Why Lewis Hamilton faded in Japan: Jacques Villeneuve points to Ferrari’s tricky rear end. Jacques Villeneuve analyzes Lewis Hamilton’s late-race struggles at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The 1997 world champion highlights the main issue faced by the seven-time title winner in the Japanese Grand Prix

From 3rd to 6th

Ferrari experienced a weekend of mixed fortunes at the Japanese Grand Prix, where the Maranello-based team still managed to secure a podium finish thanks to an excellent performance from Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver, however, struggled at times with the SF-26, particularly during qualifying, and his teammate Lewis Hamilton encountered similar difficulties.

The seven-time world champion started the race from sixth position and ultimately crossed the finish line in the same place. However, his race was far from static, as he spent several laps running in what was effectively a virtual podium position before being overtaken again by Charles Leclerc in the latter stages.

Unsurprisingly, after the race, the British driver voiced his frustration regarding the overtakes he suffered from chasing rivals, although he was unable to provide a clear explanation: “I followed the team’s instructions on how to best use the energy, but I still had major difficulties keeping up with the others. I don’t understand.”

Someone who appears to have a clearer interpretation of what went wrong is another Formula 1 world champion, Jacques Villeneuve, who won the title back in 1997.

The price to pay

The 54-year-old Canadian analyzed Ferrari’s on-track behavior, comparing it with that of Mercedes, who have so far dominated the championship: “Ferrari is very competitive in race conditions,” he explained. “We can see that the drivers are able to manage the car well, they can fight, and the car reacts in a very natural way. This gives them a better feeling in race conditions compared to the two Mercedes drivers.”

“I noticed that every time the Mercedes cars were involved in a battle shortly after the start, they either both lost out or dropped several positions. This is with a car that remains the fastest on track over a single lap, and that seems strange to me.”

“On track, you can clearly see that Ferrari has a more lively rear end. Sometimes this works against both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. It was especially evident with Charles, already during the free practice sessions, where the rear of the car stepped out several times.”

“I believe Hamilton is also struggling with this instability, and in the end it affects the tyres. That is why he had to pay the price towards the end of the race. It is a trend we have seen on the Ferrari since the beginning of the season, and it will likely continue.”

As the SF-26 continues to display this “dancing” characteristic, the challenge for the Ferrari engineering team will be stabilizing the rear without sacrificing the spontaneity that makes the car competitive in wheel-to-wheel combat. Until then, Lewis Hamilton may find himself “paying the price” during the final stints of the upcoming flyaway races.