Hamilton explains Ferrari qualifying deficit at Austin

Ferrari failed to find enough progression through Q3 at the United States Grand Prix. Autosport reported that Ferrari had been pegged as the team to beat after practice at the circuit but ultimately found itself wanting when qualifying arrived.

Practice pace and qualifying disappointment

Charles Leclerc had headlined both Friday practice sessions at Circuit of The Americas, while Lewis Hamilton took the honours in FP3 after Leclerc’s best lap was deleted, leaving Ferrari primed to challenge for pole. Hamilton set a 1:34.893 in the final session, defeating Max Verstappen by 0.168 seconds. Leclerc completed the top three with a 1:35.127, giving Ferrari the fastest lap in every practice session at Austin. The narrow differences between Hamilton, Verstappen, Leclerc and championship leader Kimi Antonelli indicated that the fight for pole position remained open.

Hamilton’s improvement and Ferrari’s package

Hamilton had struggled to extract a representative lap from the car during the opening sessions, finishing sixth in FP1 and fourth in FP2. The Briton also complained about the balance of his Ferrari over the circuit’s uneven surface. He improved steadily as FP3 progressed, recording a 1:35.561 during an earlier soft-tyre run before finding further performance in the closing stages. His decisive 1:34.893 was the first lap below 1min35s during the weekend. Hamilton’s fastest lap was 0.398 seconds quicker than Leclerc’s leading FP2 time, although improvements in track conditions, tyres and car set-up prevent that difference from being attributed solely to Ferrari’s development package.

Verstappen’s frustration and championship context

Verstappen recorded a 1:35.061 in the Red Bull, while Leclerc finished 0.234s behind Hamilton. Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli secured fourth with a 1:35.196, followed by George Russell in fifth, 0.488s behind Hamilton. Oscar Piastri placed sixth for McLaren, ahead of Nico Hülkenberg, Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar. Verstappen’s session was complicated by frustration with the behaviour of the RB22. During FP3, the four-time champion delivered an angry radio message about the car’s gearshifts, saying “Nice! Yeah, **** this. Honestly, it’s stupid, it’s so dumb!” He then directly questioned the behaviour of the transmission. Red Bull did not immediately confirm whether the problem involved a mechanical defect or its control settings. Verstappen had previously encountered similar difficulties during the Belgian Grand Prix, when he explained that a software adjustment had affected the gearshift behaviour.

Ferrari’s season and what happens next

Ferrari arrived in Austin with an aerodynamic development package intended to improve the competitiveness of the SF-26 during the final part of the championship. The Italian manufacturer immediately demonstrated encouraging pace, with Leclerc leading FP1 and FP2 on Friday. The SF-26 is a Formula One car designed and built by Scuderia Ferrari to compete in the 2026 Formula One World Championship. It is currently being driven by Charles Leclerc and seven-time World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton in their eighth and second seasons with Ferrari, respectively. As of the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, the SF-26 has achieved eleven Grand Prix podiums, two Grand Prix victories, four Grand Prix fastest laps and two sprint fastest laps. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles—tied with Michael Schumacher—and holds the records for most wins (106), pole positions (104), and podium finishes (208), among others. Ferrari must convert its strong practice pace into qualifying and race performance at the United States Grand Prix. The team will aim to close the gap to its rivals as the championship reaches its final stages.

Sources

• Autosport

• grandepremio.com

• Photo: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)