In his third race with Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line in seventh place. Yet another disappointing result for the seven-time world champion, who has rarely been able to compete with the front-runners in his red livery. Meanwhile, teammate Charles Leclerc finished fourth. Little surprise, according to Hamilton, who suggested that his car is slower than Leclerc’s.
Hamilton’s lackluster start to the season – barring a single sprint victory in Shanghai – continued during the Japanese Grand Prix. The 40-year-old Brit visibly struggled to make more of what he described as a mediocre seventh place. Teammate Charles Leclerc fared better; he claimed the ‘best of the rest’ by finishing fourth behind winner Max Verstappen and the McLaren duo.
Afterwards, Hamilton stated that his car is “underperforming”. “I really hope we will see some positive changes during the next Grand Prix in Bahrain,” he continued. “During the first three races, there was – due to certain elements – a deficit compared to the car in the garage next to me. That’s good to know, of course. With what I had, this is the best result I could achieve.”
Upcoming Adjustments
Hamilton indicated that his Ferrari might be adjusted in the run-up to the Bahrain Grand Prix. “We found something on the car that has been underperforming in the last three races,” he revealed. “I really hope I can achieve better results once that is fixed. I’m losing a little more than a tenth per lap due to the problem we have. Hopefully, that will be resolved by the next race.”
Team boss Fred Vasseur later interrupted Hamilton and attributed the performance difference to a different setup of the SF-25. “We are still exploring the new car and are taking different directions to accommodate the drivers,” the Frenchman responded. “Bahrain will yield very different results – last month we were able to test there for three days, of course.”
