Lewis Hamilton has reflected on his Japanese Grand Prix performance, admitting that he would like to see some positive changes for the next few races with Ferrari.
The seven-time world champion finished in seventh place after qualifying in eighth at the Iconic Suzuka Circuit. Despite a sprint win in China, it hasn’t been the easiest start to life for Lewis Hamilton at the Italian outfit. The 105-time Grand Prix winner sits in eighth place in the drivers standings, on 15 points.
“I’m happy I moved forward. I think I’m really hoping in the next race we’ll see hopefully some positive changes. Through the first three races, there’s been a bit of a deficit between both sides of the garage on an element of the car,” Hamilton began in the paddock.
Hamilton: ‘That’s the best result I could get’
“So on my side something underperforming. So it’s good to know, I mean with what I had that’s the best result I could get.”
Despite the recent results, Hamilton isn’t panicking yet. As one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, he is used to coming through adversity. “I mean my pace, I think considering, I have to go and check, but as I said I was maximum today. I didn’t have anything else in the car. We’ve got under-performance happening at the rear of the car this weekend. Obviously, the qualifying position is key.”
Hamilton finished in seventh after starting from eight. The Brit overtook young Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar in the early stages.
Hamilton ‘hoping’ Ferrari can be closer to the top in Bahrain
“I’m hoping in the next race we somehow can get a bit closer. We will slowly progress the car. It’s going to be interesting to see when people get upgrades over the season. We’ve got a lot of work to be able to close the gap to the top guys. They’ve probably got 3 or 4 tenths on them, so we’ve got a lot of work to bring upgrades for them.”
Finally, Hamilton responded to a reporter who asked if any Ferrari upgrades were coming for next weekend’s race in Bahrain. “No, no.” The Bahrain International Circuit provides drivers with a different challenge from Suzuka, as they’ll already be familiar with their car’s behaviour since pre-season testing was held there. As always, you can follow along with all the action on GPblog.
