Lewis Hamilton says he is wary of Ferrari's speed on hotter circuits on Thursday (April 13) keeping his fingers crossed that he and Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel of Germany can have a competitive battle in Bahrain on Sunday (April 16).

Vettel, now joint leader of the Formula One championship with Mercedes's Hamilton after two races, has been alongside Hamilton on the front row so far this year.

Vettel, a four times world champion with Red Bull, and triple champion Briton Hamilton have 43 points apiece after one victory and second place each.

Mercedes should be favourites, after winning the last three races at Sakhir, but Ferrari are sharp on strategy and have shown they flourish in hotter conditions.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso said he will compete in the Indianapolis 500 in May, missing out on this year's Monaco Grand Prix, the most glamorous race on the Formula One calendar.

The Spaniard, a double world champion, said he wanted one day to emulate Graham Hill, the late Briton who won the Formula One title, Indy and the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race in the 1960s.

The appeal of competing in the Indy 500 will only have been increased by his Honda-powered Formula One team's current woes - McLaren is last in the championship after two races without a point.