Internal competition within the Scuderia Ferrari garage has intensified as Lewis Hamilton admitted that imperfect car set-up choices have caused him to lose ground to his teammate, Charles Leclerc, during the latter half of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The seven-time world champion feels that technical vehicle adjustments have been the primary barrier preventing him from maximizing pure track pace.
This ongoing issue was clearly visible during the recent United States Grand Prix weekend in Austin. Despite showing promising speed by topping the final practice session, the British driver's performance dipped significantly during the crucial qualifying hour where he could only manage fifth on the grid, while Leclerc extracted maximum mechanical grip to secure a stellar second-place finish.
According to the veteran driver, his main struggle stemmed from low-speed balance limitations during the opening stints of the race, which cost him significant lap time. He highlighted severe understeer through multiple technical corners, making it extremely difficult to rotate the car properly while battling near the sharp end of the field.
"I lost a lot of points in the last five races or so. I think it has come from set-up, not perfect, the set-up. That's something I really have to get on top of. That's where I have lost out. Performance-wise I feel like I've been driving well and the last stint [in Austin] was good. The first two stints there was nothing I could do about that," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
Despite the setbacks, Hamilton praised the Maranello engineering crew for delivering a competitive upgrade package that highlights the underlying speed of the car. Comprehensive data evaluation is now the top priority as the team heads to Mexico, where high-altitude conditions and twisty layouts will demand absolute precision in nailing the ideal operational window.
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