Mercedes car feels best in years: Hamilton

SUZUKA, Japan: Lewis Hamilton said his Mercedes Formula One car is the best it has felt in more than three years despite a middling qualifying session at the Japan Grand Prix on Saturday dominated by rivals Red Bull.

Seven-times world champion Hamilton, who leaves the Silver Arrows for Ferrari at the end of the season, has been frustrated by reliability issues in recent years and retired from the last race in Melbourne after engine failure.

“It’s been night and day difference over the weekend so far, just in terms of how comfortable I felt in the car,” said Hamilton, who qualified in seventh, 0.569 seconds behind pace-setter Max Verstappen.

“The car’s been much nicer to drive this weekend and particularly at a track like this where you need a nice balance, this is the nicest it’s felt over the last three years,” he said.