Hamilton couldn't get past Ocon: 'On this track only way to pass'

Lewis Hamilton started the Japanese Grand Prix in sixth place, just behind Esteban Ocon. Where the seven-time world champion seemed likely to get past the Frenchman, Hamilton failed to pass him throughout the race. Andrew Shovlin saw how difficult Hamilton was struggling.

Due to the heavy rain in Japan, the drivers were presented with a shorter race, which meant less was possible in terms of strategies. Moreover, drivers were not allowed to use the DRS and thus had to take out the competitor by other means.

Although Hamilton tried hard to beat Ocon, the Alpine car proved no less than the Mercedes, especially on the straights. However, Shovlin thinks the race would have been different if the race had been longer, he told in the Mercedes debrief on the YouTube channel.

"Esteban's tyres would've been dropping and maybe that would have given us a chance to get through," Shovlin assessed. "The big issue was that DRS wasn't enabled and our straight line speed wasn't as high as the Alpine."

Shovlin argues that the lack of DRS meant a lot for on-track battles. "On a circuit like that, the only way to pass is to make the pass on the straights. It would've been difficult. It comes down to more than anything the fact that the drs wasn't enabled."