Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc reflect on a ‘less than satisfying’ qualifying round in Japan. The seven-time world champion clocked the eighth time, while his teammate secured the fourth starting position. After a double disqualification in Shanghai, both are keen to score points in Suzuka, although that is easier said than done. Following the worst season start in years, Scuderia currently ranks fifth in the championship.
Lewis Hamilton stated after the qualifying round that he struggled to extract performance from his Ferrari, partly due to a changed setup. “From my side, it wasn’t good enough,” he sighed, somewhat downcast. “The eighth place is clearly not great. I was already happy to make it to Q3, then there was an exciting battle with virtually all other drivers. Unfortunately, I just didn’t drive great laps in that final session.”
“Of course, we would like to finish higher,” the 40-year-old Ferrari driver explained. “But in that respect, we’re all in the same boat. Fortunately, Charles did a great job,” he referred to his teammate at Ferrari. “We both chose different setups – unfortunately, this resulted in a lot of understeer for me and I just couldn’t deliver during the qualifying.” Looking ahead to the upcoming Grand Prix, Hamilton is pleased with the current weather forecasts. It is expected to rain heavily during the race. “I really love a bit of rainfall, so I hope it will turn out well tomorrow after such a qualifying round.”
‘Aim is to Win Races’
“Especially after the last race, we naturally want to aim high,” Carlos Sainz Jr added. Both Ferrari drivers were disqualified after the GP in China. “I gave everything in Q3 – today we simply couldn’t extract more from the car. Of course, P4 is not a satisfying result and we need to continue working to close the gap to McLaren. The goal is to win races as well.” Reflecting on the earlier sessions in Suzuka, Charles Leclerc is positive.
“I feel much more comfortable in the car after the changes we made to the setup yesterday,” the Monegasque concluded. “That also gave me a bit more confidence behind the wheel. I’m looking forward to seeing how it feels in the race tomorrow, depending on the conditions of course.”
