Lewis Hamilton feels it’s ‘going to be great’ to see one thing from Red Bull at Japanese GP

Follow us on Google Discover

Lewis Hamilton admits that he is excited to see how Red Bull now bounce back from a ‘difficult’ Singapore Grand Prix but hopes Mercedes can be close at the Japanese GP.

Last weekend’s race delivered a shock to Formula 1 as Red Bull endured a torrid time around the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had won all 14 Grand Prix so far in 2023 before the Singapore race. Yet Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz denied them a perfect year.

Red Bull could only finish in P5 with Verstappen and P8 with Perez, who barged Alex Albon’s Williams out of the points and received an inconsequential five-second penalty. Verstappen had won the previous 10 Grand Prix and had not finished lower than second before in 2023.

Red Bull endured a nightmare across the Singapore GP weekend

The undulating roads on which F1 races at the Singapore GP left Red Bull struggling to find a suitable set-up. It posed problems far worse than the team expected from their simulator’s forecasts. Red Bull struggled hugely in the braking zones and for traction out of the corners.

It ensured that for the first time since 2018, neither Red Bull car made Q3 in qualifying. Liam Lawson even eliminated Verstappen in Q2 as the stand-in AlphaTauri driver continued to put himself in contention for a full-time race drive. But Red Bull’s issues are likely to be a one-off.

Hamilton is excited to see Red Bull respond at the Japanese GP

Verstappen’s perennial rival, Hamilton, certainly expects Red Bull to bounce back strongly at this week’s Japanese GP. The Mercedes driver believes it will spark far more questions if the team from Milton Keynes do not regain the dominance they have enjoyed throughout 2023.

“I would think that if they’re not 30 seconds ahead – like they have done in the past – then something’s up,” he said, via quotes by RaceFans. “It was obviously a difficult weekend, the last one, but that car should be phenomenal here.”

Suzuka should suit Red Bull much more than Marina Bay and Hamilton is even excited to see what Verstappen and Perez can show with their dominant car. The seven-time F1 champion believes it will be ‘beautiful to watch’ them float around the high-speed and technical track.

“They’ve been phenomenal all year long,” the Mercedes driver added. “They’ve aced pretty much every circuit and it’s going to be great to watch that car in general.

“Normally you would come here and it’s beautiful to watch the laps that they do because the team as a whole and the drivers are doing an amazing job with the package they have.

“So, it’ll be interesting to see how the weekend goes. I hope that we’re closer and I hope they’re not as fast as that 30-second gap they’ve had in the past.”