Hamilton hopes that Mercedes won't "mess it up."

Following a disrupted day of practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton expressed mixed sentiments, acknowledging the progress made by Mercedes while also highlighting the disappointment for fans due to the weather-induced disruptions.

After a challenging weekend in Australia, Mercedes showed signs of improvement at Suzuka, with Hamilton and teammate George Russell finishing fifth and fourth quickest respectively in FP1. Despite being half-a-second behind Max Verstappen's Red Bull, Hamilton was pleased with the performance, noting that it was the best the car had felt all year. However, the promising start was dampened by rain during FP2, preventing teams from validating their progress. Hamilton, like many others, had limited track time due to the conditions but managed to complete a soft-tyre run late in the session, finishing second quickest behind Oscar Piastri's McLaren.