Lewis Hamilton says a set-up mistake left him with “massive” understeer which meant he “couldn’t turn” his Ferrari Formula 1 car in the United States Grand Prix.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton had a tricky race at COTA as he finished fourth and just one second shy of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the battle for the final podium spot in Austin.
Hamilton seemed less comfortable than Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc who took second and struggled to match the pace of the cars ahead of him in the opening two stints of Sunday’s grand prix.
Afterwards, Hamilton revealed he was having to deal with heavy understeer in his SF-26 for most of the race.
Hamilton wrestled understeer in his Ferrari
“It’s all shoulda, woulda, coulda,” the 41-year-old Briton replied when asked if he could have finished on the podium without a late virtual safety car intervention.
“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.”
Fourth place moves Hamilton to within a point of former Mercedes team-mate George Russell in what is shaping up to be an intense fight for second place in the drivers’ championship.
Hamilton admitted he needs to get on top of his recent set-up woes if he is to come out on top in the battle for P2 by the season’s end.
Hamilton just missed out on a podium at COTA
“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.”
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