Hamilton conceded that Red Bull had enjoyed a strong three days in Bahrain and that their car and drivers were looking in good shape to challenge his dominant Mercedes team. “They’ve had some really good running,” said Hamilton. Last season Mercedes were solidly on top, winning 13 of 17 races. “Having seen them win the last race you can only assume they’re going to be right there, if not at the front, of the first race,” he said. Mercedes had problemsover the three days, during which they completed 304 laps. However, the British driver said the team were not concerned and that it was beneficial to work through problems in testing.

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