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Lewis Hamilton has detailed the specific set-up and tyre issues that cost him a podium finish at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. Motorsport.com reported that the Ferrari driver started from fifth on the grid and gained a position at the start, despite being the only driver running on used soft tyres for the opening stint.
Set-up struggles and lost time
During the opening stint, Hamilton lost 0.277 seconds per lap to team-mate Charles Leclerc and 0.422 seconds to Max Verstappen, both of whom were on new soft tyres. The British driver explained that this lost time over the early laps matched the deficit he faced at the end of the Austin race to Verstappen in third, as well as potentially challenging Leclerc for second.
According to the seven-time world champion, the lack of pace stemmed from a suboptimal car set-up traced back to mistakes made during Friday practice sessions. He noted that the team went in the wrong direction during FP2 and missed out on valuable long-run data that Leclerc managed to gather.
Hamilton explained that subtle differences in front wing flap settings left his car under-hitting the target, resulting in massive understeer and a washout once the race started. By the time he added 12 clicks of front wing angle across subsequent pit stops to improve turning, he had already lost around eight seconds to the leaders.
Tyre strategy and late safety car impact
Hamilton’s afternoon was further complicated by tyre compound selections. He initially chose to run two sets of medium tyres because the team did not expect the hard compound to perform well, forcing him to start on a used soft tyre set that put him at a two-second disadvantage in race time compared to drivers on new rubber.
A late virtual safety car deployment to clear Valtteri Bottas’ stricken Cadillac also thwarted his late charge. Hamilton was catching Verstappen by nearly a second per lap on fresher tyres before the neutralisation ended his recovery.
Leclerc reflects on Ferrari’s pace
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc secured Ferrari’s third consecutive podium finish but expressed disappointment at finishing 13 seconds behind race winner Kimi Antonelli. Leclerc stated that he enjoyed the battles during the race and briefly believed victory was possible when Antonelli attempted a one-stop strategy.
Leclerc acknowledged that Ferrari is currently on a nine-round winless streak and noted that converting recent pace into a victory remains difficult due to fine margins and rival upgrade plans. However, he expressed confidence in his improved comfort level with the car and expects to have a shot at winning before the end of the season.
