Following a satisfactory qualifying effort at the United States Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton indicates that Ferrari has refined its operational methods within Formula 1.
Hamilton secured a spot within the top five qualifiers, marking his eighth occurrence out of the 19 grand prix events this year. His lag behind Lando Norris, who qualified second, and fellow team member Charles Leclerc, was only a little over a tenth of a second.
“We implemented a few enhancements concerning our procedures leading up to this qualifying round,” stated Hamilton, who has been adjusting since his move to the Scuderia this season, following a 12-year tenure with Mercedes. “We explored a different strategy, and it proved to be incredibly effective. I commend the team for their openness and willingness to institute these adjustments.”
When questioned about whether the improvements included mitigating prolonged waiting times in the pitlane, the British driver responded: “It encompasses how we conduct the session, our modes of communication, the sense of composure we maintain, the timing of our departures, the temperature management of our tires, and various other factors. We simply achieved a higher level of overall execution.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images
Hamilton acknowledged that his showing at the Circuit of the Americas was simultaneously heartening and vexing, as he felt he possessed the capability to shave off a tenth of a second and advance to the second-place position.
“I was confident that tenth was achievable within the lap,” the seven-time world champion commented.
“Concerning the setup, I encountered significant oversteer throughout [sprint] qualifying yesterday, which presented considerable challenges. During this session, I began with substantial understeer, essentially trying to mitigate that.
“It wasn’t until the final attempt that I achieved the optimal front wing configuration, but ideally, that adjustment would have been made during the initial run to instill confidence in the car.”
Earlier on Saturday, Hamilton secured the fourth position in the sprint following a maneuver on Leclerc at Turn 12, subsequent to the Monegasque driver’s excursion off-course in the high-velocity esses.
“I struggled with significant understeer in the race, rendering it improbable that I could have closed the gap and executed an overtake during the race, given that we were both utilizing the same tires,” he clarified. “I believe he had a greater front wing advantage compared to me, further diminishing the likelihood. However, he ultimately committed an error, which I was able to exploit.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
“It presents a considerable challenge to execute overtakes here without inducing overheating in your tires.”
When probed about his prospects for securing his inaugural Ferrari podium in today’s race – acknowledging that his Shanghai sprint victory does not formally qualify as a podium finish – Hamilton expressed optimism. However, he recognizes the formidable opposition he will face, with leading contenders such as Max Verstappen, Norris, Leclerc, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri also launching from the front three rows of the grid.
“My immediate objective is to overtake George tomorrow,” Hamilton stated. “That is of utmost importance because they possess considerable speed, as they consistently do. He was applying pressure to Max, indicating their consistent presence in contention.”
“Mercedes recently introduced an upgrade, which we have yet to receive. Considering this discrepancy, I am immensely grateful for our current standing. I anticipate that the car’s balance will exhibit improvement tomorrow.”
We want to hear from you!
Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.
Take our survey
– The Autosport.com Team
