George Russell

I really enjoyed that! The first lap was a little bit wild. I had turn six in my mind as the overtaking opportunity on the Medium runners. I knew I would have the advantage at the beginning, so I was pleased to pull off the move on Piastri. I was surprised by how quickly the Soft tyre dropped off and we were fortunate that there were a number of safety car interventions. Without that, we may have finished outside the points. That is what can happen during a sprint weekend though where you have limited practice and limited knowledge on the tyres. Having said that, if we were on the Medium we would have still finished P4. Nothing gained, nothing lost.

It was positive to see our pace advantage over Ferrari today. We were on the same tyres as them and we were faster. We are in a great place tomorrow to fight against the McLarens too. It’s going to be interesting from a strategy perspective so let’s see what we can do. Finally, Max winning the world championship is fully deserved. It’s an incredible achievement so congratulations to him. We need to raise our game to give him more of a challenge next year.
Lewis Hamilton

I was quite slow at the beginning on the Medium tyre. I knew that the degradation would be high though and that the race would come back to us. Did I know that I was going to be able to get back up to fifth? No, but I was hoping I could the whole time. I tried to position my car the best I could, stay out of trouble and progress one step at a time. The car is still tricky to drive but our pace overall was good. I know I’ve got the race craft on lock. I just need to work on my qualifying!

That said, tomorrow we start third. That is obviously a much better place to be lining up than we were today. We should be looking to fight to hold that position. We know it will be difficult to hold the McLarens behind. They are a little further back though, so we will be doing our best to do that. We will be giving it everything we’ve got as always. Congratulations to Max too on his third world championship, he has driven a great season and it is a well-deserved achievement. It would be great if we could be in a fight with him tomorrow.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

The issues with the high frequency oscillation gave us the opportunity to gain an extra 10 minutes of running. That was useful before heading into the Sprint Shootout. The balance we’d found with the car yesterday however deserted Lewis in that session. P12 left him out of position on the grid for the sprint; George was happier and a solid lap left him P4. We opted to split the tyre strategies across our cars this evening. That enabled us to gain data across both the Soft and the Medium compounds. George was able to put the extra grip of the Soft to good use in the early stages. Degradation was higher than we anticipated, though, and it was inevitable that he would drop back. He did a stellar job to hang on to P4. For Lewis, it was the opposite story. He waited for the race to come to him then used the tyre offset to maximise our result. We can be pleased with our pace today and starting P2 and P3 tomorrow provides us with a good opportunity to extend our advantage over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship. Congratulations must also go to Max Verstappen. He has been superb this year and his title is fully deserved. We are all working as hard as possible to make his life much tougher next year.

Toto Talks Qatar

We knew our pace in Japan wouldn't match what we had been able to show in Singapore. They are very different circuits and the characteristics of Suzuka highlighted the weaknesses of the W14.

It was therefore important that we limited the damage to Ferrari in the Championship. With six races to go, we are relishing the fight and will be giving it our all to stay ahead, starting this weekend in Qatar.

We return to Lusail for the first time since 2021. The inaugural Grand Prix there was a successful one for us, so we are looking forward to going back. With its sweeping turns, it's a demanding circuit and one the drivers also enjoy.

Since our last visit, there have been changes both on and off track. A key feature of FP1 therefore will be understanding the effect of the track resurfacing. As it is a Sprint weekend, we will have limited time to get on top of this and find a solid set-up for the rest of the event. It will be an interesting task and one we are excited for.
Fact File: Qatar Grand Prix

    The F1 Sprint returns for the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix back in August.
    This will be the fourth sprint event of the season, following Baku, Austria, and Spa.
    There are still two more sprint events to come before the end of the season: the United States Grand Prix in Austin and the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos.
    Following F1's inaugural visit to the Lusail International Circuit back in 2021, the circuit has been completely resurfaced.
    Understanding how this has impacted on grip and tyre degradation will be a key focus for the team during FP1.
    That will be particularly crucial this weekend as we enter parc fermé conditions ahead of qualifying on Friday evening.
    A completely new pit and paddock complex has been constructed at the track in time for this year's race.
    This will include larger pit garages, new team buildings, and new access tunnels.
    Temperatures during the day in Doha are forecast to reach close to 40°C this week.
    Qualifying, the F1 Sprint, and the Grand Prix itself take place at night, and therefore temperatures are expected to average a more comfortable 27°C.
    However, FP1 and the Sprint Shootout will take place before sunset and temperatures, and thus track conditions, could therefore vary quite dramatically.
    The race in 2021 saw a number of punctures attributed to the flatter kerbs of the Lusail circuit. Unspecified work has been carried out on these ahead of this year's race so that will be a focus of understanding ahead of running on Friday.
    The track has a fast and flowing nature as it is predominantly used for motorcycle racing.
    There is only one corner, turn six, that sees the minimum speed drop below 100 km/h.
    There are therefore no heavy braking events for us to tackle, a unique occurrence on the 2023 calendar.
    The braking energy requirement is therefore low; there are still six braking events that the cars encounter across the lap.
    There are 16 corners in total: 10 to the right and six to the left. The track's main straight covers over 1km of the total lap distance and is the sole DRS zone on the circuit.
    The pit lane in Qatar is the third longest of any circuit we visit on the calendar, behind only Imola and Silverstone.
    It clocks in at 450 metres and the expected pit lane time is over 20 seconds.

Insight: Climate & Weather - How they Affect an F1 Car

"Across the season, we see a huge range of conditions both in temperature, in atmospheric pressures, but also wet and dry."

Across the 2023 season, we will visit 19 different countries, with races spread over nine months. We encounter a vast array of climates, races in the day and at night and a whole host of other factors thrown in. From daily highs of 40°C such as this weekend in Qatar, to expected single digit figures in Las Vegas, designing and racing an F1 car is no easy task. In our latest insight video, we explore how climate and weather affect an F1 car.

Watch the full video to find out more here. The full video, including broadcast versions, along with the transcript can be downloaded here.

For more information, you can also join our official Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team WhatsApp Channel here.

Lewis Hamilton

We did some great work overnight and the changes we made felt good in FP3. The car has generally felt nice to drive today. That was a relief as yesterday was a bad day. We typically have at least one suboptimal day each weekend, so Friday was likely that.

I felt much more confident with the car in FP3, and I was giving it everything in Qualifying. The first sector was the major difference though. We had a seven tenths deficit through it and it’s mostly to do with the lack of rear-end grip we have. I was happy with my laps, even the runs on the used tyre. A track like this is one of the most challenging to drive anywhere in the world. It’s amazing, even when the car is a little bit difficult. My final lap was enjoyable, but the cars ahead were just too quick compared to us. Let’s hope for a better race tomorrow.
George Russell

Today was a fair representation of how we perform on circuit that have similar characteristics to Suzuka. There’s a large range of corners where we have plenty of high-speed and some very low speed turns too. Our car isn’t the strongest across the full range of corners, so we have been struggling a little more here, particularly in sector one. We saw last week in Singapore that if we can find the sweet spot of the car on tracks requiring high downforce then we can fight at the front. That is not the case here.

Tomorrow’s race I expect to be challenging. Our race pace will likely be similar to our single lap pace. The gaps may close up a little but not substantially. We do have the option to try some different strategy options, having two hard tyres in our allocation. McLaren and Ferrari may not have the same freedom. However, I only expect it to only be a small advantage.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

We made several changes overnight, designed to improve the performance of the car through the first sector. That was where we were particularly weak yesterday. We did find some gains but ultimately, our performance today can mainly be attributed to the corner speed range we see here at Suzuka. Over the course of the year, we’ve done a good job of adding performance in the lower speed corners. However here, and in particular that first sector, you need a lot of downforce in a certain ride height range. The W14 isn’t the strongest car in that area and that helps explain our deficit today.

Our nearest competitors in the championship are Ferrari. We will have an eye on them strategically tomorrow as they line up ahead of us, and hopefully we can be in a race with them. We came here thinking that tyre degradation would be high. That looked to be the case on Friday and even earlier today in FP3. Our second set of Hard tyres means that we can look at strategies and stints that they possible cannot. Hopefully we can exploit that. We will ultimately find out in that first stint how the degradation is looking and its impact on the race.

Toto Talks Japan

It was a thrilling Sunday night in Singapore. Although the result wasn’t quite what we were hoping for, there are plenty of positives we can take away. We were bold and aggressive with our strategy calls. The pace of the car all weekend was strong. We executed well as a team and gave it a real shot for victory as the racers we are.

It was a great drive to the podium from Lewis. He showed impressive pace throughout the race, especially the final stint. P3 was a deserved reward for his efforts. For George, he’d performed faultlessly all weekend. He was giving it absolutely everything in the search for victory. That’s absolutely what we want to see. It was a small mistake on the final lap and that will make it even more painful for him. I know he will bounce back strongly.

We have another race in just a few days’ time. Japan is always a unique event with very passionate fans. The track is incredibly challenging, and the drivers love racing on it. The margins were so close in Singapore, so we’ll be aiming for another competitive showing in Suzuka.

We lost some ground in the Constructors’ Championship to Ferrari at the last race. We are looking forwards not back, though. Our focus is on maximising the package we have and scoring as many points as possible. If we do so, I’m confident we can extend our advantage.
Fact File: Japanese Grand Prix

    Suzuka holds the distinction of being the only circuit we race at that is laid out in a figure-of-eight configuration.
    After the Degner Curves, the circuit passes under the straight leading to 130R. Owing to this, it’s the only F1 track that runs both clockwise and anticlockwise.
    This figure-of-eight layout is beneficial for tyre wear. It creates a more even balance between left and right-hand corners (10 being right-handers and eight to the left), distributing load more equally between tyres.
    The first corner doesn’t require any braking on entry. In Qualifying, drivers don’t hit the brakes until the car is cornering at close to 5G.
    That helps to generate some of the highest steering wheel torques of the entire season.
    The vast majority of the first sector at Suzuka is spent cornering. From Turn 1 until the exit of Turn 7, the steering wheel is moving almost continuously for nearly 2km of the lap.
    Just 1.2 km of the lap is spent driving in a straight line. Most of the 5.807 kms sees some lateral g-force going through the car.
    The lack of straights also means that Suzuka is just one of four circuits on the calendar that has a solitary DRS zone.
    130R is one of F1’s quickest corners, taken at 295 km/h. Turn 11 meanwhile is one of the slowest at 60 km/h.
    The braking zone for Turn 11 is particularly challenging. Drivers must hit the brakes midway through the fast Turn 10. They are cornering at close to 3.5G while turning right before the hairpin left. Lockups are therefore common.
    In contrast to Singapore, brakes have a slightly easier time at Suzuka. There are only two heavy braking events on the track. Brake duty and wear are therefore among the lowest we see across the year.
    Suzuka has one of the highest mass sensitivities of the season. That means that carrying more fuel is more penalising in terms of lap time and performance.

George Russell

I've been really happy with this weekend as a whole. I've felt confident in the car and the team did a great job with the tyre strategy. We are on an offset strategy compared to everybody else, so we have an extra set of Medium tyres tomorrow which nobody around us has. So, to get to Q3, and then the front row, with just four sets of tyres and a strategic advantage, that's an exciting place to be. It was a challenging session in the car - sitting in the garage, it's like being in a sauna, and you just need to keep your composure and stay cool. The same will be true tomorrow: traditionally this has been a one-stop race, but the new circuit layout has possibly changed that. I think it's going to be close between a one- and a two-stop, and with that extra Medium tyre available, we can put pressure on Ferrari and try and force an error to get the upper hand. That's what we're looking for.
Lewis Hamilton

The car was feeling incredible yesterday and we had hoped that with some tweaks, we'd be able to challenge the Ferraris. We made some pretty big changes overnight, and it just came away from me again, and we didn't have the speed today. It's obviously disappointing, especially because we clearly had a great package here and George was able to get on the front row. But tomorrow is a new day - and there is a lot to fight for. I hope George gets a great start tomorrow and puts some pressure on Ferraris; it would be great for him to get the win. On my side, I will be pushing to the maximum to go forward and see how the race unfolds in front.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

I think we outperformed ourselves today. Singapore is a Ferrari track - they were strong here last year, too - so to get within a tenth of pole with George is fantastic. Lewis struggled more with the car, but we still have two cars in the top five, and that promises an exciting race tomorrow. As for our expectations in the race, we have got to stay humble and do the work tonight. I hope it's not going to be an easy, one-stop, cruise into the sunset - and we have a potential advantage with the second Medium tyre that none of the other teams have. So I think everything is possible - and the weather may a part - it's going to be an exciting evening tomorrow!
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

A great lap by George to get on the front row and split the Ferraris.  That's certainly helped his chances tomorrow as their ability to control the race is a lot less if we can get between them.  Lewis wasn't as happy with the car through the sessions and struggling to get the tyres to switch on; some of that was when the outlaps were compromised with traffic but even on the final run he didn't feel that the grip was there.  We made a decision in the morning to keep two mediums for the race tomorrow but that meant we only had four softs in qualifying.  There were times during qualifying where it felt like we might have regretted that decision as field was much tighter than we expected but at least we got both through to the final session and importantly it's opened up some unique options for us on the strategy and how we deal with safety cars.  We looked to be competitive in the long runs on Friday and with both cars well placed on the grid we're looking forward to the race tomorrow.