Hamilton: “Something’s up” if Red Bull don’t win Japanese GP by 30 seconds

Red Bull endured their worst weekend of F1 2023 so far at last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, finishing fifth and eighth.

Both Red Bulls were knocked out in Q2 as they struggled with car balance and overall grip.

Verstappen still managed to finish fifth, within a second of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fourth.

Red Bull’s downturn in form coincided with a technical directive which has clamped down on flexible bodywork.

As a result, some have theorised that Red Bull have been impacted by the TD - a suggestion that has been refuted by team boss Christian Horner.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s race, Hamilton expects Red Bull to return to their pre-Singapore level of performance.

“I would think that if they’re not 30 seconds ahead like they have done in the past then something’s up… but no, it they had a difficult weekend at the last one but their car should be phenomenal here," he said.

“They have been phenomenal all year long with pace at pretty much every circuit and it is going to be great to watch that car in general.

“Normally, when we come here, it's so beautiful to watch the laps that they do because the team as a whole and the drivers do an amazing job with the package they have.

“I hope we can be closer and I hope they are not as fast as the 30-second gap.”