Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult qualifying session at the Japanese Grand Prix, crossing the line in sixth position and trailing pole-sitter Andrea Kimi Antonelli by 0.789 seconds.
The seven-time world champion found himself behind both McLaren competitors as well as his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc at Suzuka.
Hamilton was blunt in his assessment of where the Scuderia currently stands relative to the frontrunners.
"We're just miles and miles away from the guys," he told Crash.net. "Extracting the best that I can, but it's not good enough at the moment."
The disappointing result marks a setback following his performance in China, where Hamilton emerged as Mercedes' nearest challenger.
When questioned about whether the issues stemmed from energy deployment or the car's chassis, Hamilton pointed firmly to the former as a significant factor.
"Deployment is definitely a big part of it," he explained.
Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult qualifying session at the Japanese Grand Prix, crossing the line in sixth position and trailing pole-sitter Andrea Kimi Antonelli by 0.789 seconds
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The British driver revealed that a moment of oversteer during his opening lap proved particularly costly, affecting the power unit's behaviour for the remainder of his run.
"My first lap, I was up at least to Charles and then lost two-and-a-half tenths down the back straight, just because I had a snap of oversteer and it changed the whole algorithm," Hamilton said.
He expressed frustration with how the current regulations penalise such minor errors: "It's not ideal, because it should be that you catch it and you keep going, but that's where these rules aren't so great."
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F1 facts fans might not know | GETTY/GBNEWSBeyond the deployment difficulties, Hamilton conceded that Ferrari's chassis is also falling short of the competition this weekend.
"The engine is part of it, but I think the chassis clearly is, at least this weekend, not on par with the Mercedes," he acknowledged. "They're the quickest through the corners as well."
The Briton also identified McLaren as an increasingly serious threat, noting the Woking outfit's growing understanding of its Mercedes power unit.4 paragraphs
"They clearly have a good car, and as they start extracting the power from that Mercedes engine, then we're going to fall behind," Hamilton warned.
He admitted Ferrari faces a substantial challenge to reduce the deficit to their rivals.
Lewis Hamilton admitted Ferrari faces a substantial challenge to reduce the deficit to their rivals.
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Hamilton described Suzuka as among the "least enjoyable" circuits he has driven with the 2026 machinery, citing the need to conserve battery power through key sections.
"It's pretty on the limit, particularly through the first section, but then once you get to Turn 6, you can't really be on the limit as much through there, because you have to save battery power," he explained.
Looking ahead to Sunday's race, the 39-year-old expressed uncertainty about overtaking opportunities at a venue not traditionally known for wheel-to-wheel action.
"I really have no clue how the racing here is," Hamilton admitted, adding that he anticipates fewer passing chances than at the previous round in China.