Ferrari ended the United States Grand Prix with Charles Leclerc in second place and Lewis Hamilton fourth, delivering a strong race that confirmed the encouraging signs seen during Friday practice. The result allowed the Scuderia to put a disappointing qualifying session behind it, while tyre management, the SF-26’s race competitiveness and its remaining one-lap weaknesses emerged as the main themes from Fred Vasseur and his two drivers.
Charles Leclerc described it as a solid race when speaking to F1 after returning to the podium. Ferrari’s performance over the Grand Prix distance backed up what had emerged from its encouraging Austin practice simulations, even though the team had been unable to reproduce the same level of competitiveness when it mattered most in qualifying.
From a strategic perspective, the race was relatively straightforward. Both Ferrari drivers started on the red-marked soft tyre, although Charles Leclerc had a new set available while Lewis Hamilton did not. A two-stop strategy was planned for both cars, first moving to the medium and then to the white-marked hard compound, which ultimately proved to be the most effective tyre of the race.
There may nevertheless be some lingering regret on the Ferrari pit wall. Hindsight always makes these decisions easier to judge, but had the stops been delayed slightly and the hard tyre introduced earlier in the strategic sequence, both cars might potentially have reached the podium. Ferrari had entered the Grand Prix with tyre behaviour as one of the major unknowns after Pirelli’s pre-race assessment of the Austin strategy options.
In the closing stages, an opportunity also appeared for Lewis Hamilton, only for the Virtual Safety Car caused by the Cadillac going off to prevent him from completing his challenge.
Ferrari’s hard tyre transforms the United States GP
As mentioned, the white-marked hard tyre proved to be the most effective compound. That was probably helped by the fall in temperatures compared with practice and qualifying, when track temperatures had exceeded 35°C. The evolution of the circuit also contributed to making the C2 the strongest option.
Fred Vasseur had already highlighted the importance of this factor before the start. Ferrari’s performance would not depend only on what happened during the opening phase of the race, but above all on tyre degradation and wear. That proved to be the case. Once the hard tyre was fitted, the Grand Prix came alive for the Ferrari drivers, who displayed greater consistency on the C2 than they had shown on the soft compound.
The SF-26 has struggled with the softer tyre for several races, particularly when trying to bring it into the correct temperature window. On the harder compound, by contrast, both Ferrari drivers were quickly able to reach the optimal operating range. Lewis Hamilton recorded a 1:39.000, while Charles Leclerc first produced a 1:38.329 before improving to a 1:37.976.
The different compounds, stint lengths and strategic sequences from Austin can also be explored through the ScuderiaFans F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
Ferrari’s race performance therefore confirmed the indications from practice. Alongside Max Verstappen, the two SF-26s returned to a competitive level across all three sectors, producing stronger sector times through the first, second and third parts of the lap. That performance allowed Charles Leclerc’s number 16 Ferrari to finish on the podium and restored some satisfaction for the Monegasque after the frustration he had shown at the end of qualifying.
Second place was the best possible way for Charles Leclerc to conclude a weekend in which he had consistently been among the leading protagonists. He remained near the front throughout practice, with the exception of the final session topped by Lewis Hamilton, and stayed ahead through Q2 before Ferrari lost ground to its rivals during the decisive stage of qualifying.
Vasseur: “Qualifying was the weak point of the weekend”
Fred Vasseur also used the word solid to describe Ferrari’s performance. Based on what had been seen throughout the weekend and the competitive order that emerged on track, the Ferrari Team Principal acknowledged that the final result could hardly have been better.
Speaking to Sky, Vasseur first addressed the closing stages of Lewis Hamilton’s race. As the Ferrari boss pointed out, the arrival of the Virtual Safety Car prevented the British driver from attempting an attack on Max Verstappen. Without that interruption, Ferrari might have had an opportunity to secure a double podium.
Fred Vasseur was not completely satisfied, however. In his position as Ferrari Team Principal, he believes complete satisfaction can only come when the car wins. Nevertheless, he identified qualifying as the only real weak point of the weekend, particularly the closing phase of Q3.
Ferrari had been at the front during every practice session, only for performance to disappear at the decisive moment. According to Fred Vasseur, the changing atmospheric conditions played a particularly important role, rather than the underlying performance of the SF-26 itself.
After qualifying, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had once again highlighted Ferrari’s engine deficit, while Charles Leclerc also pointed to changes in temperature as a reason for the lost performance. Fred Vasseur’s explanation followed a similar line, with the Team Principal acknowledging that even a small gust of wind could alter the performance references seen only moments earlier.
Fred Vasseur stressed that if a tyre does not enter the correct temperature window from the first corner, the resulting lack of grip affects the entire lap. That is precisely what happened during qualifying. The race then reinforced his point: with track temperatures around 35°C, the harder compound proved to be the most effective tyre.
Charles Leclerc regains confidence as Lewis Hamilton searches for improvements
Before attention turns to the next round of the season in Mexico, the comments from Ferrari’s two drivers offer another important insight into a Texas weekend that left them with contrasting feelings.
Ferrari brought its final major upgrade package of the season to Austin, with four key aerodynamic changes introduced on the SF-26. Charles Leclerc expressed some regret over the dirty air from the car ahead and recognised that, had he started further forward, he might have been able to challenge Kimi Antonelli more effectively. At the same time, however, the Ferrari driver appears to be rediscovering his confidence.
Charles Leclerc acknowledged that over the last few races he has started to recover both his rhythm and his feeling with the new car. More importantly, he is becoming increasingly comfortable with the new Formula 1 regulations after struggling to adapt during the opening rounds of the season. His recent improvement and the confidence gained from another podium have become increasingly visible in Charles Leclerc’s developing 2026 Ferrari form.
Lewis Hamilton, by contrast, is aware that he completed a good race but also recognises that he has struggled for several Grands Prix to optimise the car’s set-up. In a sense, the positions have been reversed. During the opening part of the season and through the middle of the championship, Lewis Hamilton had generally been further ahead of his teammate, whereas Charles Leclerc now appears to have found a more effective direction.
Lewis Hamilton therefore believes he must improve the way he sets up the SF-26. He attributed his below-par performance, if it can be described that way, during the second part of Q2 to those difficulties in finding the correct configuration. The same problem had prevented him from extracting more from qualifying in Singapore, and the recurring nature of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari balance and set-up difficulties remains an area to address.
Ferrari turns its attention to the Mexican Grand Prix
The next round will be the Mexican Grand Prix. Last year’s event produced one of Ferrari’s few genuinely solid performances in what was otherwise a disappointing season. According to Fred Vasseur, this year’s visit to Mexico will present a particularly unusual challenge, with several unknowns for the teams to resolve.
The altitude of the circuit is an important variable and normally creates a requirement for high aerodynamic load. The new element this time is that, for the first time, the cars will race with a lower level of downforce.
For that reason, Fred Vasseur expects teams to carry out numerous experiments from the opening practice session. He also anticipates that the drivers are likely to complain about the resulting lack of grip as Formula 1 begins another demanding weekend at altitude.
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