Nico Hulkenberg laments ‘dreadful’ Bahrain GP reminiscent of Lewis Hamilton’s China woes

During the Bahrain Grand Prix, Nico Hulkenberg suffered a fate similar to Lewis Hamilton at China. Upon post-race inspection, Hulkenberg's Kick Saubar revealed a rule breach, which led to his disqualification.

Lining up 16th on the grid, Hulkenberg experienced a poor getaway at launch, tumbling down to the rear of the field. Despite the setback, the German retained his starting position after an aggressive undercut.

Over the course of the 57-lap race, Hulkenberg gained three more spots to eventually finish at 13th. However, a post-race inspection revealed excessive skid bloack wear, voilating the minimum thickness of 9 mm. The ensuing disqualification sent the 37-year-old back to the tail end.

In a post-race interview, Hulkenberg opened up about his 'dreadful:,

“Not the best start. I recovered a little bit on the inside into Turn 1, but then I was on the outside into Turn 2 and got pushed wide over that kerb and lost all the drive down to Turn 4, lost all the positions and think I was last by the time we arrived to Turn 4. So, a pretty dreadful start to the race, which doesn't make things easier of course." (via Formula1.com)

The desert track's long straights coupled with the heavy braking zones result in the car scraping against the tarmac regularly. That takes a toll on the car's underbody, giving rise to a decrease in plank thickness.

Previously, Lewis Hamilton endured the brunt of this regulation, getting stripped of a point-finish at the Chinese Grand Prix.

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"I have absolute 100% faith in this team" : Lewis Hamilton remains confident after disaster in China

Lewis Hamilton experienced a bittersweet weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix. In his second race with Ferrari, Hamilton secured pole in the sprint race and converted it into his first win of the season. However, the main race saw the Brit lose his sixth-placed finish to a disqualification from excessive skid block wear.

After losing eight points from the debacle, Hamilton clarified his stance with the media post-race.

"I saw someone said something about whether I'm losing faith in the team, which is complete rubbish. I have absolute 100% faith in this team," he said (as per The BBC).

"I don't know if everyone was expecting us to be winning from race one and winning the championship in our first year. That wasn't my expectation. I know that I'm coming into a new culture, a new team and it's going to take time," he added.

Lewis Hamilton bounced back at the Bahrain GP, recording his best finish yet, at P5. The result placed him seventh in the driver's standings, two spots below his teammate Charles Leclerc.