Hamilton admits Ferrari setup cost him points

Lewis Hamilton has admitted he has “lost out” to team-mate Charles Leclerc due to suboptimal car set-up in recent Formula 1 races. The seven-time world champion finished fourth at the United States Grand Prix, unable to match the pace of his Ferrari colleague who secured second place. Hamilton believes technical adjustments are the primary reason for his recent points deficit in the Drivers’ Championship.

The British driver was outqualified by Leclerc at the Circuit of the Americas, topping final practice but dropping to fifth on the grid. A similar pattern emerged in Singapore, where Hamilton looked strong until the final qualifying segment. He acknowledged the consistency of these issues, stating: “I lost a lot of points in the last five races or so.”

Hamilton identified the car’s configuration as the root cause of his performance dip. “I think it has come from set-up, not perfect, the set-up,” he told Sky Sports F1. “That’s something I really have to get on top of.”

That’s where I have lost out. Currently, Hamilton sits one point behind George Russell in the championship standings.

During the race itself, Hamilton struggled significantly with the car’s low-speed balance during the first two stints. This mechanical issue prevented him from turning the car effectively in key corners, allowing rivals to pull away. “I lost so much time.”

I couldn’t turn the car in the low-speed particularly – Turn 1, Turn 11, Turn 12, Turn 13, 14, 15,” he explained.

The understeer forced Hamilton to adjust his settings mid-race, costing him valuable track position. By the final stint, the team had improved the balance, but the damage was already done. “We should have started with that balance at the beginning,” Hamilton noted.

“Lots of learnings.” The team did a great job with pit stops and strategy.

Charles Leclerc qualified fourth but launched a superb start, overtaking Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen in the first sector. However, Verstappen reclaimed the position at the end of the first lap. Ferrari opted for a two-stop strategy, allowing Leclerc to charge past Verstappen and Lando Norris in the closing stages.

Despite his aggressive drive, Leclerc finished 13 seconds behind race-winner Kimi Antonelli. The Monegasque believes his qualifying position cost him a realistic shot at victory. “If you look at FP1, FP2 and FP3, we were very strong,” Leclerc said.

“If you look at qualifying, at the end of the day in Q3, it was extremely difficult to bring the tyres up to temperature.”

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur believes Leclerc could have won the race under different circumstances. He highlighted the team’s aggressive strategic choices as a necessity to overcome their grid position. “The race went well – the racing went well, the pace was OK, we were aggressive with the strategy because we had to overtake,” Vasseur stated.

Vasseur pinpointed the final two laps of qualifying as the critical failure point for the weekend. “Overall, if we missed something it was the last two laps in Q3,” he added. “That was the most important laps of the weekend and that’s where we had the issue.”

He expressed hope for a double podium in the next race, absent the virtual safety car.

With five rounds remaining in the 2026 season, the championship focus shifts to the Mexico City Grand Prix this weekend. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez sits 2,200m above sea level, making altitude a significant factor for engine performance. The track features numerous twisty corners, a layout the Ferrari SF-26 is expected to suit well.

Leclerc remains confident that the team’s recent progress will yield results soon. “The feeling with the car is getting better and better,” he said. “I feel like, over the last two or three races, I’ve unlocked something again in terms of driving, and particularly setup with my driving.”

He expressed confidence that a victory is within reach before the season concludes.

The next round of Formula 1 action takes place this weekend, with the Mexico City Grand Prix serving as the second leg of the Americas triple header. Fans can follow every session live as the teams aim to refine their setups for the high-altitude challenge.