Hamilton identifies straight-line deficit behind Ferrari’s Q3 fade

Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari’s lack of straight-line speed was a key weakness after he qualified sixth for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas. He felt the car was competitive through practice and the early qualifying segments, but could not match the gains made by rivals in Q3.

Hamilton said Ferrari had made progress overnight and that the car felt strong in final practice and through Q1 and Q2. He reported no major change in its performance in the final segment, and judged his own lap to be good. The difference, he said, was that other teams found another step.

Hamilton says Ferrari loses time on the long straight

The main concern was the one-kilometre straight between Turns 11 and 12. Hamilton said Ferrari appeared capable of matching its rivals through the corners, but gave away time on the straight against both Red Bull and Mercedes.

He described the power shortfall as significant and said Ferrari was losing a few tenths there, in line with what he believed had been a recurring disadvantage. Sixth place leaves him on the third row for Sunday’s race, while team-mate Charles Leclerc will start from the second row.

The result follows another difficult Ferrari qualifying session for Hamilton this season. Read our report on Hamilton’s Dutch Grand Prix qualifying setback.

Vasseur rejects the wind as an explanation

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged that conditions shifted during qualifying, with stronger wind in the closing segment. But he said the same conditions affected everyone and rejected using the wind as an excuse for the outcome.

Vasseur said Ferrari had shown potential throughout the weekend and had been in contention for pole until the final corner. In his view, the team should have done better on the last lap and had the pace to secure at least a front-row start.

While Hamilton pointed to the straight-line deficit, Vasseur’s assessment placed the emphasis on execution in the final run. Ferrari had looked competitive earlier in the session, but its drivers ended qualifying outside the front row. Hamilton’s wider effort to find performance with the team is discussed in our look at his Ferrari SF-26 development hopes.