Lewis Hamilton believes a set-up error on his Ferrari that instilled “massive” understeer made life unnecessarily difficult for him in the United States Grand Prix and likely cost him a shot at the podium.
The seven-time world champion salvaged fourth place at Austin, finishing just one second behind Max Verstappen in the battle for third.
But while team-mate Charles Leclerc secured a strong runner-up finish, Hamilton spent much of Sunday wrestling with a car that stubbornly refused to turn.
The problem was particularly acute through the slower corners at the Circuit of the Americas, where excessive understeer compromised his ability to carry speed and allowed the frontrunners to edge away.
By the time Ferrari had helped him find a more suitable balance, much of the damage to his afternoon had already been done.
A costly balance problem
Asked whether a late Virtual Safety Car had ultimately denied him a podium, Hamilton was quick to suggest that the decisive mistake had come much earlier.
“It’s all shoulda, woulda, coulda,” the 41-year-old replied. “To be honest the VSC wasn’t ideal but I felt like the race was really lost in the first two stints.
“I lost so much time. I couldn’t turn the car, in low-speed particularly. So Turn 1, 11, 13, 15, just massive understeer.
“So the cars [ahead] were just pulling away. I was adjusting my settings. By the time we got to the last stint, I think we got closer to the balance but we should have started with that balance from the beginning.
“So lots of learning, the team did a great job with the pit stops and strategy.”
Hamilton’s comments left little doubt about where he believed the race had slipped away. His adjustments eventually brought the Ferrari closer to the balance he needed, but the improvement arrived too late to mount a serious challenge for the final podium position.
The contrast with Leclerc was also striking. The Monegasque was able to fight at the front and finish second, underlining the potential of Ferrari’s latest package while Hamilton struggled to extract comparable performance from his own car.
A runner-up spot in the championship
The result still proved valuable in the increasingly tight battle for second place in the Drivers’ championship.
Hamilton moved to within a single point of his former Mercedes team-mate George Russell, but the Briton knows that continued set-up missteps could prove costly as the season enters its closing stages.
“I’ve lost a lot of points in the last five races and I think it’s really come from set-up. Just not perfecting the set-up and that’s something I’ve really got to get on top of,” he explained.
“That’s really where I’ve lost out. I think performance-wise, I feel like I’ve been driving well. Today, particularly the last stint I felt really good. Just the first two stints, I couldn’t do anything about that.
“Definitely lots to take away from it. The team did a great job bringing the upgrade. Charles obviously got a second place so we’ve got good performance.
“Hopefully in Mexico we can improve on where we’ve gone wrong on set-up.”
Read also: Leclerc feels he has ‘unlocked something’ at FerrariHamilton’s comments point to a frustrating paradox for Ferrari: the car appears to have the pace to fight for strong results, but finding the right configuration remains a stumbling block.
With Mexico City next on the calendar, Hamilton will be eager to turn that diagnosis into a solution before another weekend is compromised by a problem he believes should have been avoided.
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