Lewis Hamilton Disappointed With Eighth Place Qualifying at Japanese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has expressed frustration with his qualifying performance for the Japanese Grand Prix, stating that starting from eighth position is “not good enough.” The seven-time world champion finished the session 0.311 seconds behind his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who secured a spot on the second row of the grid with a fourth-place qualification.

Hamilton Takes Responsibility

Hamilton’s disappointing qualifying run stems from a combination of factors, including being impeded by Carlos Sainz in Q2, which ultimately resulted in the Ferrari driver receiving a three-place grid penalty, starting 15th. Reflecting on his performance, Hamilton said, “Obviously not good enough from my side, P8 is not great… Just didn’t get very good laps in Q3.”

Impact of Previous Race on Current Performance

Hamilton’s current form comes after a mixed bag of results since joining Ferrari. Although he triumphed in the China sprint race, he experienced a setback in the subsequent full-length grand prix when his car was disqualified due to illegal plank wear. This incident has led to adjustments in Hamilton’s car setup, which he confirmed is running higher to meet the regulations, sacrificing some performance in the process.

“I am running higher than we’d like, but everyone is in the same boat in that respect,” he explained. “Particularly after the last race, we are a bit higher than we want to be — that’s usually the knock-on effect of a weekend like we had before.”

Challenges Faced During Qualifying

Hamilton recognized that the setup differences in the team contributed to his struggles. “We went in different directions with the setup, we had a lot of understeer and couldn’t dial it out throughout qualifying,” he noted. His teammate Leclerc, on the other hand, put in an impressive performance, which highlighted the gap in their qualifying efforts.

Looking Forward to Race Day

Despite the setback, Hamilton remains optimistic about the race, especially with rain potentially on the horizon. “I’m excited; I generally love the rain. It’s going to be tricky, but usually when you have a qualifying like I’ve just had, you hope for the rain,” he stated, indicating that changing conditions could level the playing field and improve his chances to advance in the race.

As the Japanese Grand Prix approaches, all eyes will be on Hamilton to see if he can turn his qualifying disappointment into an opportunity on race day.