Lewis Hamilton hoping to unearth 'Ferrari gem' ahead of major tests

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari needs to get better at capitalising on "gems" if it is to rescue its season and finish second in the constructors'.

In what has been a largely disappointing season for the Scuderia, there have been the odd flashes of promise, such as Hamilton winning the Chinese GP sprint and finishing fastest in FP2 in Azerbaijan, before the weekend got away from Ferrari.

The team is now fully preparing for the 2026 season with the potential the huge rule changes are bringing, but a good weekend in Austin has allowed the team to close up on Mercedes, who is now just seven points clear, with Red Bull also back in the hunt.

If Ferrari is to deliver another runners-up spot in the championship, Hamilton believes it must get better at capitalising on when the car is strong.

"I’m really looking at the next six races as, ultimately, test weekends in terms of continuing to learn and improve on our processes," Hamilton explained to media, including RacingNews365, prior to the United States GP, in which he finished both the sprint and the race in fourth. 

"As I said in the last races, there’s been a couple of gems through the weekend that we didn’t capitalise on. So it’s about taking those good bits and continuing to take what works and change what doesn’t. 

"That’s what we’re trying to do moving forward, continuing to build on the relationships, continuing to build on communication. 

"Everyone back at the factory really deserves a good result, and that’s the sole focus, to get good results, try to maximise, squeeze absolutely every point we can out of our performances on the weekends. 

"I really believe we can do that, so we just stay focused."