Qualifying at Suzuka marked a clear step back compared to Shanghai for Ferrari, but especially for Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion finished sixth, almost eight tenths off Kimi Antonelli’s pole position, and this time he was unable to match Charles Leclerc’s performance. Like the Monegasque, the British driver can lament the time lost on the straights, once again due to energy management. The prospects for the Japan GP point to a battle with the McLarens for positions behind the Mercedes, thanks to race pace expected to be stronger than that of the MCL40.
Hamilton: “McLaren has the Mercedes engine that’s far ahead of ours”
While Charles Leclerc openly expressed frustration at seeing qualifying performance compromised by straight-line deficits, the British driver faced a similar issue. The basis of his performance today was a decisive deficit on the straights, which he attributed to a problem similar to what had slowed Leclerc during the Shanghai Sprint Qualifying: “Today’s qualifying wasn’t bad. We’re not exactly where we wanted to be, but the car performed well at times and there were some encouraging signs. Overall, I felt reasonably good. I mean, we’re just not very fast, compared to the Mercedes boys and a bit to McLaren. On my first Q3 lap I was ahead, but then I lost two and a half tenths just on the straights because the car suddenly shifted, changing energy delivery, and that was it.”
According to Hamilton, without that issue, the second row was within reach: “Probably, if we hadn’t had that problem, I would have taken fourth. But apart from that, yes, it’s really just how this energy delivery situation works.”
McLaren beatable, but closing the gap to Mercedes will take work
Sixth place makes the chase for the podium more difficult, but the SF-26’s launch off the line and the race pace seen in Suzuka long runs give Hamilton optimism about at least beating the two McLarens: “I don’t know if we’ll turn it into a podium, but our race pace was fairly decent.”
Regarding the rivals’ form, Hamilton highlighted the gap to Mercedes: “It looks like McLaren has taken a step forward, and naturally they have the Mercedes engine, which is far ahead of ours right now. We have an enormous amount of work to do. Being seven or eight tenths off… even if you bring an update of two, three, or four tenths, you’re still very far. So closing that gap will require a massive effort from everyone.” An inadvertent echo of Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur’s comments, who looking ahead said: “From Miami, it will probably be another championship.”
Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying session was a mix of individual driving brilliance and technical limitation. Based on the content of his post-session debrief, the focus for the Japanese Grand Prix shifts to strategic efficiency and maximizing the SF-26’s tire management to overcome the power deficit currently favoring the Mercedes-powered teams.
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