It hasn’t been the brightest Friday of the season for Ferrari at Suzuka, with the two SF-26 cars over six tenths off the top. While straight-line speed is clearly lacking, Lewis Hamilton points out that improvements in car balance could also help extract more performance.
Friday in Japan showed that Ferrari is paying not only for a Power Unit deficit but also for a car balance that isn’t yet within the ideal window. This creates a mix of realism and optimism: while the gap to the leaders is significant, there’s confidence that proper setup adjustments could help close it.
Looking at the data, the only section where Ferrari appeared stronger than the competition was the slowest segment, especially the hairpin in the central sector. For the rest of the lap, Suzuka heavily challenges energy deployment, and it’s no surprise that Mercedes units perform exceptionally well on the straights, where Ferrari’s deficit is most evident.
Energy recharge management is also critical. In the fast curves of sector one, Mercedes was the quickest, but it sacrificed speed on the main straight and lacked energy exiting the final corner. For example, George Russell reached maximum recharge earlier than his teammate, highlighting suboptimal energy management through the full sector.
Overall, it’s a combination of factors, not a single element, especially on a track where available energy is lower than expected. The situation at Suzuka now resembles Melbourne more than China, with all the implications that has for deployment and power distribution throughout the lap.
Lewis Hamilton stressed that more work is needed on car balance. Even during the long run, he reported over the radio that the feeling wasn’t ideal, with a lack of confidence limiting his ability to push. On a track like Suzuka, where precision in entry and mid-to-high-speed cornering is essential, any uncertainty translates immediately into lost time.
“I think it’s similar to what we’ve experienced here in the past, and it’s a fantastic circuit. Overall, the car feels good, but right now it’s just not fast enough. I believe it’s mainly a balance issue. We need to work hard tonight to figure out how to optimize it better,” Lewis Hamilton said after the session.
“We’re losing a lot on the straights: currently about four tenths to turn one compared to McLaren. Deployment plays a role here, and I’m confident we can improve it. Then, I think there’s still more performance to unlock if we get the setup right,” he added.
McLaren seems to have adopted a different energy strategy, arriving at turn one with over 15 km/h advantage over Ferrari and, secondarily, over Mercedes. Mercedes, on the other hand, conserves energy for the second and third sector straights. The W17 recovers in the technical mid-section, compensating for much of the straight-line deficit.
One of the most discussed topics ahead of the weekend was super clipping. With few heavy braking zones, alternative energy recovery methods become necessary. First, using MGU-K in sector one, where grip matters more than engine power. When lifting off, the power unit recovers energy. Second is super clipping on the straights, which slightly reduces the excitement of certain corners.
“Super clipping isn’t ideal. When you’re super clipping, the car is effectively recharging, and you sometimes have to almost coast because you can’t push it fully. It’s probably the least enjoyable aspect of the new rules. Otherwise, the track is beautiful throughout, and it’s always fantastic to drive,” Lewis Hamilton concluded.
Ferrari’s Friday was defined by a search for balance and a struggle against the aggressive energy deployment of McLaren and Mercedes. Based on the content of the post-practice briefings, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will be relying on a late-night setup breakthrough to find the four-tenths they are currently hemorrhaging on the run down to the first corner.
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