Lewis Hamilton loses points due to Ferrari car setup issues

Hamilton’s setup struggles

Lewis Hamilton reported losing points in the last five races because of Ferrari car setup issues. He finished fourth at the United States Grand Prix, while Charles Leclerc took second place behind race-winner Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton noted that the car lacked low-speed balance during the first two stints of the race, which prevented him from competing for the podium. He struggled with massive understeer at Turn 1, Turn 11, Turn 12, Turn 13, Turn 14, and Turn 15. "I lost a lot of points in the last five races or so," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. He said the understeer caused other cars to pull away while he adjusted his settings, and although the last stint in Austin was good, Hamilton said there was nothing he could do about the first two stints. He topped the final practice session in Austin, but he finished fifth in qualifying, 0.044s behind Leclerc. Leclerc beat him in Q3 at the Singapore Grand Prix after a strong qualifying performance from the Briton. Ferrari remained the benchmark team in most corners at the Circuit of the Americas, but they lacked straight-line speed compared to Mercedes and Red Bull. Hamilton, who is currently one point behind George Russell in the Drivers’ Championship, wants to improve his setup for the next race in Mexico.

Leclerc demands tyre investigation

Leclerc demanded that Ferrari investigate its sensitivity to tyre temperatures after the qualifying session in Austin. He finished fourth in qualifying, 0.232s behind pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli, while Hamilton finished fifth, 0.044s behind the Monegasque. Both Red Bull drivers, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, started ahead of the Ferraris in second and third. Leclerc observed that the track temperature dropped by one or two degrees during Q3, which made it difficult for the car to put heat into the tyres. "As soon as we are a tiny bit out of the window, we pay the price a lot, and this is something we need to look into," Leclerc told media. He noted that his Q2 lap was 0.080s faster than Antonelli, but he could not repeat that speed in Q3. Leclerc reported sliding on his out-lap, which made the session difficult. He believes other drivers extract lap time in Q3 more easily when temperatures fall. Leclerc also mentioned that he and Hamilton know where the line is to not cross when racing each other, as staying away from each other is always a good thing.

Ferrari looks to Mexico

Frederic Vasseur said the race went well and that the team used an aggressive strategy because they had to overtake. He stated that if the team had not missed the last two laps in Q3, the weekend might have resulted in a double podium. Leclerc finished second after he successfully charged past Max Verstappen and Lando Norris during the closing stages, but he ultimately finished 13 seconds behind Antonelli after the race had concluded. Leclerc had overtaken Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen in the first sector, but Verstappen overtook him at the end of the first lap. The team now focuses on the Mexico City Grand Prix, where the track sits at an altitude of 2,200m above sea level. The performance of the Ferrari power unit at that altitude will determine if they can challenge for victory at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, which features many twisty corners. There are currently five rounds remaining in the 2026 season, with the Mexico City Grand Prix up first this weekend. Leclerc said the feeling with the car is getting better and that he has unlocked something with his driving and setup over the last two or three races. He expressed confidence that Ferrari will have a shot to win a race before the end of the season, noting that they were close in Singapore and Austin.