Lewis Hamilton: “I went for a different setup than Charles, I hope it pays off in the race” | Japan GP. Lewis Hamilton explains the deficit to his Ferrari teammate in Suzuka qualifying.

When thinking of Suzuka, one cannot help but think of Lewis Hamilton, a driver who over the years has truly made a difference on the Japanese circuit, collecting numerous victories and memorable poles. It’s no coincidence that Suzuka is one of his favorite tracks.

However, today, he was missing that extra something, that click that would have pushed him further up the grid. The issue lies in two areas: one regarding the setup and the other about his driving, as the seven-time world champion has still not found the necessary confidence in the SF-25 in high-speed corners, as shown in other races earlier in the season.

On a track like Suzuka, feeling the limit is essential. Being able to piece together the elements of the puzzle can really make the difference on the clock, and consequently, on the grid, perhaps more so than on other tracks.

With the first sector consisting of a sequence of corners and the other two sectors featuring both slow sections and medium-high speed corners, getting into that narrow window and finding the perfect feel can play a key role. That’s what Lewis Hamilton was missing today when it came to finding those last tenths at the limit.

“Obviously no, this isn’t what I was looking for in the car, otherwise I wouldn’t be eighth, but Charles did a great job. But over the weekend, we worked hard, we always work a lot every weekend. On one hand, it’s nice to see Charles so close to the front row, he’s very fast here,” Lewis told Sky Sport Italia after qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton believes he didn’t manage to extract all the potential from the SF-25, partly due to a setup he hopes will offer greater benefits in the race compared to his teammate’s, but this is only part of the analysis.

Without that “magical” feel, it’s hard to find the time, especially if, like the seven-time world champion, you still lack that little extra confidence in the high-speed corners, like those in the first sector, or where the car needs to be forced in, like at the entry of Degner or Spoon: it’s precisely in these sections that Charles Leclerc gained most of his advantage.

It’s no coincidence that Hamilton has struggled with understeering all weekend. “On my part, I didn’t manage to extract all the potential, we need to examine. We chose two different approaches in terms of setup. Charles’ direction might be better for a single lap, while I hope mine pays off in the race,” Lewis Hamilton added – “But in general, I’m happy with the decision, with the direction I’ve taken, but as I said, I struggled with the front end, which is why I had that snap in Q3.” – the British driver concluded.