Lewis Hamilton spies costly issue Ferrari must 'get on top of'

Lewis Hamilton has identified a persistent balance issue with his Ferrari that he believes is preventing him from achieving stronger results, insisting there is considerably more performance to unlock if the problem can be resolved.

The seven-time F1 drivers' champion finished fourth in the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, who secured second place.

However, Hamilton was left frustrated by the performance of his SF-26, having struggled with significant understeer during the opening two stints of the race, which compromised his ability to challenge Max Verstappen for the final podium position.

The 41-year-old revealed that his difficulties stemmed from an incorrect set-up direction during Friday practice, with Ferrari subsequently making adjustments that left him closer to Leclerc's configuration by the final session.

Despite those changes, Hamilton started the race with less front wing than his team-mate, leaving him unable to turn the car as effectively as required.

The Briton explained that Ferrari added four clicks of front wing at each of his two pit stops, but even after those adjustments, he felt he remained another four clicks short of the balance he needed.

Hamilton consequently enjoyed a considerably stronger final stint, leaving him convinced that a better starting set-up would have allowed him to fight for a podium.

The Ferrari driver believes addressing the recurring issue will be crucial to maximising his results over the remaining rounds of the campaign.

"There's lots of positives to take from it," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365. "I think lots of learnings. I think for the next races, if I can really get on top of this balance issue that I have, I think we can get much better results.

"I think if I had had the balance that I need... even if I just had the balancing of the last stint, I would have been, I would have right in the fight all the way to the end. Even then, another step from there, I think we should have probably qualified better. So some good pointers."

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Hamilton reflects on ill-fated Ferrari tyre decision

In addition to the balance difficulties, Hamilton highlighted a tyre allocation decision that he believes further compromised his chances of a stronger result in Austin.

Ferrari had opted to retain two sets of medium tyres for the Briton, anticipating that the hard compound would not be particularly effective during the race.

However, the hard ultimately proved to be the strongest race tyre, leaving Hamilton to question whether a different allocation would have offered greater flexibility.

The decision also contributed to Hamilton starting the grand prix on a used set of soft tyres, putting him at a disadvantage compared to the drivers immediately ahead, who had fresh rubber available.

Despite the difference, Hamilton made a strong getaway and came close to moving into third place, although Leclerc's positioning on the outside prevented him from capitalising on the opportunity.

Reflecting on the decision, Hamilton acknowledged that Ferrari's expectations surrounding the tyre compounds had proved incorrect.

"I chose to have two medium tyres because we didn't think the hard tyre was going to be any good," Hamilton said. "In hindsight, two hard tyres would have been the better one. The hard tyre was the best tyre.

"And then it meant I started on a used soft, which — from used to new — is two seconds of race time, and it affects the start as well compared to others that are on new [tyres].

"All the cars ahead were on new, but I had a really good start. Nearly got to third place, but Charles was on the outside, and I didn't get to capitalise on that."