Lewis Hamilton described his performance at the F1 US GP 2025 as a clear step in the right direction but admitted his car still required fine-tuning ahead of the race. The Ferrari driver qualified a strong fifth but lost ground in the race, finishing fourth and noting that consistency and one-lap pace remain areas for improvement.
Qualifying Feel: Better, But Not Perfect
Hamilton said his car felt markedly better in FP1 versus the rest of the weekend.
The seven time world champion said: “Yeah, it definitely felt better. Today, I think we went, after P1, we kind of went somehow the wrong way in set-up-wise. I just didn’t have the pace that I had in P1 for the rest of the weekend.”
Despite that, he emphasised there were positives to take, although he was left to wonder about the tyre strategy: “But, yeah, there’s lots of positives to take from today. The strategy left me out. I ended up 10 seconds behind. So, it’s a bit frustrating in that respect, but great points for the team.”
Race: Strong Finish Amid Midfield Battle
Though Lewis Hamilton maintained pace, the race at the Circuit of the Americas proved a tough contest. He finished fourth, behind Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton revealed he suffered a worrying moment in the closing stages as he feared he had a puncture: “I’m not really sure. I went into Turn 5 and it felt like I hit something. And, all of a sudden, I had massive understeer and I thought that I had a puncture.
“I braked into Turn 11, the thing wouldn’t stop, and I was like, jeez, what’s going on? But, somehow, I managed to hold it on in the last couple of corners, but I had huge understeer in the last… I thought the front wing was broken or something happened with the tyre. It was so close that we actually went past,” he continued.
Despite that scare, Hamilton’s ability to hold on for a top-four finish showed resilience and suggested that Ferrari’s performance is improving in race trim.
Consistency and Constructing Points
When asked about the broader season goals for Ferrari, Hamilton responded straightforwardly: “I’d just say consistency. If I can finish there, or even get a podium at some point, just finishing ahead of the Mercedes is our goal to try and… If I can help the team secure second in the Constructors, that would be a good end to the year.”
Hamilton’s comments reveal a pragmatic outlook, while Ferrari may not challenge for the title this year, finishing ahead of hierarchical rivals and hitting podiums remains the focus.
Hamilton now sits sixth in the Drivers’ Championship on 146 points, significantly behind the leaders and 50 point behind his team-mate, but Ferrari’s result in Austin moves them closer in the Constructors’ battle for second place. With only five grands prix and two sprints remaining, Hamilton’s improved one-lap speed at the F1 US GP 2025 and the car’s trajectory give Ferrari reason to believe they can contend more regularly in the final stretch.
