Lewis Hamilton has expressed dissatisfaction with his Ferrari SF-26 after a challenging practice session at Suzuka, casting doubt on the team's prospects for the Japanese Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion reported a lack of confidence in the car, citing balance issues that hampered his performance.
During Friday practice, Hamilton was 0.847 seconds slower than McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who topped the timesheets. Piastri's session was notable as he had yet to complete a grand prix lap this season due to a crash in Melbourne and a power unit issue in China.
Hamilton voiced his frustrations over team radio, stating, 'I'm very slow because I've got no confidence in the car.' After the session, he elaborated: 'It's a massively demanding circuit. Getting the right balance is tricky. There are similarities to what I felt last year, so we're working on that.'
The British driver remains optimistic about finding solutions overnight, adding, 'I'm confident we can find something. We'll do a deep dive tonight and get readings from the simulator. I feel like I've got a north star; it's just about how to get there.'
