Lewis Hamilton insists Ferrari need to learn why they are trailing other frontrunners in pure pace after a disappointing sixth-place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Hamilton looked set for a podium when he overtook George Russell at the safety car restart for third-place at Suzuka on Sunday but, in the end, Ferrari’s pace was inferior to that of the Mercedes and McLaren cars around them.
Summing up the third race of the season, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: “Pretty terrible. Ultimately, I was P3 and ended up going backwards.
“We need to understand where I was losing all the power. I just had a real lack of power throughout, particularly the second stint.
“But a majority of the race, even from the beginning, I couldn't keep up with people just for the lack of power.”
The superior engine power of Mercedes-powered cars has been a key feature of the opening three races of the season, most notably on the straights.
Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton has urged Ferrari personnel back at Maranello to make some leaps in performance over the five-week break, until the next race in Miami on 3 May.
“I'm full gas, and I'm managing where I've been asked to manage, yet for some reason [I was] just lacking power,” Hamilton added.
“So we need to figure out if there's something wrong with the car or not. But still, we got some points.”
Hamilton had a strong start to the season, finishing fourth at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix before his first podium for Ferrari, in third, at the Chinese Grand Prix.
The 41-year-old is fourth in the championship standings, 31 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli.
