Ferrari exposes major deficit behind Hamilton's race woes in Japan

The Scuderia Ferrari team principal, who addressed the media following the conclusion of the Suzuka race, noted how the lack of overtake mode contributed to the performance deficit Hamilton experienced.

Vasseur also noted that the Ferrari outfit is well aware of this performance shortfall and is working to address it.

“What is clear this season is that as soon as you are no longer in overtake mode, you lose a bit of pace, and you end up in a train on track,” Vasseur explained.

“When he lost the one-second gap on the car ahead, it became a bit more difficult. We know that we have a deficit of performance in the straight line and that we have to work on it. But it is what it is,” he concluded.

Hamilton’s race unfolded largely in a tale of two halves. While he was able to match the pace of the front-runners during the early stint of the Grand Prix, his final stretch saw him largely haemorrhage lap time to the pace setters.

The Brit himself was frustrated and explained that he and the team would need to take a closer look at the situation to prevent future occurrences. Hamilton concluded the race in sixth place, about 10 seconds behind teammate Charles Leclerc, who clinched third place.

Vasseur also predicts changes to the pecking order in the F1 championship from the Miami Grand Prix. He explained: "We have to remain in the fight in the standings. The rate of development across the championship will be very high, which is why we need to keep pushing hard over the coming months to build points and results."

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