Lewis Hamilton delivered a scathing critique of Ferrari’s performance following a frustrating Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, where the seven-time world champion slipped from third place to finish sixth despite showing promise early in the race. The Mercedes-bound driver expressed bewilderment at his SF-24’s lack of straight-line speed throughout the 53-lap contest, describing the overall weekend as “pretty, pretty terrible.”
Starting from sixth position on the grid, Hamilton initially capitalized on Ferrari’s strong launch system to gain one spot on the opening lap, moving up to fifth place. Following a race restart, the British driver briefly held third position after overtaking Mercedes’ George Russell, raising hopes for consecutive podium finishes after his breakthrough result at the Chinese Grand Prix that ended a 27-race drought.
However, Hamilton’s afternoon unraveled on lap 42 when teammate Charles Leclerc mounted a successful challenge through Suzuka’s opening corners, reclaiming third place in what proved to be another tense wheel-to-wheel battle between the Ferrari drivers. Once overtaken by the Monégasque, Hamilton found himself unable to respond and continued sliding down the order to his eventual sixth-place finish.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, Hamilton revealed his confusion over the car’s performance deficits. “I was P3 and ended up going backwards. I just had a real lack of power through, particularly the second stint, but majority of the race, even from the beginning, I couldn’t keep up with people just for the lack of power,” he explained. The veteran driver emphasized his frustration, stating he was “full gas” throughout the race but still lacked the necessary pace to compete effectively.
Hamilton suggested Ferrari must conduct thorough investigations before the next race in May to determine whether mechanical issues plagued his car during the Japanese GP. “So need to figure out there’s something wrong with the car or not. But still, we got some points,” he concluded, highlighting the team’s need to understand the root cause of his performance struggles at one of Formula 1’s most demanding circuits.