Hamilton is already giving Ferrari the hurry up: 'Need an upgrade now!'

Whilst Hamilton's best effort saw him pipped by Racing Bulls rookie, Isack Hadjar in P7, his teammate, Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari in P4, with a lap three tenths quicker than the seven-time world champion's.

"Well, I think Charles did a great lap today, really well done to him. I think he maybe outperformed the car maybe a little bit, but great lap," Hamilton complimented his teammate on a good result whilst speaking to media in Suzuka.

Hamilton then seemed to suggest that his teammate had favoured qualifying instead of the race in terms of the setup of the car.

Is Hamilton's more race oriented setup a safer bet to bring a good result home starting P8? "Well, I don't know. I'll find out tomorrow. I am generally happy with the direction that I took."