At the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton experienced a relatively straightforward race until the last lap, when an unforeseen issue caused him to lose four seconds, putting him in danger from Oscar Piastri.
Hamilton made a strong start, overtaking George Russell while holding off Piastri on the outside of Turn 1, and then observed the battle for second place between his teammate Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.
However, as the race strategies evolved, the seven-time world champion found himself in a kind of limbo, positioned between the leading duo and Piastri behind him.
As the final lap began, Hamilton trailed his teammate by nine seconds and led the McLaren driver by five seconds. Suddenly, the Ferrari driver’s pace began to drop, losing tenths of a second through each corner, until the gap to Piastri narrowed to less than two seconds. Just as the McLaren driver was about to challenge the Ferrari, Hamilton crossed the finish line with a mere 1.1-second advantage.
When questioned about a possible puncture, Hamilton stated: “I’m not entirely sure. At Turn 5, I felt like I ran over something. Suddenly, I had significant understeer, leading me to believe it was a puncture.
“I braked at Turn 11, but the car simply wouldn’t stop. I wondered, ‘What’s happening?’ Ultimately, I managed to maintain my position through the final corners, but the understeer was significant. I suspected a broken front wing or a tyre issue. It was a close call with Piastri.”
Lewis Hamilton in parc ferme after the US Grand Prix
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
Apart from this incident, which ultimately had no significant consequences, the United States Grand Prix weekend stood out as one of Hamilton’s most accomplished of the season.
Despite lacking the pace to genuinely contend for a podium finish in either the sprint or the main race, he matched his best grand prix result of the year on Sunday.
“There is a definite positive trend in progress,” he added. “I am feeling increasingly comfortable in the car.
“I intend to thoroughly examine everything in the coming days to determine how we can extract more performance from the car and optimize its setup.”
Additional reporting by Stuart Codling
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