Lewis Hamilton has raised hopes for Mercedes, hailing his car’s much-improved feel in Japan on Friday.
The seven-time world champion finished fifth in first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, with team-mate George Russell fourth.
Max Verstappen set the fastest time at a rain-soaked Suzuka, with the weather effectively rendering the second session a washout, with only three drivers returning times.
Hamilton has been battling car troubles for some time now, but hinted at hopes that Mercedes might just be turning the corner.
“It was a great session for us, the best so far this year and the best the car has felt this year,” said Hamilton. “I was really excited, because this is a circuit that every driver loves to drive.
“Given the difficult last few races we’ve had, great work has been done in the last week and we just seem to have hit the ground in a much sweeter spot.”
Oscar Piastri, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were the only three drivers to set flying laps in the second session.
Logan Sargeant suffered a heavy crash in the first session on another difficult day for Williams. The American missed the last race in Australia and crashed out at the Dunlop corner, causing extensive front suspension damage.
Verstappen led Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez by 0.181sec in the first session, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz third.
Meanwhile, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said he would not rule out recruiting Sebastian Vettel to replace the departing Hamilton next season.
Vettel, 36, has said he is potentially in the market for a 2025 comeback and was talking to Wolff and others. Hamilton, who is joining Ferrari, said on Thursday the German would be an “amazing option” to replace him at the Silver Arrows.
“Sebastian is someone that you can never discount,” Wolff said on Friday. “His track record is phenomenal.”
