Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes couldn’t compete with the extra power Ferrari unleashed at the end of qualifying in Japan.

Mercedes led the second stage of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix but the Ferrari pair jumped ahead of both of them with their final laps in Q3. Hamilton took fourth place behind team mate Valtteri Bottas

Hamilton admitted the session “could have gone better” for him. “The car was fine,” he said. “They obviously turn up and go to another level which we can’t really compete with power-wise.

“But the car was feeling good. Q2 run one was really solid, the second run was not so great and the next two were so-so.”

Several drivers were caught out by the strong winds at the track during the session. “It’s super-gusty out there,” said Hamilton, “so just picking your point and where you place the car makes it a little bit trickier.”

As qualifying was postponed from Saturday, Hamilton and his rivals now have just over two hours to prepare for the start of the race.

“The Ferraris I think have a faster car,” he said. “But I think we’ve got a solid car.

“We’re hopefully going to be able to give them a fight for the money but they’re very quick on the straights as I say.”

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2019 F1 season