Lewis Hamilton acknowledged that Ferrari is struggling to match the pace of their Formula 1 rivals following a challenging Friday at the Japanese Grand Prix, where both he and teammate Charles Leclerc faced difficulties with the SF-26’s handling. The seven-time world champion finished sixth in second practice, trailing pace-setter Oscar Piastri’s McLaren by 0.847 seconds, while expressing concerns about his confidence in the car’s behavior around Suzuka.
“It’s an amazing circuit. The car generally feels okay. It’s just not quick enough at the moment, and I think it’s just balance,” Hamilton explained when discussing the team’s performance. The British driver emphasized that Ferrari needs to work overnight to find better setup solutions, noting that the issues they encountered were similar to previous experiences at the Japanese venue.
Hamilton identified straight-line speed as a particular weakness, revealing that Ferrari is losing four-tenths of a second to McLaren by Turn 1 alone. He suggested that energy deployment improvements could help bridge some of the gap, while believing there’s additional performance available if the team can optimize the car’s setup. The Mercedes refugee also expressed frustration with the current regulations’ energy management requirements, describing the “super clipping” limitations as the “least enjoyable part of the rule change for this circuit.”
Ferrari sporting director Diego Ioverno indicated that Friday’s performance gaps aligned with expectations based on the season’s opening races, particularly in short-run pace. He noted that both drivers aren’t completely satisfied with the car’s behavior, with Hamilton specifically citing confidence issues. Ioverno emphasized that extracting maximum tire performance from the first lap will be crucial, especially given Suzuka’s challenging new surface in the second sector.