P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes engineers fears confirmed after Ferrari Suzuka defeat
Mercedes acknowledges that Ferrari has made significant progress and posed a strong challenge in the Japanese Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton narrowly finished ahead of Carlos Sainz, who chased him down in the final laps. Charles Leclerc and George Russell also showed competitive pace. Ferrari’s recent updates, along with high tire degradation, exploited the weaknesses of Mercedes at Suzuka. Mercedes believes their performance deficit in qualifying, particularly in faster corners, is costing them in races. However, they still managed to secure fifth place for Hamilton by implementing a one-stop strategy, despite the high tire degradation.
Source: RacingNews 365
