P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton reveals that damage incurred on the restart in Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix caused “huge understeer” on his
Hamilton started the race ahead of his Mercedes teammate George Russell for the first time this season, in seventh position, but later dropped back to ninth during the race. Mercedes had both cars on the Medium tyre initially, but a collision between Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo led to a change in strategy. Hamilton and Russell struggled on the Hard compound, resulting in Mercedes switching to a two-stop strategy with a late stint back on the Medium tyres. Hamilton revealed that he was nursing damage from a move Charles Leclerc made on Lap 2, causing handling issues throughout the race. Despite the struggles on the Hard tyres, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff noted significant gains in competitiveness amidst an “atrocious” first stint.
