Lewis Hamilton was left frustrated after missing out on a podium at the 2026 United States Grand Prix, admitting that another difficult Ferrari setup compromised his weekend at Austin. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion finished fourth after a late Virtual Safety Car disrupted his opportunity to challenge Max Verstappen for third place, but his biggest concern was a familiar handling problem that had already affected him at Silverstone.
Despite the disappointment, Lewis Hamilton believes there is more performance to extract from the SF-26. The British driver acknowledged that Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc had delivered an excellent weekend, helping the Scuderia strengthen its position ahead of McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship, while admitting he needs to find a better setup over the next two races.
Lewis Hamilton frustrated by late VSC and missed Austin podium
Speaking immediately after the United States Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton made little attempt to hide his disappointment with how the weekend had unfolded. The Ferrari driver explained that his setup had been far from ideal, forcing him to make significant changes ahead of Saturday’s running.
During the race, Lewis Hamilton did everything he could to recover, eventually finishing fourth. However, the timing of the Virtual Safety Car in the closing stages worked against him, preventing him from attempting an overtake on Max Verstappen for third place.
A podium would have been particularly valuable for the seven-time world champion, who had achieved only one top-three finish in the previous nine Grands Prix.
The difficulties followed an Austin weekend in which Lewis Hamilton had already been searching for answers concerning his six-tenth deficit to Charles Leclerc during practice, with the Ferrari driver attempting to understand where he was losing performance relative to his teammate.
Lewis Hamilton: ‘It’s all could have, should have, would have’
Lewis Hamilton’s frustration was particularly evident in his first response to Sky Sports UK’s Craig Slater, who asked whether Ferrari had missed an opportunity to secure a double podium in Austin.
“It looked like it was going to be a double podium day for Ferrari. If it hadn’t been for the VSC, do you think you would have caught and overtaken Max for third place?” the journalist asked.
The British driver responded dejectedly: “It’s all could have, should have, would have…”
It was a response that reflected the frustration of another race shaped by what might have happened under different circumstances. Rather than dwell on a hypothetical podium, Lewis Hamilton turned his attention to the difficulties that had prevented him from extracting the full potential of his Ferrari throughout the weekend.
Lewis Hamilton admits Ferrari setup problems are costing him performance
Lewis Hamilton subsequently explained the difficulties he had encountered at the Circuit of the Americas, while recognising the contribution made by Charles Leclerc to Ferrari’s championship position.
“Charles did a great job this weekend to help us get a good result, stay ahead of McLaren and maintain second place in the Constructors’ Championship. I need to try to extract more from this car over the next two races. I really believe I could be faster if only we could find the right setup.”
Those comments highlighted the contrast between the underlying potential of the SF-26 and Lewis Hamilton’s difficulties in finding a configuration that allows him to exploit that performance consistently.
With Charles Leclerc demonstrating competitive pace at Austin, Ferrari had further evidence of the car’s capabilities. However, translating that potential into equally strong results for both drivers remains an important challenge.
Lewis Hamilton compares Austin difficulties with Silverstone Ferrari problem
Perhaps the most revealing part of Lewis Hamilton’s post-race assessment concerned the similarities he identified between Austin and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone earlier in the season.
The Ferrari driver explained that he had experienced comparable handling difficulties on previous occasions and wanted to understand why the same situation continued to arise.
“I need to understand how we ended up in this situation, because it’s happened a couple of times already, for example at Silverstone. There, I couldn’t keep up with Charles because he had more front wing than I did and I couldn’t get the car to turn. And it was the same here.”
The comparison underlined the importance of finding the correct aerodynamic balance. Lewis Hamilton specifically pointed to the difference in front-wing configuration at Silverstone, explaining that the resulting lack of front-end response had prevented him from matching his teammate’s pace.
His comments suggest that achieving the desired balance remains a recurring concern, rather than a difficulty confined to the United States Grand Prix.
The contrast between the two Ferrari drivers can also be followed through the Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 head-to-head statistics, which track their qualifying and race performances throughout the 2026 season.
For Lewis Hamilton, the priority over the next two races is therefore clear: finding a setup that allows him to access the performance he believes is already available in the SF-26. His Austin disappointment was not simply about losing a possible podium to the timing of a Virtual Safety Car, but also about recognising that familiar balance problems are continuing to limit his results.
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