Lewis Hamilton claims Japanese GP FP2 was the ‘best session’ of 2024 so far

Lewis Hamilton has struggled with one thing or the other during the ongoing season.

Lewis Hamilton claims Japanese GP FP2 was the ‘best session’ of 2024 so far

Lewis Hamilton (Via: Imago)

Mercedes started the 2024 season with the hope of inching toward Red Bull and aiming to dethrone the reigning champions. However, the team has found itself stuck in a battle with Aston Martin and McLaren, way behind the leading pack of Ferrari and the Austrian giant. Despite an underwhelming start, Lewis Hamilton seems optimistic about the W15 at Suzuka, as he deemed the FP2 session his best of this year.

For the past two years, Mercedes has been troubled with car tantrums in high-speed corners. Keeping this in view, the team set its sights on solving the issues during the ongoing campaign, but to their surprise, they found mediocre success and it subsequently led Lewis Hamilton to claim that this year has been his worst start to an F1 season. However, with Friday morning’s positive performances for George Russell and Hamilton, the team is filled with immense optimism.

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The 39-year-old was very impressed with the car’s stability through the high-speed corners around the Suzuka International racing circuit.

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It was a great session, it was a really good session for us. It was the best session that we've had this year, and it's the best the car has felt this year so far. So, so far really positive.
Lewis Hamilton said in an interview with motorsport.com

Hamilton finished Friday’s running with a second-place finish in a rain-affected FP2 session. Moreover, he claimed it to be the best session of the year for the German manufacturer. This sudden change of fortunes for the Brackley-based team has made the Brit happy about his chances for the race on Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton’s advice to Mercedes

The Brackley-based outfit has been suffering since the introduction of the ground-effect era of F1 cars. The team has had glimmers of hope but has not been able to fully get on top of their car and understand its flaws. However, with a strong show in Suzuka in FP2, Hamilton has advised the team to not mess things up.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton (Via: Imago)

The seven-time champion reckons that Mercedes has a stable platform to build upon.

I think we’ve got a better platform or baseline to start from, so as long as we don’t make too many changes and mess it up.
Lewis Hamilton said in an interview with motorsport.com

Hamilton was happy with the stability of the car, even with its predicted weaknesses. This urged him to instruct the engineers to not mess around with the car’s setup as the W15 seemed to be in its perfect window.

Tomorrow’s qualifying session could be key in determining where Lewis Hamilton ultimately ends up at the end of Sunday’s Japanese GP. His fans will be out in numbers to support him during the much-anticipated race.

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