Lewis Hamilton fell off the podium in the final stages of Sunday’s race, finishing sixth, lamenting a “pretty bad” Japanese Grand Prix.
Hamilton benefited from the mid-race safety car and overtook George Russell for third place on the restart, but was unable to hold off Mercedes and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
The seven-time world champion then struggled for pace, but Lando Norris overtook Hamilton in the closing stages and took the checkered flag in sixth place, the same place he had started.
“In the end it was a pretty bad result because I was third and I ended up falling back, but you just have to understand where you were losing all the power,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“Especially in the second stint, I really lacked power, but even in the early stages I couldn’t keep up with the others just because of the lack of power.
“I don’t understand this. I fill up my gas tank and manage where I’m asked to manage, but for some reason I just don’t have the power. So I have to figure out if there’s something wrong with the car. Still, I got some points.”
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2026 Japanese Grand Prix Highlights
It was Hamilton’s most difficult weekend to date, having finished fourth at the Australian Grand Prix and taking Ferrari’s first podium at the Chinese Grand Prix.
However, the 41-year-old continued to trail teammate Leclerc throughout the weekend at Suzuka and remained baffled by his lack of pace.
“I love being in Japan and I enjoy driving in general, but like I said, I was just really trying to understand,” he said.
“It was a stint where I managed the tires well, but I just didn’t have the pace to keep up. And it’s never fun when you’re holding onto a pack at the last minute, and when I got the new tires I still couldn’t do it.
“I just couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t get ahead of the other guys in terms of power. It was really confusing. You have to understand.”
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Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton narrowly avoid a collision after a close overtake at the Japanese Grand Prix
Leclerc: “Mercedes still has a big advantage”
Leclerc bounced back from being eliminated under the safety car and took the lead in a thrilling battle with Russell and Hamilton, securing third place in the drivers’ championship despite being 23 points behind Kimi Antonelli.
Despite a fierce battle, Leclerc finished within two seconds of second place Piastri, who took his first podium of the season.
“Second place was probably a possibility, but I think we got as much as we could,” Leclerc said.
“We were unlucky because of the safety car. Oscar had a little bit of air and maybe handled the tires a little better. I had to push right away and it was a little tricky.
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Sky Sports F1’s Simon Lazenby looks back on Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s first podium of the 2026 season and explains why he feels the championship is closer than ever.
“I don’t have too many regrets. I still think it was a good race. Are we as fast as Mercedes? I don’t think so. They still have a big advantage. It’s up to us to try to change that.”
He added: “At the moment Mercedes’ power unit has a big advantage over us. That’s the focus, but we have to remember that chassis and aerodynamic development and getting the tires in the right range can make a big difference.”
“We can’t change the engine anyway, but in the meantime we need to improve everything around the car.”
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