am becoming more settled in the team and more comfortable in my car, and we were very happy with the pole and podium finish.

“There are some areas where we need to improve to close that gap to the fastest cars and we’re working hard to identify and develop those. There’s a limit to what we can do before Bahrain but I’ll be talking to my engineers before we arrive at the circuit and seeing where we can improve in the short term. 

“The Bahrain circuit is a real challenge, particularly for the tyres with overheating and also the sand on the track, but this helps to make it unique. 

Hamilton has never won the Bahrain Grand Prix, with his best finish being 2nd in his third ever Formula One race for McLaren back in 2007. 

He added: “The layout has a great combination of fast, slow and medium corners which make it tough for the drivers and the car, so it will be a true test for us. I can’t wait to get back in the car and see what we can do.”