Forecast for Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, April 7, 2024

Disrupted Friday but positive signs on opening day of running at Suzuka

• The team returned to Japan and iconic Suzuka at an earlier time of year to usual, with spring underway and the cherry blossoms blooming.
• Cool conditions prevailed throughout with several rain showers affecting FP2.
• That led to little running in the second session of the day; Lewis getting out on track for the final few minutes on the Soft tyre and setting the second fastest time.
• Earlier in the day, the team had focused on several experiments and test items aiming to build on our learnings since Melbourne.
• That included a mix of both single lap and high fuel running. The early signs were encouraging with both drivers reporting that they were pleased with the overall balance of the W15.
• Running in FP1 was also disrupted as the Williams of Logan Sargeant crashed at turn seven, bringing out the red flags.
• Given the interrupted running, the team will be aiming to get through a busy program in FP3 tomorrow ahead of qualifying.

• George Russell

  We performed better than we expected to in FP1. That was a pleasant surprise, and the car was feeling really nice to drive. Both Lewis and I were happy with the overall balance. The W15 has been performing better when the conditions are cooler though, so that is a note of caution. Our focus today was trying several test items and experiments to make the car more consistent in variable conditions. Time will tell whether these have had the intended impact and it was frustrating that we couldn’t evaluate these further in the afternoon.

  It’s such a shame for those here and watching at home that we couldn’t do much running in FP2. I hope we can find a solution for these moments and conditions. It’s not the first time it has happened, and it won’t be the last. Looking at tomorrow, Qualifying will be interesting as it’s a clear single lap tyre. Most drivers may only have three or four sets of the Soft compound so you will have to ensure you nail each and every lap.

  Lewis Hamilton

  FP1 was a great session for us. It was the best session for us so far this year and the best the car has felt. I felt very positive and excited heading into FP2 as this is a circuit that every driver loves to drive. It was a shame not to get much running in, therefore. In the last two years here, we’ve struggled with a car that has had an inconsistent balance and has been difficult to drive. The team has done a lot of great work since Australia, and we seemed to hit the ground running today. The car was definitely in a sweeter spot. We’ve got a better baseline to start from this weekend and hopefully we can build on that.

  Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

  We've done a lot of work over the last week focused on making the car more consistent. We've seen across the first three races that we have sessions where we look strong, but when it comes to qualifying and the race, we've fallen short of our expectations. It's too early to say whether we've made the progress that we are hoping for, but it is encouraging that the drivers are happier with the feel of the car. The data also suggests that we have got the tyres in a better window. It was a shame for the fans that weather reduced the amount of running in the afternoon session, but there is plenty of opportunity to get laps in tomorrow morning.