Ferrari’s encouraging performance during final practice for the 2026 United States Grand Prix has strengthened hopes that the Scuderia could challenge for pole position at the Circuit of the Americas. Lewis Hamilton made progress after changing his SF-26 setup in the direction followed by Charles Leclerc, while both drivers demonstrated competitive pace during FP3. However, Ferrari still faces questions over its power-unit performance ahead of qualifying.
Friday had already been particularly positive for the Maranello team, which immediately demonstrated that its car was well suited to the demands of the Texas circuit. During FP1, Charles Leclerc was the only Ferrari driver to run the latest upgrade package, allowing the engineers to compare it with the previous specification, last updated at the Dutch Grand Prix. At the beginning of FP2, Ferrari decided to fit the new package to Lewis Hamilton’s car as well, although the British driver experienced some difficulties adapting to its different behaviour, something that is understandable following such a change.
The Ferrari seen in practice appears capable of fighting for a significant result. Nevertheless, the team must first overcome its difficulties on Saturdays, which have proved particularly challenging so far this season. FP3 therefore represented an important opportunity to assess its prospects before qualifying establishes the current competitive order.
Lewis Hamilton improves in Austin FP3 after Ferrari setup changes
According to Sky Sport F1, Lewis Hamilton responded to his difficulties in second practice by changing the setup of his SF-26 towards the direction adopted by Charles Leclerc. The adjustments were intended to help the seven-time world champion find a more suitable balance after his struggles with the upgraded car on Friday.
Flow-visualisation paint was clearly visible on Lewis Hamilton’s SF-26, particularly around the floor edge and underfloor area. This allowed Ferrari’s engineers to examine the aerodynamic airflow through that specific section of the car and assess its behaviour on track.
The British driver began the session on soft tyres, while Charles Leclerc opted for the medium compound. On his second attempt, Lewis Hamilton moved into first place, beating Max Verstappen by approximately one and a half tenths.
After 25 minutes of running, Charles Leclerc had yet to register a valid lap time because his first flying lap had been deleted for exceeding track limits. The Monegasque also returned to the pits, where his car remained stationary in its pit box without any adjustments being made before he headed back onto the circuit approximately 15 seconds later.
Charles Leclerc demonstrates Ferrari’s pace on medium tyres
A few minutes later, Charles Leclerc moved to the top of the timesheets while continuing to use the same medium tyres. The Ferrari driver established an advantage of approximately three tenths over Kimi Antonelli, demonstrating competitive pace on the harder of the two compounds being used by the teammates.
Lewis Hamilton subsequently improved as well, climbing into second place, almost three tenths behind Charles Leclerc. Before returning to the garage, the Monegasque attempted one final quick lap on the medium compound but missed an improvement by just 0.014 seconds.
With 15 minutes remaining, Lewis Hamilton returned to the circuit on a fresh set of soft tyres. Charles Leclerc followed a few minutes later as Ferrari prepared for the final qualifying simulations.
On his first flying attempt, Lewis Hamilton reclaimed first place and broke the 1 minute 35 second barrier. Charles Leclerc then responded by moving ahead of his teammate, setting a lap time 0.083 seconds faster than the British driver’s benchmark.
The two drivers’ different tyre programmes and their respective improvements provided further evidence of the SF-26’s potential. Fans can explore the differences between their practice performances through the F1 Practice & Long-Run Analysis, which allows comparisons of lap times, tyre compounds and sector performance.
Ferrari’s ADUO 2 power unit faces an important qualifying test
For the first time this season, Ferrari appears capable of playing a leading role in qualifying. Pole position could therefore become a realistic objective, although much will depend on how significantly its rivals can improve their power-unit performance when qualifying begins.
The SF-26 continues to suffer from a power-unit deficit, even with the ADUO 2 specification fitted for Saturday. This remains an important consideration when assessing whether Ferrari can maintain the strong pace demonstrated during practice against its main competitors.
Nevertheless, the Scuderia’s management of the United States Grand Prix weekend has appeared very effective so far. The performance of both cars has provided encouragement, while Lewis Hamilton’s setup adjustments suggest that the team has made progress in addressing the difficulties encountered during FP2.
The work builds on Ferrari’s earlier running at Austin, where the team used different SF-26 aerodynamic specifications to evaluate its latest upgrade package. That comparison helped establish the direction subsequently followed with both cars.
Can Ferrari turn its Austin practice pace into pole position?
Ferrari heads towards qualifying with encouraging indications from the final practice session, but the decisive question is whether the SF-26 can remain competitive once its rivals increase their power-unit performance. The car has demonstrated promising characteristics throughout the weekend, yet the team’s Saturday difficulties mean the battle for pole is far from settled.
Qualifying begins at 23:00 CEST, when the true competitive order should become clearer. The complete session timetable is available in the 2026 United States Grand Prix schedule and COTA guide.
Ferrari has shown that it possesses the pace to fight near the front at Austin. The remaining challenge is to translate that potential into a strong qualifying result and give the Prancing Horse the best possible starting position for the United States Grand Prix.
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