BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton Breaks Silence at Japanese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton Reflects on Challenging Qualifying at Japanese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult qualifying session at the Japanese Grand Prix, finishing eighth on the grid after grappling with car set-up issues and understeer. The seven-time world champion admitted that his lap wasn’t good enough, citing a range of challenges that hampered his performance, including a higher-than-ideal ride height and a divergent set-up from teammate Charles Leclerc.

“Obviously not good enough from my side, P8 is not great,” Hamilton said in his post-qualifying interview. “But I was happy to get into Q3 obviously. It was a really tight battle with everyone, I just didn’t get great laps in Q3.”

The Suzuka Circuit, known for its demanding high-speed corners and precise racing lines, did not yield the best conditions for Hamilton and his team. Mercedes entered the weekend hoping for a stronger showing after a difficult previous race. However, lingering issues from the last Grand Prix have had a knock-on effect, forcing the team to adopt a more conservative approach with the car’s set-up.

“Yes, we are running higher than we’d like,” Hamilton revealed. “But I don’t know if everyone is in the same boat in that respect. We’re a bit higher than where we’d want to be, that’s the knock-on effect from the weekend we had before.”

Hamilton’s remarks shine a light on the tightrope teams walk when managing performance and reliability. Running a car higher can help avoid damage and improve ride over kerbs, but it often compromises aerodynamic performance and cornering grip—an area critical at Suzuka. This limitation seemed to impact Hamilton more than others, as he struggled to extract maximum performance from his car.

Another factor that may have influenced Hamilton’s Q3 result is his divergent set-up path compared to Leclerc, who delivered an impressive lap to secure a strong grid position. While Hamilton opted for a configuration that proved challenging, Leclerc’s strategy seemed to unlock more potential from the car.

“But Charles did an amazing lap today,” Hamilton acknowledged. “We went in different directions with the set-up and I had a lot of understeer and couldn’t dial it out.”

Understeer can be a driver’s worst enemy, especially on a track like Suzuka where precision and balance are everything. The inability to correct this imbalance during qualifying left Hamilton fighting against the car, unable to attack the lap the way he would have liked.

Despite the disappointing result, Hamilton remains hopeful of recovering positions in the race. With a strategic masterclass and potential for on-track overtakes, he still has the tools to fight back. However, the uphill task ahead underscores the importance of getting set-up choices right in such a competitive field.

As the lights go out on race day, all eyes will be on Hamilton to see if he can turn a frustrating Saturday into a Sunday success.