Lewis Hamilton discloses the Ferrari setup error that led to him missing a spot on the US GP podium.
Lewis Hamilton feels that the configuration he utilized on his Ferrari during the United States Grand Prix was lacking, as his front wing was "12 clicks down" for a significant portion of the race. The seven-time champion claimed this was the reason for the performance disparity between him and his teammate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton began the race in fifth position at the Circuit of the Americas and finished fourth. While this could be regarded as a moderately successful outing for him, he struggled with significant understeer during the first two stints as the frontrunners pulled away.
“I was lacking speed in the initial two stints basically," he stated. "I just couldn’t maneuver the car. And I think it all really began on Friday. The wrong setup for P1 and then we went in the wrong direction during P2. We reverted back and achieved a better setup for P3.
"But there’s a subtle difference between Charles and me, particularly in our cars during the race, which primarily relates to the flap and the amount of wing you use, and I believe we’ve just been underestimating it. For some reason, we consistently under hit it.
"And when you do the lap to the grid, the car feels good, but as soon as the race commences, there’s a massive washout and understeer, and I couldn’t do anything about it, so they just drove away. I lost those eight seconds, which is why I ultimately didn’t secure that position.”
Hamilton mentioned that Ferrari increased the front wing at each of his pit stops, yet he still hadn’t achieved the right balance by the race’s conclusion.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
“During the pit stops, I added four clicks. In the next stop, I added another four clicks, and even then, I was still four clicks too low. It’s astonishing to be 12 clicks down; we really need to analyze how we reached that point, you know? But I think it would have been a different story if we had started with it; perhaps in P2, where there was a long run. That’s where Charles gained experience with that setup, and I didn’t get the long run on it.”
Once the car began to turn well in the final stint, Hamilton kept pace with the vehicles ahead and asserted that he would “for sure” have been on the podium had he achieved that balance from the outset.
“I opted for two medium tyres because they didn’t believe the hard tyre would perform well. In retrospect, two hard tyres would have been the superior choice. The hard tyre was indeed the best tyre.”
This decision left him starting on a used set of softs, which he claimed cost him “two seconds of race time” compared to the fresh tyres of those ahead. Nevertheless, he made a strong start and nearly overtook third place. Unfortunately, he couldn't get past Leclerc.
A late virtual safety car then dashed any hopes of a final-lap duel with Max Verstappen, which Hamilton remarked “would have been fantastic.”
Finishing fourth brings Hamilton within a point of George Russell in the battle for second place in the drivers’ championship.
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