SUZUKA, Japan — As a dominant force in Formula 1 with seven world championships to his name, Lewis Hamilton finds himself in a unique position this season as he adapts to his new journey with Ferrari. Known for his record-breaking 105 F1 race victories, predicting when he will notch his 106th win remains a mystery. Since embarking on this new venture, Hamilton has managed only two wins over the last three seasons and begins the 2025 season without a victory, heading into the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hamilton addressed the pre-season excitement surrounding his switch to Ferrari, explaining, “There was obviously a huge amount of hype at the beginning of the year. I don’t know if everyone was expecting us to be winning from race one and winning the championship in our first year. That wasn’t my expectation,” he emphasized. “I know that I’m coming into a new culture, a new team, and it’s going to take time.”
In the third practice session ahead of the race weekend, Hamilton remained competitive, securing the sixth-fastest time. Lando Norris from McLaren topped the session with a time of 1 minute, 27.965 seconds, closely followed by his teammate Oscar Piastri. Hamilton trailed Norris by 0.559 seconds.
The pole position for the race went to Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who set a new track record on his final lap. Hamilton qualified eighth, aligning with expectations as McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari vie for superiority on the Suzuka circuit.
This season has seen Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri claim victories in Australia and China, setting McLaren up as a potential front-runner in Japan. Hamilton’s journey this season has been closely scrutinized. After finishing 10th in Australia’s season opener, he clinched the sprint in China but faced disqualification from the main race along with teammate Charles Leclerc due to technical violations, marking a challenging moment for Ferrari.
Addressing any doubts about his commitment, Hamilton rebutted, “I saw someone said something about whether I’m losing faith in the team, which is complete rubbish. I have absolute 100% faith in this team.”
The Suzuka Circuit holds fond memories for Hamilton, a race he has won five times, although his last triumph on the track dates back to 2018. Expressing his affinity for the circuit, Hamilton remarked, “This track is awesome. It never ceases to amaze you when you get on this circuit.” Despite acknowledging the gaps in performance, he remains hopeful, stating, “We’ve got some performance to pick up. We’re not the quickest at the moment. But I think there’s a good baseline.”