News Summary
- Lewis Hamilton blamed severe understeer and an ineffective Ferrari setup for missing the podium at the 2026 United States Grand Prix, despite recovering to finish fourth.
- The seven-time world champion acknowledged that the Virtual Safety Car was poorly timed but insisted that most of the damage had been done during the opening two stints, when he struggled through Austin’s slower corners.
- Hamilton is now just one point behind George Russell in the Drivers’ Championship and believes improving his car setup will be essential as Ferrari prepares for the Mexican Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton has admitted that Ferrari’s setup problems cost him valuable time and a possible podium finish at the 2026 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, revealing that severe understeer through several of Circuit of The Americas’ slower corners compromised the first two stints of his race. The seven-time world champion recovered to finish fourth on Sunday (October 25), but believes the team must address its car-balance difficulties before the championship moves to Mexico.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Hamilton acknowledged that the timing of a Virtual Safety Car had worked against him, potentially limiting his opportunity to challenge Max Verstappen for third. However, the British driver refused to attribute his missed podium primarily to that intervention, arguing that Ferrari had already lost too much time because of an unsuitable setup. Charles Leclerc finished second, giving the Italian manufacturer an encouraging double top-four result.
Hamilton reveals severe Ferrari understeer cost him time in Austin
Ferrari entered Sunday’s United States Grand Prix with considerable expectations after demonstrating strong performance throughout the weekend.
Leclerc had led both Friday practice sessions, while Hamilton topped FP3 ahead of Verstappen, suggesting that the Scuderia had the pace to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull for victory.
However, the competitive order changed during Saturday’s qualifying session, when Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured pole position ahead of Verstappen. Leclerc qualified fourth, while Hamilton lined up fifth, leaving Ferrari with both cars close enough to the leaders to challenge for the podium.
Although the race eventually produced a strong result, Hamilton revealed that he had struggled with the SF-26’s handling for much of the afternoon.
Asked by Sky Sports F1 whether the Virtual Safety Car had prevented him from catching Verstappen and completing a double podium for Ferrari, the British driver was reluctant to speculate.
“Should have, would have, could have,” Hamilton replied.
“To be honest, yeah, the VSC wasn’t ideal, but I felt like the race was really lost from the first two stints.”
Hamilton then identified the main issue affecting his performance: the car’s reluctance to rotate through low-speed corners.
“I lost so much time with just not being… I couldn’t turn the car in the low speed particularly,” he explained.
The Ferrari driver specifically mentioned Turns 1, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, describing the understeer as severe enough to prevent him from maintaining the pace of the cars ahead.
“Massive understeer, and so the cars were just pulling away,” he added.
The comments provide an explanation for the inconsistency in Hamilton’s pace. Although Ferrari had demonstrated competitive speed during practice, the car was not behaving as the British driver wanted during the opening stages of the Grand Prix.
At Circuit of The Americas, the slower sections demand strong front-end response, particularly when drivers need to rotate the car under braking before accelerating through the following corners.
Excessive understeer forces the driver to wait longer for the front tyres to respond, potentially delaying acceleration and increasing tyre temperatures as the car slides towards the outside of the corner.
For Hamilton, the issue became particularly costly because his rivals were able to build an advantage before Ferrari found a more effective balance.
Ferrari finds better balance too late for Hamilton to challenge podium
Hamilton explained that he attempted to improve the car’s handling by adjusting settings while driving, gradually reducing the difficulties that had compromised his opening stints.
However, the improvement came too late to recover all the time lost earlier in the race.
“I was adjusting my settings. By the time we got to the last stint, I think we got closer to the balance,” Hamilton said.
“But we should have started with that balance in the beginning.”
The admission is significant because it suggests Ferrari’s ultimate performance was stronger than Hamilton could exploit during the first part of the Grand Prix.
The British driver was not describing a car that lacked sufficient speed in every condition. Instead, he identified a setup that prevented him from accessing the available performance consistently.
During the final stint, Hamilton became increasingly competitive on the hard compound, eventually closing the gap to Lando Norris.
The Ferrari driver overtook the McLaren on lap 51 to secure fourth place, completing a recovery that gave the Scuderia 30 championship points across its two cars.
As GRANDE PRÊMIO detailed in its United States Grand Prix race report, Hamilton’s recovery came during a race in which Mercedes’ one-stop strategy proved decisive for Antonelli’s victory, while Leclerc moved ahead of Verstappen to finish second.
Hamilton credited Ferrari’s mechanics and strategists for giving him the opportunity to recover.
“Lots of learnings. The team did a great job with pit stops and strategy,” he said.
That distinction matters because Hamilton did not criticise Ferrari’s overall race execution. His principal concern was that the car should have started the Grand Prix with a balance closer to the one he eventually achieved during the final stint.
With Leclerc finishing second and Hamilton fourth, Ferrari demonstrated enough performance to suggest it could have challenged for an even stronger result had both cars operated in their preferred setup window from the beginning.
Hamilton refuses to blame Virtual Safety Car for missed podium
The timing of the Virtual Safety Car was another factor in Hamilton’s pursuit of Verstappen, although the Ferrari driver avoided claiming that the interruption alone had cost him third place.
During the post-race interview, Sky Sports F1 asked whether Hamilton believed he could have caught the Red Bull driver without the intervention.
Hamilton acknowledged that the neutralisation had been inconvenient but immediately redirected attention towards the earlier problems with his car.
His response indicated that the British driver considered the lost time during the first two stints more important than the effect of any single race interruption.
That assessment also explains why Ferrari’s final result was both encouraging and frustrating.
Leclerc was able to convert the team’s pace into second place, overtaking Verstappen during the closing stages. Hamilton, meanwhile, finished immediately behind the Red Bull driver but believed he had spent too much of the race compensating for an unsuitable setup.
The difference between the two Ferrari drivers was not simply a matter of strategy. Hamilton’s own assessment was that the balance of his car prevented him from maximising its potential until the final stint.
Nevertheless, the seven-time world champion expressed satisfaction with the team’s broader progress, particularly following its latest development package.
Ferrari’s performance in Austin had already suggested an improvement in competitiveness. The team dominated free practice and placed both cars inside the top five in qualifying, before converting that speed into second and fourth in the race.
The result also offers encouragement as the championship moves towards its final five rounds, even if Hamilton believes considerable work remains necessary.
Hamilton admits setup mistakes have cost him points across recent races
Hamilton’s concern extends beyond the United States Grand Prix.
Asked about his position in the Drivers’ Championship and the possibility of overtaking Russell before the end of the season, the Ferrari driver acknowledged that he had lost valuable points during the previous five races.
He believes the problem has frequently been linked to his inability to find the optimum setup rather than a lack of driving performance.
“I think I’ve lost a lot of points in the last, like, five races or so,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
“I think it’s really come from setup, just not perfecting the setup, and that’s something I’ve really got to get on top of.”
The comments offer an important insight into Hamilton’s assessment of his 2026 season.
The British driver has experienced moments of strong performance, including his pace during practice in Austin, but has not always converted those opportunities into equally competitive results.
Hamilton believes the underlying driving has generally been strong and identified car setup as the main area requiring improvement.
“Performance-wise, I feel like I’ve been driving well,” he explained.
“I think today I felt like particularly the last stint was really good. The first two stints I just couldn’t do anything about that.”
The distinction is particularly relevant with Ferrari attempting to close the gap to Mercedes.
A competitive car offers opportunities only if the driver can consistently operate within the setup window required to extract its performance. If the balance remains too sensitive or unsuitable for particular sections of a circuit, strong practice results may not translate into qualifying positions or race finishes.
Hamilton’s remarks suggest that improving this consistency has become one of his principal objectives during the final part of the championship.
Hamilton closes to one point behind Russell in F1 championship
Despite missing the podium in Austin, Hamilton’s fourth-place finish strengthened his position in the Drivers’ Championship.
The Ferrari driver collected 12 points, moving to 241 and reducing the gap to George Russell to just one point.
Russell finished eighth after receiving a five-second penalty, collecting only four points and moving to 242.
Hamilton therefore gained eight points on his former Mercedes teammate in Austin, considerably tightening the battle for second place.
The result also kept both drivers mathematically involved in the championship battle with Antonelli.
The Mercedes driver won the United States Grand Prix and extended his championship lead to 123 points, but Russell’s eighth place and Hamilton’s fourth prevented him from securing the title.
With five Grands Prix remaining, Antonelli has 365 points, Russell 242 and Hamilton 241.
Only the Mercedes duo and Hamilton can still mathematically claim the Drivers’ Championship, although the Italian’s advantage means the title could be decided as early as next weekend.
The battle between Hamilton and Russell is considerably closer.
Just one point separates the two British drivers, with Verstappen fourth on 236 and Leclerc fifth on 233. That leaves four drivers within nine points of one another in the fight for the leading championship positions behind Antonelli.
Hamilton’s recovery in Austin is particularly encouraging in that context. His fourth-place finish brought him closer to Russell while also keeping Verstappen and Leclerc behind him in the standings.
The complete classification, including all 23 drivers and 11 constructors, is available in GRANDE PRÊMIO’s updated 2026 F1 championship standings after Austin.
Ferrari’s upgrade gives Hamilton confidence ahead of Mexico
Although Hamilton was frustrated by his car’s initial handling in Austin, he praised Ferrari’s efforts to improve its 2026 package.
The Italian manufacturer introduced an upgrade for the United States Grand Prix and demonstrated encouraging performance throughout the weekend, particularly during free practice.
Hamilton believes the team’s development work has provided a stronger foundation, even if the setup needs further refinement.
“I think the team did a great job to bring an upgrade,” he said.
“Charles obviously got a second place. So we’ve got good performance.”
The British driver now wants Ferrari to learn from the problems experienced in Austin and avoid repeating them at the Mexican Grand Prix.
“Hopefully when we go to Mexico we can improve on some of those where we’ve gone wrong, basically on that setup.”
That objective is particularly important because Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez presents a different technical challenge from Circuit of The Americas.
Mexico City’s high altitude affects cooling and aerodynamic performance, while the circuit includes several heavy braking zones and slower corners that demand precise front-end response.
The final sector, particularly through the stadium section, requires a car capable of changing direction efficiently at relatively low speed — precisely the type of characteristic Hamilton struggled with in Austin.
Ferrari will therefore need to find a balance that allows the British driver to attack those corners without compromising performance elsewhere around the lap.
The team also has an opportunity to build on Leclerc’s second place, a result that reinforced its competitive progress following the United States Grand Prix.
While Antonelli approaches Mexico needing only a ninth-place finish to clinch the title regardless of his rivals, Hamilton remains focused on maximising his own results during the remaining races.
The complete calculations for the championship leader are available in GRANDE PRÊMIO’s guide to what Andrea Kimi Antonelli needs to win the F1 title in Mexico.
The Mexican Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, November 1, followed by São Paulo, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following the aftermath of the United States Grand Prix and the build-up to the Mexican Grand Prix, with driver reactions, technical analysis, championship updates and full coverage in its Formula 1 section.
FAQ
Why did Lewis Hamilton miss the podium at the 2026 United States Grand Prix?
Hamilton blamed severe understeer and an unsuitable Ferrari setup during the opening two stints. He also acknowledged that the Virtual Safety Car was poorly timed but believes most of the time was lost before his car’s balance improved.
What did Hamilton say about Ferrari’s recent F1 performance?
Hamilton said he had lost points during approximately the previous five races because he had not consistently found the optimum setup. He praised Ferrari’s upgrade and strategy in Austin but wants to improve the car’s balance before Mexico.
How far is Hamilton behind George Russell in the 2026 F1 championship?
Hamilton has 241 points after finishing fourth in Austin, leaving him just one point behind Russell, who finished eighth and has 242. Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the championship with 365 points.
