Lewis Hamilton has said Red Bull and Ferrari are in a “different league” as he could only manage fifth in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
He said: “I’m genuinely really happy with today. I think given where we’ve been the last few weeks, the struggles we’ve had with the car, it’s been a bit of a nightmare to drive.
He added: “Those guys ahead of us are in another league so I’m generally happy with where we are. It’s not the front row but we will make improvements and do the best we can tomorrow.
“Those guys will be going away so we are not in the fight with those.”
READ MORE: Charles Leclerc reacts to pipping Max Verstappen to pole in Bahrain
“My battles with the guys behind most likely but of course Ill try to be as fast as I can and get ahead. But their performance is quite ahead of us.”
Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff said Mercedes have to be “realistic” about their performance level.
