Lewis Hamilton, the British driver for Mercedes AMG, believes that he has identified the areas where the team needs to improve their W15 Formula 1 car. Despite some optimism surrounding the updated charger for the 2024 season, Mercedes has struggled in the early races. Hamilton has been frustrated by the narrow range of performance in the car, which has led to unpredictable swings. However, in the qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton was pleased with the handling of the W15 and outperformed his teammate George Russell to secure sixth place on the starting grid. Hamilton attributes his improved performance to a more conservative approach to setup changes, focusing on sensible adjustments rather than extreme measures. He feels that the car is in a good place but acknowledges that there is still room for improvement.
Hamilton expressed surprise when he was informed about the five-tenth gap between him and Max Verstappen from Red Bull, who secured his fourth consecutive pole position. Hamilton believed that his lap was excellent but expected to be behind Red Bull. Last season, Mercedes struggled with the opening sector at Suzuka, and they anticipated the same challenges this weekend. However, Mercedes performed better than expected, and Hamilton was optimistic about understanding the weaknesses of the W15. He found the first sector of the track to be exceptional and believed that it exposed the car’s limitations, providing valuable insights for improvement. Hamilton was eager to discuss these findings with his engineers to determine the areas that needed work.