
Hamilton defiant over Mercedes pace despite Suzuka gulf
F1 News
Hamilton defiant over Mercedes pace despite Suzuka gulf

Lewis Hamilton has defiantly declared it to be a good weekend for Mercedes so far despite the gulf to the leading trio following qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver was out-qualified by Esteban Ocon in the Alpine as the dry weather on Saturday worked against the Silver Arrows, with the seven-time F1 champion and team-mate George Russell lining up sixth and eighth respectively.
Hamilton had looked competitive in second practice during similar conditions, yet by the end of qualifying the gap to Max Verstappen on pole was nine-tenths of a second, with Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz within 0.054s.
Mercedes' issues lie in the middle and final sectors, with the long runs from the hairpin to Spoon and then down to the 130R exposing the W13's poor drag efficiency.
But questioning suggestions of a difficult weekend given the circuit characteristics, Hamilton insisted: "It wasn't so bad yesterday.
"We weren't that quick on the straights, that is for sure.
"Otherwise, the car has been feeling really good. It has been a good couple of days. Good running yesterday and good set-up changes today.
"I am generally really happy with the way qualifying went. Of course, we are nine-tenths off but I try and look at the positives.
"Going into qualifying I didn't know how far we would be off.
"I was a bit surprised when we were three-tenths off in Q2 and then all of a sudden we were nine-tenths off in Q3. I don't understand where the time goes but three-quarters of that is on the straights."
Rain is forecast for the race at Suzuka, though the intensity and timing of the showers change by the hour.
On the potential chances presented by the weather front, Hamilton explained: "I think rain always opens up more opportunity.
"It could be not the most exciting race if it is dry, at least for us."
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F1 Standings

Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
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Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
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Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Australia 2023
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Grand Prix of China 2023
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Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
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Miami Grand Prix 2023
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Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
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Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
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AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
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Grand Prix du Canada 2023
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Grand Prix of Austria 2023
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Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
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Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
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Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
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Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Italy 2023
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Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
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Grand Prix of Japan 2023
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Qatar Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of the United States 2023
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Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
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Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
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Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
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