Lewis Hamilton Japanese GP delight leaves mediocre Mercedes with bittersweet taste
Kelly
Lewis Hamilton has cut a miserable figure in the paddock since the first race in Bahrain this season, so it was refreshing to see the seven-time champion’s wide grin return at the Formula 1 2024 Japanese Grand Prix. The fact it came after he qualified seventh on the grid, however, was all the more puzzling.
It is an indictment of just how far behind Mercedes have fallen that their drivers are placed seventh and ninth and it is not regarded as a disaster, especially after they were the best of the rest in FP3 and just a few tenths shy of the Red Bulls. Toto Wolff was critical of the team’s performance, as he has been consistently.
Hamilton threw his W15 around the Suzuka circuit like a go kart, maximising every inch of the racetrack, and beamed with delight as he spoke of his enjoyment with the car setup.
“I was giving it everything. The team did a really great job this past week to understand it [the car] or make adjustments,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
Lewis Hamilton at 2024 Japanese GP | Mercedes
“It’s the first weekend I’ve not gone crazy with the setup and not been testing a bunch of things so it felt more normal, we got the car into a much nicer working window. Every lap has been really enjoyable to drive, the guys [at the front] are just a little bit faster.
“What it’s given us is that I know where the car is not strong enough, I can feel it in the car, and I know now to be tell them to ‘push in this particular area’. But I’m hoping the race will be stronger tomorrow.”
Mercedes happy with improvements
And yet, it is difficult to understand just why Mercedes are so happy with Hamilton’s P7. Not only are they behind Carlos Sainz, they were usurped by Fernando Alonso and both McLarens. Of their rivals, Hamilton is only ahead of Charles Leclerc – and the Monegasque had a disappointing session after a sloppy Q1 run.
With just 18 points on the board – Hamilton has eight, George Russell has 10 – the Silver Arrows are already playing catch-up to their rivals in the constructors’ championship. But the reality is both Ferrari and McLaren are comfortably quicker at the moment, and their battle is actually more likely to be with Alonso in the Aston Martin.
Despite that, Hamilton believes that they are heading in the right direction with the W15 – something their fans might object to after their recent results. Hamilton’s optimism was reinforced by Mercedes‘ trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, who reflected on the positives after reducing the gap to Red Bull from 2023.
