Lewis Hamilton was well off the pace of pole-sitter Max Verstappen in Japanese Grand Prix qualifying, but found a good reason to be upbeat as he spoke after the session
Image: Sky Sports)
Lewis Hamilton thinks Mercedes might finally have figured out how to improve their cars.
The Silver Arrows have suffered a wretched start to the new Formula 1 season with W15 cars miles off the pace of the championship-leading Red Bulls. On the face of it, qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix was a continuation of that as they struggled for pace again.
Hamilton was more than half-a-second off the pace set by Max Verstappen as he continued his clean sweep of pole positions. And team-mate George Russell was even further away from the Dutchman over one lap at Suzuka.
But the seven-time F1 champion was smiling after the session as he hinted that Mercedes’ biggest problem may finally have been solved. They have struggled to figure out exactly why their car struggles for pace compared to other top competitors, but Hamilton suggested he may have found the answer.
He said: “I left it all out there, I was giving it everything. The team did a really great job this last week, understanding and making adjustments to our set-up. It’s actually the first weekend I’ve not gone crazy with set-up and not tested a bunch of things, so a bit more normal.
“I think we got the car into a much nicer working window, so every lap has been more enjoyable to drive. The other guys are just a little bit faster. We were just over a second off the Red Bull last year and seven-tenths [this time] is better. With something different we could have been another tenth faster, maybe, but other than that, that was everything.
“What it’s given us is, I know exactly where the car is not strong enough. I can feel it in the car and I know now I’m able to tell them to push in a particular area. I’m hoping the race will be stronger and I’ve really enjoyed driving so far this weekend.”
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Catch all the action from Formula One on Sky Sports and get exclusive access to races, qualifying and much more for every Grand Prix. From Max Verstappen to Lewis Hamilton, you won’t miss a lap on Sky Sports.
Asked to confirm his belief that Mercedes have figured out in which direction they need to develop going forward, he added: “I personally believe so, yeah.
“What we’ve noticed is that from track to track it’s been really hard to get the set-up right and it’s been so far out each time. At some places it just felt like there was nothing we could do to get the car in a sweet spot, but this weekend is much more of a sweet spot. So, I hope that continues in the following races – we’ve just got to add performance.”
Verstappen will be joined on the front row for Sunday’s race by team-mate Sergio Perez as Red Bull dominated qualifying at Suzuka. Lando Norris was closest to them to raise hopes of a McLaren podium, while Spanish duo Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso will also be in contention.