Lewis Hamilton was “generally happy” despite only managing P6 and nine-tenths off pole in Japanese Grand Prix qualifying.
After being fastest in a wet practice on Friday, Mercedes slipped back in the dry with Esteban Ocon beating the seven-time world champion to finish ‘best of the rest’ behind Red Bull and Ferrari.
But when it was put to Hamilton that he and the team were having a difficult weekend at Suzuka, Lewis saw it differently.
“It wasn’t so bad yesterday,” he said. “We weren’t that quick on the straights, that is for sure.
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“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.”
That’s because, as teammate George Russell explained, Mercedes has opted to maximise performance in the snaking first sector, leaving them trailing at the end of the lap.
“We’ve known this year we’ve not had the most efficient car, very draggy, and this is the first high downforce circuit where you have long straights as well,” the Briton conceded.
“Normally when you look at high downforce circuits, the straights are relatively small and there’s not that chance to get those straight line deltas as well.
“I think we’re probably losing seven or eight-tenths to Red Bull in the straights today, and the circuit has exposed that weakness of ours.
“But it’s not the first time this season. There’s quite a theme that we have difficult Saturdays.”
Sunday could swing back towards Mercedes though, as the weather threatens to turn for the worse during the race window.
“I think rain always opens up more opportunity,” Hamilton stated. “It could be not the most exciting race if it is dry, at least for us.”
