Lewis Hamilton has let his mask slip by storming out of interview after disappointing Japanese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has let his mask slip by storming out of interview after disappointing Japanese Grand Prix

WATCH NOW: Sports round-up as Lewis Hamilton toils during Japanese Grand Prix

Jack Otway

By Jack Otway


Published: 07/04/2024

- 15:53

The Mercedes star could only finish ninth at the Suzuka Circuit

Lewis Hamilton has been putting on a brave face this year, despite Mercedes enduring a nightmare start to the F1 season.

Yet the 39-year-old let his mask finally slip after finishing ninth at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.


Hamilton has tried to be upbeat, despite his stock in the sport falling. It has been two years and counting since his last race win, after all.

But he couldn't contain his frustrations any more after his poor showing on Sunday, with arch nemesis Max Verstappen once again reigning supreme.

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton was visibly unhappy and stormed out of an interview after the Japanese Grand Prix

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Hamilton clearly wasn't in the mood to talk after the event in Japan.

When asked how the race went for him, he could only manage a 'it was okay' before then being asked about the pace of the Ferrari.

Hamilton will be leaving Mercedes for their F1 rivals at the end of the season.

Yet when quizzed on his stance on the Ferrari car driven by Carlos Sainz Jr and Charles Leclerc, he snapped back: "Do you have any better questions?"

The 39-year-old then promptly walked away, unbothered by the apology issued by the report who asked him.

And Hamilton, it seems, has now reached breaking point.

He has always insisted he wants to end his time at Mercedes on a high, having won six of his seven F1 titles while racing for the Silver Arrows.

Only a fool would expect a fairytale ending to his stint with the team now, however.

Hamilton, by finishing ninth, is clearly struggling. The sooner the season ends, the better. Likewise when he swaps his black overalls for red.

And the sight of Verstappen winning yet another race, and adding to his own legacy, won't please him in the slightest.

When asked what Mercedes could have done differently, Hamilton told Sky Sports: "Nothing, I don't think.

"I don't know what the different strategy would have been, whether it was staying on the medium to start with but we still had two really terrible hard tyres to run through, so a real challenge today."

He added: "The hard tyre was pretty bad.

"The medium tyre was much better, so yeah, in hindsight it looks like we should have had two medium tyres.

"But in general, the car was pretty bad."

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Japanese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton's woes continued with the Mercedes star finishing ninth during Sunday's Grand Prix in Japan

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And Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has admitted it was a 'very difficult' day for his team, with George Russell also struggling by finishing seventh.

"We ended up where we started," admitted the Austrian.

"It was just very difficult. We had a second that was super quick and we would have been racing on the podium but an atrocious first stint.

"We need to find out what it was. Was it too hot? Were we overmanaging?"

He continued: "I think it's much better than it looks than the final result. And also in qualifying there's lots we learned. It's going to get better from here.

Max Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton is enduring a bad end to his time at Mercedes with Max Verstappen unstoppable these days

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"We need to be quick on all circuits. There's no excuse on temperatures or track layout. We have to sort it out.

"This is live testing for us. We have changed things massively and this is reflected in the result. The car is becoming quicker."

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