Lewis Hamilton dangerously close to unwanted Ferrari record in torrid F1 campaign

Lewis Hamilton is on the cusp of setting an unfortunate Ferrari record, with the British driver in need of a podium at the upcoming United States Grand Prix.

If the seven-time F1 drivers' champion cannot reach the rostrum at the Circuit of the Americas, he will surpass Didier Pironi's record for the most grands prix upon joining the Italian team without a top-three finish.

Having failed to do so at the Singapore Grand Prix, where he finished eighth after a five-second time penalty, Hamilton matched Pironi's mark, opening his Ferrari tenure with 18 podium-less rounds.

The Frenchman finally broke his duck at the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix, his 19th start for the Maranello-based squad.

This means that Hamilton must reach the podium in Austin to avoid taking outright ownership of a record that has stood uninterrupted for 43 years. He can now, at best, match it.

Otherwise, he cannot break his own streak until his 20th grand prix start for the team, at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Pironi's record has stood untouched for over four decades, a testament to how rare it is for a driver of Hamilton's status to endure such a barren run at Ferrari.

When the 105-time grand prix winner signed with the Scuderia, few could have imagined this would be his statistical trajectory.

Hamilton has twice finished in the top three for the Prancing Horse over the opening 18 rounds of the campaign, but both his victory in Shanghai and his third place in Miami were in the sprint element of those respective weekends.

The 40-year-old's move to Ferrari from Mercedes garnered considerable fanfare. It was billed as F1's most decorated driver joining forces with its most iconic team.

However, the combination has thus far fallen short of expectations, and now Hamilton stands at the precipice of an uneviable record.

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