Victorious Hamilton defends rival Vettel

A victorious Lewis Hamilton moved to defend his rival Sebastian Vettel as the four-time champion's recent form came under scrutiny following another costly spin in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Hamilton, who was gifted the 74th win of his career when Ferrari new boy Charles Leclerc's engine lost power in the final 10 laps, said Vettel's achievements dwarfed his disappointments.

As Ferrari packed up to travel home after a bitter-sweet weekend in which they demonstrated dominant pace and the arrival on the grand prix podium of their new star Leclerc, Vettel faced another Italian inquest over his failings.

His spin at the Bahrain International Circuit, where Hamilton led his team-mate Valtteri Bottas home for a second straight season-opening Mercedes one-two, was his fourth in 10 races.

"I looked at the replay and we didn't touch," said five-times champion Hamilton, reflecting on the incident in which Vettel spun while the pair battled for second place.

"It was really windy there..."
"It's more cumulative. Look at his career. He's had stunning performances that far outweigh the weaker races."
-- speed and race-craft --
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