Prancing Horses go lame around Suzuka

FERRARI'S hopes of mounting a genuine title challenge took another hit at the Japanese Grand Prix, as Charles Leclerc finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton seventh, with both drivers voicing concerns over the performance of their cars.

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While it marked an improvement on China two weeks ago where both Ferrari drivers were disqualified for technical infringements the Italian team still struggled to match the pace of McLaren and Max Verstappen's Red Bull.

"There was nothing more in the car," said Leclerc.

"We did a good job with balance and strategy, but it's even more disappointing when you do everything right and still finish P4. The pace just isn't there."

Leclerc currently sits sixth in the Drivers' Championship, with Hamilton in eighth. Ferrari already trail McLaren by 76 points in the Constructors' standings.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton managed one of the few overtakes in the race, moving up from eighth on the grid to finish seventh. However, he admitted the car was lacking.

"I did the best I could today. I was genuinely down on performance compared to the cars ahead," he said. "We've found something on the car that's underperformed for the past three races, so I'm hoping once that's sorted, we'll see better results."