Following the conclusion of the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, Formula 1 icon Lewis Hamilton expressed his frustration during a post-race interview session.
Despite a challenging ninth-place finish at Suzuka, Hamilton faced inquiries that seemed to exacerbate his disappointment.
Hamilton, experiencing his toughest start to an F1 season, encountered a series of setbacks during the race, including Max Verstappen’s victory that left Mercedes trailing.
Discontent peaked during the interview when Hamilton was confronted with a question pertaining to Ferrari, an inquiry that appeared to further unsettle him.
The seasoned driver, set to depart Mercedes at the culmination of the current season to join Ferrari in 2025, faced another line of questioning that seemed to test his patience.
Asked if he harbored feelings of envy towards the Ferrari team’s success, Hamilton’s terse response, “Do you have any better questions?” signaled his dissatisfaction.
Acknowledging the apology from the reporter, Hamilton opted to conclude the interview prematurely, leaving the press officer to offer gratitude on his behalf.
In a subsequent interview, Hamilton shed light on the challenges he encountered during the race, attributing some of his struggles to damage sustained by his car following a restart, a consequence of contact with Charles Leclerc.
Reflecting on his performance, Hamilton lamented, “The car is never what I hoped it would be. It’s never what we hoped it would be,” underscoring the frustrations he faced during the Japanese Grand Prix.
“I got some damage I think in the first stint at the restart with Charles [Leclerc] and I had massive understeer, like huge, huge understeer. So that’s why I decided to let George [Russell] by, because he seemed quicker and I just couldn’t turn the car.”
“It took us two stints to finally dial more and more wing in to make up for that loss. Last stint, I was better, but it was too late, I had 10 seconds to regain.”
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