Under the treacherous conditions in Suzuka, there was a different kind of storm brewing. Max Verstappen zoomed past the rest of the field and claimed his second successive driver’s championship. After the Grand Prix, last year’s runner-up, Lewis Hamilton congratulated Max on his title and talked about improving as a team next year.

Lewis Hamilton’s struggle all season was evident in today’s race as he failed to overtake Esteban Ocon on numerous occasions. The Alpine of Ocon defended with all its might, but the Silver Arrows’ lack of straight-line speed was pretty clear.

Lewis pushed Ocon to the brink. However, the Frenchman held his nerve as he came home to finish an impressive P4. After the race, Lewis Hamilton congratulated Max Verstappen and talked about what needed to be done going forward. The Stevenage boy is also confident of a much better car next year.

Lewis said, “Congrats to Max. I think for us, we know what the problems are with this car. I believe that we, as a team, we’ve not gone from being world champions to not being able to build a good car.” 

Lewis further said, “I have no doubt we’ll have a better car next year. Whether or not we’ve rectified every issue we have this year, we’ll find out when we get there.”

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The championship might be won, but Lewis and Mercedes will still look to challenge Ferrari and finish P2 in Constructor’s championship.

4X Japanese GP winner Lewis Hamilton didn’t want the race to end

Despite not getting the complete race, the Japanese GP was a bit of a thriller. Lewis Hamilton’s epic battle with Ocon was so intense, the Mercedes man wanted to continue racing. Additionally, Hamilton was happy for the fans who got to witness some racing after waiting for more than 2 years.

Lewis said, “I wish it was a longer race. I’m glad we got some laps for the fans here, although it’s not really a massive race for them considering how long they waited.”

Hamilton also added, “In terms of conditions, just restarting, I think it was awesome. That’s what motor racing is about. I had a blast. It was so tough, so hard to see”.

The Mercedes man also acknowledged the timing of the restart of the race. Although he felt they could’ve raced a little longer, he accepted that they lost light, and it had turned dark.

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A race win will massively help the Silver Arrows’ confidence going into next season. However, Mercedes will have to find a solution quickly as only 4 races remain this year. Lewis Hamilton is confident that they will be more competitive next season. However, whether Mercedes walks the walk remains to be seen.