Lewis Hamilton has conceded Mercedes is "faster" than Ferrari at the moment after another disappointing weekend to open the F1 season.
The British driver started the Japanese Grand Prix from eighth and only managed to move past one opponent, Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar, en route to a seventh-place result at Suzuka.
With team-mate Charles Leclerc qualifying and finishing fourth, the Ferrari pair sandwiched the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli into fifth and sixth, respectively.
At a circuit where it is difficult to overtake, Hamilton was powerless to apply pressure on his former team, which was, in turn, unable to get past Leclerc, despite its performance advantage.
"Mercedes are faster than us, which is why you saw them so close to Charles," the 40-year-old told media including RacingNews365. "They just have more pace than us at the moment.
"When I was behind him [Kimi Antonelli], he was just so much quicker through certain parts of the circuit - I couldn't follow."
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Hamilton's bleak assessment
However, Hamilton does feel that even if he had fared better in Saturday's grid-setting session, it would have been fruitless come race day.
Finishing over 10 seconds adrift of Antonelli, he maintained he could not have obtained more from his SF-25.
"I was [at my] maximum today. I didn't have anything else in the car," the seven-time F1 drivers' champion explained.
"With the kind of performance happening at the rear of the car this weekend, qualifying position was key. I think I probably would have been overtaken by the Mercedes if I was any further [forward]."
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Yet another post that begins all about Hamilton. His statement that Mercedes were faster than Ferrari is true, when Hamilton was at the wheel: however, not when Leclerc was driving.