Hamilton says Ferrari lost ground on Austin straights

Ferrari’s practice pace did not carry into qualifying for the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Lewis Hamilton, fastest in final practice, took fifth, 0.044 seconds behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, who qualified fourth. Hamilton said the car felt good and his lap was clean, but Ferrari was losing time to rivals on the straights, especially toward Turn 1 and into Turn 11.

Hamilton’s explanation extended beyond straight-line speed. He said Red Bull had closed on Ferrari in downforce, while Mercedes was beginning to get more from an upgrade introduced at least a couple of races earlier. In his view, both teams were now matching Ferrari through the corners; Ferrari had not made a comparable step that season to close the gap on the straights.

Hamilton said he had not seen the weekend’s actual figures for Red Bull’s power unit, but thought Ferrari would probably have been in the front-row fight if it had the same power.

Leclerc described a separate problem in his own Q3: he said the car had potential, but the tyres were not in the right window. He was already sliding on the out-lap, and said a difference of one or two degrees made a huge difference.

Looking to Sunday, Hamilton said overtaking at Austin was difficult, even from second on the grid, but a good run to Turn 1 or strategy could offer a way forward. He recalled that it had taken a lot to get past Vettel in 2012.