Japanese GP: Lewis Hamilton struggling to predict weekend prospects despite strong FP2

Lewis Hamilton has said he’s not sure what sort of pace Mercedes are going to have in qualifying tomorrow at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Rain hit both FP1 and FP2 at Suzuka on Friday leaving the drivers to take part in damp sessions, following on from mixed conditions at the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend.

Mercedes found a bit of rhythm in the wet in FP2, though, with George Russell going fastest and Hamilton not far behind him in second, suggesting that the Merc might be strong if the rain persists over the weekend.

Hamilton, though, isn’t so sure what to predict at the moment in terms of their true pace and where they stack up compared to the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari, though he suspects if it is dry the pecking order might shuffle around a little compared to second practice.

“Looking to tomorrow, I don’t really know what to expect,” Hamilton said.

“I really have no idea, if we get it dry I imagine the Ferraris and Red Bulls will be quick but I really, really have no idea.

I hope that we are fast but that is a hope that continues to be the case each week.

“On the positive side, we were able to switch our tyres on today so we didn’t look slow, so that’s good.”

The forecast for the weekend in Suzuka is looking like it could be dry on Saturday for qualifying whilst showers could hit the race on Sunday, adding a bit of spice for the Grand Prix itself.

Time will tell as to what happens, though, and Hamilton will just hope his W13 likes whatever conditions are thrown up over the next couple of days.

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