Here's the thing about Ferrari right now: the beautiful practice speed just refuses to stick around when the clock actually starts ticking in qualifying. That familiar script played out once again in Austin, where Lewis Hamilton managed fifth and team mate Charles Leclerc took fourth on the grid for the United States Grand Prix.
Hamilton put in a clean, solid lap that left him just 0.044s behind his garage companion, yet he was left helpless against the straight-line speed of his rivals. "We know through the weekend we look at the straight, like just up to Turn 1, when we cut power, they just keep pulling," Hamilton said. "That's similar in other places, like going into Turn 11."
As soon as we are a tiny bit outside the window, we pay a lot the price. So this is something that we need to look into,
The SF-26 has been the benchmark chassis for chunks of this season, but Hamilton points out that Mercedes and Red Bull have caught up in the handling department while holding a clear advantage on the straights. He estimated the Red Bull Ford power unit advantage to sit anywhere from three to five tenths, adding: "If we had the same power as them, we would be right there in the battle. I think we'd probably be on the front row."
Leclerc, meanwhile, was far from happy with his machinery after failing to hook up the tires properly in Q3. A poor out-lap left him sliding and his rubber out of the ideal thermal window by just one or two degrees. "It's very disappointing," Leclerc admitted. "Because I think there are some other weekends where we've been strong in free practices, but then coming quali, it's very clear that the others are just having a lot more in the straights, and it's very difficult for us to match that."
The Monegasque driver stressed that Ferrari must dig deeper to understand why extracting lap time in the final qualifying segment remains an uphill battle compared to their competition. "As soon as we are a tiny bit outside the window, we pay a lot the price. So this is something that we need to look into," he noted.
Despite starting fourth and fifth, Hamilton hasn't given up on Sunday's race. He acknowledged that overtaking is notoriously tough at the venue, pointing out that even tracking down rivals on race distance is a massive challenge, but remains hopeful that strategy and the run up to Turn 1 might open up some opportunities.
