Lewis Hamilton F1 News: Mercedes star SNAPS after Japanese GP woes

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Japan, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Legends

Hamilton SNAPS after Japanese GP woes

Frustrations bubble to the surface after a difficult Japanese GP for Lewis Hamilton

Sheona Mountford

Monday 8 April 2024 18:42 Updated: 19:14

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Lewis Hamilton’s frustrations have risen to the surface after a difficult Japanese Grand Prix extended his poor start to the 2024 season.

The British driver was positive regarding Mercedes’ chances at the start of the weekend, ‘excited’ about the progress the car had made after practice.

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However, their form unravelled during the race, with Hamilton allowing his faster team-mate George Russell to pass him on lap 14 in an unusually polite team orders instruction.

Hamilton, who finished down in ninth, blamed the ‘terrible’ hard tyres, and suggested that he had sustained damage during a lap one incident with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton’s frustrations surface again

Hamilton showed his frustrations after the race, storming out of an interview after only two questions from a reporter.

According to the Mirror, Hamilton was asked how his race went, to which he replied: "It was okay.”

The reporter then asked: "Are you a little bit jealous of the Ferraris at the moment? Because they are faster?"

“Do you have any better questions?" Hamilton replied, before walking away from the interview.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell Japan 2024

The seven-time champion also discussed his issues during the race with Sky Sports F1.

“I don't know what the different strategy would have been, whether it was staying on the medium to start with but we still had two really terrible hard tyres to run through, so a real challenge today."

"The hard tyre was pretty bad," Hamilton added. "The medium tyre was much better, so yeah, in hindsight it looks like we should have had two medium tyres. But in general, the car was pretty bad."