Lewis Hamilton finished sixth at the 2026 F1 Japanese GP after struggling, in his words, a power deficit throughout the race at Suzuka. The Ferrari driver found himself defending for most of the 53 laps rather than attacking for positions. Hamilton expressed confusion about the performance gap to both rivals and teammate Charles Leclerc, who secured the final podium position.
Kimi Antonelli won the race for Mercedes to take the championship lead. Oscar Piastri finished second for his first race finish of the season, while Leclerc completed the podium in third.
Hamilton lost positions to his teammates, George Russell and Lando Norris after falling back from the leading pack following the Safety Car.
Struggling with power deficit at the 2026 F1 Japanese GP
When asked about his race in the print media pen, Hamilton characterised his 2026 Japanese GP as average while highlighting a significant performance issue.
“It was okay. The average weekend for me. I just struggled with power in the race, for some reason I was just down,” the Ferrari driver stated.
The power deficit left Hamilton defending rather than racing competitively. He identified a clear performance gap to the cars around him at Suzuka.
“Particularly, I was defending the whole time. The guys all around me just seemed to have more power today, so I need to try and understand why that is the case. Whether my engine’s down or what, I need to understand it.”
Teammate comparison raises further questions
The most confusing aspect of Hamilton’s 2026 Japanese GP performance came when comparing pace to teammate Leclerc. Both Ferrari drivers share identical equipment, yet the seven-time World Champion felt he had less speed on the straights.
When asked about the battle between him and his teammate for P3, Hamilton said that it was “not really a great battle.”
“Even somehow Charles had more power than me today. It’s the same car, so I need to understand why that is. He did a good job to get to third place. But yeah, lacking power from somewhere.”
Generally enjoying racing despite struggles
Despite the disappointing result, Hamilton maintained he has enjoyed racing this season. The Japanese GP at Suzuka represents one of his favorite circuits on the calendar.
“I’ve generally enjoyed it. I love being in Japan. I’ve generally enjoyed driving.”
However, the specific circumstances of Sunday’s race prevented genuine enjoyment. Tyre management proved strong in the first stint but pace remained insufficient.
“As I said, I really need to try and understand. I had a really good stint of managing the tyres. I didn’t have the pace to keep up,” he stated.
The situation became particularly confusing after his pit stop during the 2026 F1 Japanese GP race. Fresh tyres should have provided an advantage, but it did not as he mentioned a lack of power once again.
“It’s never fun when you’re just barely holding on to a pack. When I got the fresh tyres, just power-wise, I couldn’t stay ahead of people. It was really confusing, so I need to try and understand.”
