DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award

New DHL Fastest Pit Stop record, but podium still out of reach for Lewis Hamilton

Overtaking maneuvers at the Suzuka International Racing Course have been a bit thin on the ground in recent years, but then Ferrari went out and showed once again that it doesn't have to be like that in 2026. Lewis Hamilton started out from sixth place on the medium tires to tackle this classic one-stop grand prix race and was able to maintain his position in the early stages but wasn't quite quick enough to challenge for the lead. Still, early pit stops by the opposition served to bump him up into second place.

Hamilton saw a chance on lap 22 when the safety car came out following Oliver Bearman's horrific crash. He pulled into the pit lane and was turned around and set back out on fresh hard tires in exactly two seconds, which gave Ferrari the DHL Fastest Pit Stop in Japan and also saw them beat Mercedes' previous season best time by 0.17 seconds.

Hamilton rejoined the track in fourth and managed to overtake George Russell on the restart. So, he was on course for a podium finish, but not for long! Charles Leclerc closed the gap, and the scrap that had begun in China entered its second round in Suzuka, only this time, Hamilton had to back off, which allowed Russell through as well. Hamilton then battled with Lando Norris for fifth place over the final few laps, but the reigning world champion held him at bay.

After finishing in sixth place, Hamilton said that he had not been entirely happy with his battery: "I had to defend the whole time. The other drivers around me seemed to have more power. Even Charles, who drives the same car, had more power than me today. I need to try and understand why that is the case."