Lewis Hamilton has hailed the first two practice sessions at the Japanese Grand Prix as the “best session” Mercedes have had so far in the ongoing 2024 Formula 1 season.
Following three difficult races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia, Mercedes started the weekend in Suzaka on a positive note as Hamilton and George Russell finished fifth and fourth respectively in first practice before the former finished second-fastest in a rain-hit second practice session behind Oscar Piastri in the Mercedes-powered McLaren.
Hamilton stated it was the best his car had felt this season and feels confident Mercedes have started the weekend strongly.
That’s the chequered flag on a positive FP1. P4 for George, P5 for Lewis ✅ pic.twitter.com/0tt28DzZ6P
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 5, 2024
“It was a great, a really good session for us. It was the best session that we’ve had this year. It’s the best the car has felt so far, so it felt really positive,” Hamilton said after second practice.
“I was really excited because this is a circuit that every driver loves to drive. In the last couple of years we’ve had a really difficult car and balance to drive here.
“And given the difficult last few races we’ve had, great work has been done this past week and we just seem to have hit the ground a bit more in a sweeter spot. So, I haven’t really made any changes since.”
Hamilton has eight points after three races in 2024 and sits 10th in the drivers’ championship, 42 points behind former rival and reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
