Friday practice is in the books ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have been making the headlines.

While the ultimate pace was set by Max Verstappen, Hamilton felt the best he has yet in the W15 during FP1 at Suzuka, leading him to warn Mercedes regarding where they go from here, as team boss Wolff explained why he is at the venue after all. Let us dive into the action.

Lewis Hamilton tells Mercedes ‘don’t mess it up’
F1 2024 has been a frustrating experience for seven-time World Champion Hamilton so far, this his final season with Mercedes, though he greatly enjoyed his time at the wheel of the W15 during FP1, that his “best session” yet with the challenger.

However, inconsistency has been a major criticism of the W15 for Hamilton, so he understandably is extremely wary of where Mercedes could look to go from here as they tackle the remainder of the race weekend.

Toto Wolff explains change of plan to attend Japanese Grand Prix
Originally, Wolff was not going to be present at Suzuka, though on Tuesday it emerged that he would head for the circuit after all.

Wolff has since explained why it is the “better place to be” as Mercedes continue to battle through “difficult times”.

Toto Wolff makes surprise reveal over Williams spare chassis dramas
Williams generated a great deal of attention at the previous round in Australia, where Alex Albon’s FP1 crash exposed their lack of a spare chassis.

They remain without one in Japan, as Alpine team boss Bruno Famin also revealed that they will not have a spare chassis until the next race in China.

Wolff’s Formula 1 journey started with Williams and while a team not having a spare chassis was very surprising to hear about, Wolff took it up a notch by revealing that during his time there, Williams usually went much of the season without one.

Aston Martin address Adrian Newey approach rumours
Before the Suzuka race weekend, a claim emerged that Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll had approached Adrian Newey – the design guru of F1’s dominant team Red Bull – in Saudi Arabia to table a “big-money” offer to tempt him up the road to Silverstone.

However, Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack hit back with a short and sweet denial on that one.

Carlos Sainz to Red Bull rumours in overdrive after Helmut Marko handshake
Knowing his Ferrari seat will be filled by Hamilton from 2025, Sainz is on the lookout for a new home on the grid, with his stellar drive to victory in Australia having only intensified the interest from rivals in securing his services.

Red Bull are one of the teams keeping an eye on the Spaniard, meaning it was very interesting to see Sainz having an all-smiles chat with Red Bull driver programme boss Helmut Marko at Suzuka, this sealed with a handshake.