Lewis Hamilton has indicated that a component of his Ferrari Formula 1 car is not performing as well as Charles Leclerc`s, his teammate, following a disappointing Japanese Grand Prix weekend.
In Sunday`s race, Hamilton started eighth and finished seventh. He overtook Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls early on but then drove a largely uneventful race.
Leclerc, however, qualified and finished fourth, outperforming Hamilton by three tenths in qualifying and finishing 13 seconds ahead in the race.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Hamilton mentioned, “I did the best I could today. The cars ahead were genuinely faster than me.”
He added, “We`ve identified an issue in the car`s performance over the last three races. I`m hopeful that once this is resolved, my results will improve. This issue is costing me about a tenth of a second per lap. I hope it will be fixed for the next race.”
Ferrari is currently not setting up their cars for the lowest possible ride height due to concerns after both Hamilton and Leclerc were disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix. Hamilton`s disqualification was due to excessive wear on the plank under the car, while Leclerc`s car was underweight.
Modern F1 cars are designed to run as low as possible to maximize downforce and performance.
However, running too low increases the risk of plank wear and potential disqualification. It is unclear if this issue is related to the underperforming element Hamilton referred to.
Hamilton stated that the team is aware of the issue but unsure of the cause. He hopes that a new component will resolve the problem and equalize performance between both cars.
He expressed satisfaction with his race pace considering the circumstances. “I`m relatively happy with the race pace I had, given the limitations. Overall, the team performed well and did a good job. Onwards and upwards.”
In further comments to the media, Hamilton said, “I`m really hoping for positive changes in the next race. Over the first three races, there has been a slight performance difference between the two sides of the garage on a particular car element.”
“On my side, something is underperforming. It`s beneficial to know this, and considering the situation, this was the best possible outcome.”
Leclerc indicated a different approach to driving style might be contributing to his relative competitiveness compared to Hamilton.
Leclerc commented to Sky Sports F1, “There was no more performance available in the car.”
He continued, “As a team, we did a good job with balance and strategy to maximize the result, but it`s still disappointing to finish P4 when we are clearly a couple of tenths off the leading teams.”
“The first stint was decent, but we lost some performance later. On the positive side, we maximized the weekend, but negatively, the pace simply isn`t there.”
“I`ve adopted a specific driving style which I believe helps me get the most out of the car more consistently. This needs further confirmation, but I`m eager to see if it works in Bahrain.”
“If it does, I`m optimistic for the rest of the year in terms of maximizing the car`s potential, but if that only results in P4 finishes, it`s not ideal. I`m hoping for more performance upgrades soon.”
The Formula 1 season continues with the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend.
