Lewis Hamilton has explained why Ferrari continues to struggle with straight-line speed at the 2026 United States Grand Prix, revealing that rival cars are still accelerating at points where the SF-26 begins reducing its power output. The seven-time world champion qualified fifth at the Circuit of The Americas, just 0.044 seconds behind teammate Charles Leclerc, but believes Ferrari’s power deficit against Red Bull and Mercedes is preventing the team from fighting for the front row.
Despite the disappointment, Lewis Hamilton was much more comfortable with his car on Saturday than he had been during a difficult opening day in Austin. After admitting that he had taken the wrong direction with the set-up on Friday, the British driver and his team made significant progress overnight, allowing him to top FP3 and challenge Charles Leclerc throughout qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton recovers from difficult Friday to finish just 0.044s behind Charles Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton’s Saturday performance represented a considerable improvement on Friday, when his initial set-up direction had failed to deliver the desired results. The changes made overnight transformed his confidence in the SF-26, leaving him much more competitive during the final practice session.
The British driver finished FP3 in first place before qualifying fifth, only 44 thousandths of a second behind Charles Leclerc. Although Ferrari ultimately missed out on the front row, Lewis Hamilton felt the team had made considerable progress in understanding the car.
Speaking to Sky Sports UK, he praised the work completed between Friday and Saturday and explained that Ferrari had felt competitive through the opening stages of qualifying.
“We did a great job overnight,” Lewis Hamilton explained. “The car felt fantastic in FP3, it was competitive. And in Q1 and Q2 we felt pretty strong as well. We felt like we were right in the fight, we didn’t make any changes and in Q3 the lap was really good, but the others managed to take another step forward.”
The close qualifying result also highlighted how much Ferrari had recovered after the difficulties Lewis Hamilton experienced earlier in the weekend. The contrast with Friday’s performance was particularly significant after his earlier concerns about a six-tenth gap to Charles Leclerc during Austin practice.
Lewis Hamilton explains Ferrari’s power deficit on Austin’s straights
Speaking to F1 TV, Lewis Hamilton offered a detailed explanation of Ferrari’s power unit limitations at the Circuit of The Americas, particularly the way the SF-26 loses speed relative to its rivals when electrical assistance begins to decrease.
According to the Ferrari driver, the difference is especially evident approaching Turn 1, where rival cars continue accelerating after the SF-26 has started reducing its power output.
“We’ve known it all weekend. Coming up to Turn 1, when we cut power, the others just keep pushing. And the same thing happens in other places, like Turn 11, and it could also be the case at Turn 12. The car feels good to me, it’s really solid.”
Those losses become particularly costly at Austin because the circuit contains several acceleration zones where sustained power deployment can make a substantial difference to lap time.
Ferrari’s difficulty maintaining straight-line performance had already emerged during the technical analysis of its opening practice session at COTA, when the SF-26 demonstrated encouraging cornering performance but struggled to match its rivals on the straights.
Readers can also explore recorded speed differences through the ScuderiaFans F1 Top Speed Comparison, which provides speed-trap and intermediate-speed data for Formula 1 sessions.
Ferrari’s rivals have caught up in the corners, Lewis Hamilton believes
The straight-line deficit is particularly frustrating because Lewis Hamilton believes Red Bull and Mercedes have also made significant progress with their chassis performance.
Earlier in the season, Ferrari’s strength through the corners helped compensate for some of the time lost on the straights. However, the seven-time world champion now believes the competition has narrowed that advantage without Ferrari managing to make equivalent gains in straight-line speed.
“The others have caught up on the chassis side, I’m thinking of Red Bull and Mercedes, and they’ve matched us in the corners. We haven’t been able to make that step in straight-line speed this season.”
Lewis Hamilton then highlighted the scale of the difference he had observed between Ferrari and Red Bull during Saturday’s running.
“The Red Bull engine had an advantage of three to four tenths on the straights this morning, even three to five in some places. It’s impressive. Look at Turn 1, our speed starts dropping and theirs keeps increasing. It’s difficult to compete with them. If we had the same power as them, we’d be up there fighting, on the front row.”
His assessment underlines why Ferrari’s strong performance through the corners has not been sufficient to secure a better qualifying result. Even when the SF-26 feels balanced and competitive, its drivers must recover time in the technical sections that rival cars can gain through sustained acceleration.
The problem is made more difficult by the progress Red Bull and Mercedes have achieved in their chassis performance, reducing Ferrari’s opportunity to compensate for its straight-line disadvantage.
Lewis Hamilton cautious about Ferrari’s chances of recovering in the United States GP
Given the limitations he identified, Lewis Hamilton was realistic about the possibility of mounting a recovery drive in Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.
With Charles Leclerc fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth, Ferrari faces the challenge of recovering positions at a circuit where overtaking can be difficult, even for drivers starting near the front.
The seven-time world champion pointed to his own experience at Austin in 2012, when he needed considerable time to overtake Sebastian Vettel, as an example of the difficulties involved.
“We have to be realistic. We’re fourth and fifth, and it’s difficult to overtake here. Even if you start second, it’s difficult to beat the pole-sitter. In 2012, it took me a long time to get past Sebastian Vettel. Maybe we can improve things through strategy, we’ll see.”
For Ferrari, strategy could therefore become an important factor in determining whether the team can recover from its fourth- and fifth-place starting positions. However, Lewis Hamilton’s comments make clear that he is not underestimating the challenge posed by the cars ahead.
Although the SF-26 felt considerably stronger on Saturday following the overnight set-up improvements, Ferrari’s straight-line performance deficit remains a significant limitation. Lewis Hamilton believes Red Bull and Mercedes have now reached a comparable level in the corners, leaving the Scuderia with fewer opportunities to recover the time lost through acceleration.
His qualifying performance demonstrated that progress was possible after Friday’s difficulties, but the result also exposed the competitive disadvantage Ferrari must overcome if it hopes to move forward during the United States Grand Prix.
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