Lewis Hamilton said he was “elated” after taking second place and a front-row start at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Oct. 3, 2026, a result he had not expected during what he called a “trying year.” It was his second front-row start of the season. Hamilton said he had anticipated finishing around fourth or fifth, as he often had, and was “really, really happy” with the outcome.

The result came after a difficult stretch in the championship. Hamilton was second in the standings just four rounds earlier, but his deficit to leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli has since more than doubled, passing 100 points. He said the season had brought plenty of positives and good days, though race weekends had included more bad days.

“It’s definitely been a trying year. Lots and lots of positives, lots of good days [but] for sure more bad days on the race weekends,” Hamilton said. He described the season as a sustained challenge amid the close competition between teams, with cars often separated by fractions of a second.

“It’s just been a massive challenge. It’s so competitive out here every weekend. Everyone’s doing a really great job across the teams. There’s been some races where we’re all within tenths of each other and getting the most out of these cars and these power units has been, honestly, the bane of probably all of our lives,” he said.

Hamilton said the preparation and analysis behind a race result can make setbacks particularly difficult. He described the work in the office, reviewing data and managing details such as breathing, food, timing and heart rhythm, before heading out to compete. Mistakes or unexpected problems can undo that effort, he said.

“Then you get out and mistakes happen or something catches you out and it’s frustrating as hell. This and golf are probably the two most frustrating fricking sports there can possibly be,” Hamilton said. The quotation was also used in the report’s headline.

He said a smooth session and a strong result can restore confidence after difficult outings. Hamilton said the second-place finish felt like vindication and reinforced the belief he had maintained through failures and doubts.

“But when you finally calm down, get things aligned and things run smoothly and you get a result like today, it’s really great. It kind of just reinforces the belief you have in yourself,” he said. “All the times that you are failing make you question things sometimes. But you just continue to have that belief regardless of what is happening around you. Then, when it finally comes, you’re like ‘see, I knew I had it’. And that’s a great feeling.”

The comments were reported by Keith Collantine for RaceFans at 13:19 on Oct. 3, 2026. The article appeared among coverage of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix alongside reports on George Russell’s latest setback after discussing his chances in Sepang, Max Verstappen saying Red Bull had “pushed the weaknesses out” after a breakthrough pole, Haas acknowledging a set-up mistake on Oliver Bearman’s car had made one session a “total waste of time,” and Toto Wolff saying Mercedes had expected an upgrade to deliver three-tenths but instead lost five.

Collantine, a lifelong motor sport fan, founded RaceFans in 2005 under its original name, F1 Fanatic. He previously worked as a motoring journalist and began running the site full-time in 2010, fulfilling a long-held ambition to focus entirely on motor racing.

Based on reporting by RaceFans.