Lewis Hamilton has been plying his trade with Mercedes since 2013.
Lewis Hamilton ( Image via IMAGO)
Ever since announcing his surprising move to Ferrari in 2025, Lewis Hamilton has been repeatedly questioned about his ambition to achieve results for Mercedes this season. In response, the British driver has expressed his dedication to Mercedes, aiming to maximize their performance before departing from the team.
Following Lewis Hamilton’s disappointing race in Japan, where he finished in 9th place, he was asked if he felt envious of Ferrari’s strong performance, as they appeared to be making significant progress with their car compared to Mercedes. This question seemed to upset Hamilton, leading him to abruptly leave the interview.
Ferrari has achieved podium finishes in every race this season.
Do you have any better inquiries?
https://t.co/UIXs26Ttyj
With Ferrari drivers securing podium positions and Mercedes finishing in fourth place at Suzuka, the journalist may have posed this question to provoke a reaction from Hamilton. The British driver will be eager to bounce back from his poor string of results during the upcoming Chinese GP weekend.
The outcome that Mercedes achieved at the Japanese Grand Prix will be difficult to accept. After qualifying in 7th and 9th positions, courtesy of Lewis Hamilton and [driver’s name], the duo were unable to make any further progress and ultimately finished outside of the top five places.
Following the disappointing result, [driver’s name] spoke to Sky Sports F1 about the reasons why Mercedes struggled to make advancements through the field. He mentioned how their decision to switch to the hard tires after the red flag in lap 1, caused by [driver’s name] and [driver’s name]’s collision, resulted in a disastrous first stint where they couldn’t compete with the cars ahead of them.
“We ended up where we started and it was just very challenging. We need to investigate the cause – was it due to excessive heat or overmanagement? Initially, it seemed like the right choice because our lap times were relatively stable. Our direct competitors were not pulling away significantly, but then suddenly our lap times dropped by two seconds and two and a half seconds per lap. At that moment, it became clear that it wouldn’t last.”
The Austrian driver also expressed his surprise at the sudden decline in performance from the W15’s hard tires, which ultimately cost them a chance at a podium finish. If Mercedes wants to compete at the top end of the grid in China, they will need to improve their performance and address these issues.