Piastri’s Suzuka podium raises questions as Hamilton warns Ferrari about McLaren threat
In the opening two rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season, the competitive order on track appeared relatively clear: Mercedes leading the field with a solid margin, followed by Ferrari as the second-fastest team, particularly in race conditions, and with a noticeable gap over their closest rivals.
However, the Japanese Grand Prix, the third round of the championship held last weekend at Suzuka, offered fans a very different picture compared to the first two races of the season.
McLaren, in particular, showed a significant step forward compared to its performances in Australia and China, where neither of the MCL40 cars even managed to start the race due to separate ECU-related issues. Oscar Piastri’s second-place finish in Japan sent a clear signal — one that Lewis Hamilton was quick to recognize.
“McLaren clearly has a good car. As soon as they start extracting more potential from the Mercedes engine, we will begin to slip backwards,” said the seven-time world champion during post-race interviews at Suzuka.
“We have real work to do to try and close the gap somehow. The engine is part of what we need to fix, but I think the chassis is as well. We are not on par with Mercedes. Mercedes is faster than us even in the corners.”
According to Lewis Hamilton, McLaren may have already found a more effective way to exploit the Mercedes power unit, which currently represents the benchmark in terms of performance in Formula 1.
“It looks like McLaren has made a step forward. Of course, they have the Mercedes engine, which is much stronger than ours at the moment.”
“We have a lot of work to do. We are about seven to eight tenths behind. Even if you bring an upgrade worth two tenths, or three, or four, you are still a long way off. So, to close the gap we have, it will take an extraordinary effort from everyone.”
The idea that McLaren is learning how to better exploit the Mercedes power unit is supported by several on-track indicators. The team has already demonstrated superior starts compared to the Silver Arrows, partly thanks to shorter gear ratios. Over the course of race stints as well, McLaren showed a clearer understanding of how to maximize the strengths of the Brixworth-built engine.
At Suzuka, however, track conditions also played a crucial role in boosting the performance of the MCL40. In 2025, only the first sector of the circuit had been resurfaced. Following last year’s race, the work was completed across the entire track, and the asphalt appeared in pristine condition for this edition of the Japanese Grand Prix.
The increased level of grip allowed McLaren to better exploit the characteristics of the MCL40, while also minimizing the risk of tyre graining. In fact, graining quickly proved to be a non-issue as early as Friday, when long-run simulations indicated that it would be virtually absent — even less significant than Pirelli had initially expected.
By contrast, in Australia, the papaya-colored cars had shown major weaknesses in tyre management, suffering heavily from graining to the point that they were forced to bring forward one of their pit stops to escape a severe drop in performance. At that stage, the lack of aerodynamic downforce compared to their direct competitors had been brutally exposed, causing them to lose tens of seconds to the front-runners.
In conclusion, Lewis Hamilton’s concerns appear to be partially justified, but not entirely definitive. Further confirmation across different circuits will be necessary to determine whether McLaren has truly mastered the Mercedes power unit and, above all, whether it has resolved its tyre management issues — potentially through upgrades aimed at increasing downforce and reducing tyre sliding through corners.
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