Lewis Hamilton rules out any chances of a Mercedes victory at the Japanese GP

Lewis Hamilton struggled with the car balance during Free Practice at Suzuka.

Lewis Hamilton rules out any chances of a Mercedes victory at the Japanese GP

Lewis Hamilton (image via IMAGO)

The Mercedes F1 team has shown decent progress over the course of the 2023 season. The Silver Arrows started on the backfoot but a change in design philosophy has helped improve the team’s prospects. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were even close to potentially winning last weekend in Singapore. However, Hamilton believes that the German squad has no chance of taking a race win at the Japanese GP.

The seven-time world champion struggled during Friday’s Free Practice in Suzuka. Failing to finish in the timing sheets. Hamilton admitted that it was a difficult day for Mercedes as they failed to match the pace of the front runners. He told F1TV, “It was a pretty bad day, to be honest. A real struggle, we’re a long way off, two seconds off in the first session and over a second in the second.”

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Lewis Hamilton claimed that the team must work on finding a better balance in the car and work on the tire temperature. The British driver also insisted that Mercedes would work throughout Saturday to find a better set-up. Although, the 38-year-old made it clear that ‘the Silver Arrows’ were out of contention for a race win. However, he for teammate George Russell to do well in the race since he faired better during the Free Practice.

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Hamilton said, “We’ll work on it overnight and try to turn it around [for Saturday]. We definitely won’t be winning this weekend but if I can move a little bit further up the order I can at least back up George [Russell], who did not have such a bad lap.”

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton admits he has been ‘SH*T’ in qualifying in the last two years

George Russell has a better day than Lewis Hamilton at Suzuka

While Lewis Hamilton struggled to get the most out of his Mercedes W14, George Russell delivered more encouraging lap times than the seven-time champion. The 25-year-old managed to make it to the Top 5 in the second practice session at the iconic Japanese circuit. Although, Russell was aware that Mercedes would not be a match to Red Bull this weekend.

George Russell driving the Mercedes W14 at Suzuka.
George Russell driving the Mercedes W14 at Suzuka (Credits: @MercedesAMGF1/Twitter)

The 25-year-old highlighted that the Austrian team had bounced back after a shocking weekend in Singapore. Russell had shifted his focus on the battle for the best of the rest with Ferrari and McLaren being in the mix. George Russell stated, “Red Bull are back to their normal ways which I don’t think is a major surprise for many. We’re not too far off from P2… It’s going to be a good fight with Ferrari and Lando [Norris].”

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had been one of the quickest runners at the last round in Singapore. However, it seems that Mercedes are in for a tough weekend at the Japanese GP. However, the Silver Arrows would be looking to find the right set-up for Qualifying, and the team could achieve a good result if it manages to hit the perfect spot.

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