Hamilton fires defiant social media message despite bitter Japanese GP result

The Briton, fresh from his superb podium in Shanghai - his first with Ferrari - endured a difficult weekend at Suzuka, trailing his teammate throughout. The latter also managed to hold off George Russell to secure his second podium of the season.

Through his Instagram stories, the seven-time world champion admitted it was far from an ideal race, but stressed his intention to take the lessons learned from the opening three rounds and build on them ahead of the return from the April break in Miami.

Frederic Vasseur pointed to the loss of overtake mode as a key factor behind Hamilton’s drop in performance during the closing stages of the Japanese Grand Prix, which ultimately saw him fall from third to sixth at the finish.

He added that things became even more difficult once Hamilton dropped out of the one-second window to the car ahead, while also acknowledging Ferrari’s ongoing deficit in straight-line speed, an area the team knows it must improve.