© Sam Bloxham for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
Lewis Hamilton says “it’s been a night-and-day different weekend so far, just in terms of how comfortable I feel in the car”.
Although the qualified in P7 for the Japanese Grand Prix, afterwards Lewis Hamilton said he is pleased with how the W15 finally feels.
“It’s been a night-and-day different weekend so far, just in terms of how comfortable I feel in the car,” the Briton said.
“I think we did a really good job over this past week, the analysis everyone has done at the factory how we can get the car in the sweet spot, the car’s been much nicer to drive this weekend, especially at a track like this where you need a nice balance. This is the nicest it’s felt over the last three years.
“I think last year [at Suzuka] we were over a second off, I think 0.7s today, and I’m not trying all these random different things, so just focused on making sensible setup changes, and I think it’s worked. But I was hoping we’d be further ahead.
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“The lap felt really good, I was hopeful, I thought the lap was really, really good, but [the gap] is to be expected from the Red Bull”
This was also the first time in 2024 that Lewis qualified ahead of his team-mate George Russell, but when asked about this fact he said he is not concerned with that.
“We’re not fighting for a championship, we’re just trying to get the best out of the car so it doesn’t make any difference to me.
“I’m just happier with a cleaner qualifying session and a car that I’m starting to feel like I can lean on more, and that’s a real positive,” Hamilton concluded.
