Sir Lewis Hamilton thinks he is on course for a good result in the Japanese Grand Prix – as long as Mercedes don’t alter his car and ‘ruin it’.
Formula 1 is in Suzuka this weekend with Hamilton looking to bounce back following his ‘worst start to a season ever’.
The seven-time world champion has only gained eight points from the first three races of 2024 to leave him 10th in the standings, with the Mercedes W15 far off the pace of rivals Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin.
But things are looking much better in Japan, with Hamilton finishing fifth in first practice, albeit still half-a-second off leader Max Verstappen.
He finished second in FP2, though only seven drivers set competitive lap times as rain disrupted the session.
‘It was a great session, it was a really good session for us,’ the 39-year-old said on Friday.
‘It was the best session that we’ve had this year, it’s the best the car has felt this year so far. So far, pretty positive.
‘I was really excited because this is a circuit that every driver loves to drive. In the last couple of years, we’ve had a really difficult car and a difficult balance to drive here.
‘And given the difficult last few races we’ve had, great work has been done this past week and we just seem to have hit the ground a bit more in a sweeter spot.
‘So, I haven’t really made any changes since [FP1]. I think we’ve got a better platform or baseline to start from, so as long as we don’t make too many changes and ruin it… I think probably just stay where we are and hopefully we’ll get a [good weekend].’
Mercedes teammate George Russell was equally positive: ‘We definitely performed better than we expected, so that was a pleasant surprise.
‘The car was feeling really nice to drive, and Lewis and I were really happy with the balance.’
Hamilton is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Japanese Grand Prix, having won the race five times – only Michael Schumacher has more.
The Brit hasn’t tasted victory in the Land of the Rising Sun since 2018 however, with Verstappen the heavy favourite to win a third consecutive race at Suzuka.
‘I think it was a good start for us. But it does look like everyone is a bit closer compared to last year,’ the Red Bull driver and championship leader said after practice.
‘I think in general, already the whole year over one lap it seems like people definitely got closer. Of course, the long-run pace, again I have no clue how that will look, but I don’t expect gaps to be like they were last year here at this track.’
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