Hamilton finds his rhythm at Sepang as Ferrari eye a chance to beat Verstappen

SEPANG: Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari found the right setup in qualifying yesterday, putting him second on the grid for this afternoon's Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

The British driver was 0.298 seconds behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who took pole with a lap of 1 minute 35.130 seconds.

"We made one last change going into qualifying and I think we hit the sweet spot," he said, the official Formula 1 website reported.

The result puts two former Sepang winners side by side. Hamilton won the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2014 with Mercedes, and Verstappen won in 2017.

Tyres the real test

One-lap pace has been established. Ferrari's real challenge begins when the 56-lap race gets under way at 3pm today.

Hamilton acknowledged that keeping the tyres alive at the circuit would not be easy, with overheating setting in from the start.

"Making these tyres last around this track is difficult. They're overheating from the get-go," he said.

High temperatures are expected to put maximum stress on the Pirelli tyres, while Verstappen has shown strong long-run pace in practice.

The FIA has also declared a heat hazard for the race, making driver cooling systems mandatory on every car.

Leclerc starts fourth

Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc qualified fifth but will start fourth after Isack Hadjar received a five-place grid penalty for an engine change.

Leclerc, fastest in Friday's second practice session, said he had struggled with balance from Q2 onward, with the rear of the car difficult to manage under heavy throttle in Q3.

"Lewis did a super lap and probably didn't leave much on the table," he said.

Leclerc also expects Mercedes, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli starting third, to be more competitive in the race.

Strategy will decide it

With high tyre degradation expected, pit-stop strategy and tyre management will determine whether Ferrari can turn their qualifying pace into a win.

For Hamilton, the priority is to hold position and manage his tyres while waiting for a chance to challenge Verstappen.