Lewis Hamilton expects Red Bull to be 'rapid' at 2022 F1 Japanese GP

Lewis Hamilton feels Red Bull will be extremely quick and competitive at the Suzuka circuit in Japan. The Briton, however, also believes that the Mercedes car will be quicker than it was in Singapore, where the bumpy circuit capped their pace during the race.

Speaking to the on-site media at the Japanese GP, Hamilton said:

"Well, we thought Singapore would be our best shot at it, but I think still, one of the things we still underestimate is the bouncing. And when I say 'we', I mean the engineers underestimate just how stiff the car is and how it doesn't like bumps. So aero-characteristic wise it was great for the last circuit. I think it was good with the bumps...take away a lot of downforce. Here, we shouldn't have the bouncing, we should be good."

"But the others are going to be very, very strong. There's a long, long straight down through the last chicane. The Red Bull is going to be rapid there, I think. I think this is going to be one of their strongest circuits. That's just my guess. Hoping that I am wrong and that our car feels mega and we can get a good balance here. I don't think it is going to be as bad as somewhere like Monza, for example - or Spa. I think it will be better than those places."

Explaining that Mercedes engineers underestimated the stiffness of the car, Hamilton felt their car suffered from a loss of downforce on the bumps of the Singapore circuit. Although the Briton does not expect the bouncing to return to their car at Suzuka, he expects their rivals, particularly Red Bull, to be very quick. Nevertheless, Hamilton believes Mercedes should be quick and not on the back foot as they were in Monza or Spa.

---

Red Bull are using a new floor trick on the RB18: Reports

A Mercedes engineer is expected to have told the German publication Auto Motor und Sport (AMuS) that Red Bull are using a suspension that can lower itself at top speeds. The trick might be a more legalistic interpretation of the active suspensions that were banned, but the Milton Keynes-based team might have found a loophole in the technical regulations with an innovative design to maintain top speeds.

AMuS reported the Mercedes engineer saying:

"The Red Bull has the highest ground clearance at the rear when stationary and the lowest at high speed. Doing something like that with a conventional chassis takes up space and weight. We didn’t have one or the other."

While the suspension trick might be within the regulations, it is being widely discussed at the Japanese GP weekend where the team is expected to be strong and competitive. Max Verstappen has to win the race in Suzuka and clock the fastest lap of the race to wrap up the title in Japan.