P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Hamilton rues ‘lack of confidence’ in Mercedes car at Suzuka
Both Mercedes cars did not run on the Soft compound in FP1, resulting in neither of them making it into the top 10. In FP2, Lewis Hamilton struggled to find confidence in the car and ended up in 14th place, over a second behind Max Verstappen. Hamilton expressed frustration with the lack of balance in the car and overheating tires. He believes the car is weaker in high-speed corners compared to circuits like Singapore. However, he remains optimistic that the team can improve for qualifying. George Russell had a better session, but still lagged behind the Ferraris and Lando Norris. Russell attributed their struggles to the low-grip track surface and high tire degradation. Red Bull performed well, showing their resurgence after a difficult race in Singapore.
Source: Motorsport Week
