Ferrari should be worried by ‘severe’ issue Lewis Hamilton faced at the United States GP

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Lewis Hamilton just matched the best result of his short Ferrari tenure with a strong drive to fourth place at the United States Grand Prix.

The seven-time champion looked like challenging for a podium at one stage, but backed off as his soft tyres aged. Ferrari’s aggressive strategy nearly paid off for Charles Leclerc, but for the second race in a row, Hamilton had a panic on the last lap.

With five races to go, the team are still fighting for second in the constructors’ championship, although it feels like an unlikely outcome. Mercedes and Red Bull have shown race-winning potential multiple times this season, that Ferrari haven’t managed at all.

At one point, Hamilton said ‘I’ve got nothing’ in Austin after realising he could no longer achieve a podium. Danica Patrick fears Hamilton is defeated and is simply looking for the season to end sooner rather than later.

READ MORE: Stunned Lewis Hamilton asks Ferrari ‘what happened’ in unbroadcast US Grand Prix radio

Ferrari should be worried by ‘severe’ unexplained Lewis Hamilton problem

Hamilton has been David Croft’s biggest disappointment this season, and he’s not the only one who expected to see more from the Briton. He too will have expected to be in the fight for victory at some races at least.

However, he’s now inching ever closer to his first full campaign without a podium, which shows how much of a disaster 2025 has been for him. He will be hedging his bets firmly on the 2026 F1 regulations, and they might be his last hope.

For the second successive race, he faced an issue on the final lap which nearly cost him more points. Ferrari cannot afford to be encountering issues right at the end of Grands Prix, effectively handing free positions to their rivals. This time, they don’t have an explanation for his woes.

According to the Italian edition of Motorsport.com, Hamilton faced a ‘severe’ understeer issue which caused him to lose five seconds. If it had happened a lap sooner, Oscar Piastri might have overtaken him.

“I’m not sure what happened,” he said. “I came into Turn 5 and I thought I hit something, and then suddenly I had severe understeer. I thought I had a slippery slope.

“In the end, I managed to hold on through the last few corners, but I had so much understeer. I thought the front wing had broken or something had happened to the tyres.”

READ MORE: Ferrari are now monitoring potential Lewis Hamilton replacement after they were impressed by his data

Why Lewis Hamilton should enjoy a better second Formula 1 season for Ferrari

On the face of it, Hamilton’s first season in red hasn’t been successful at all. Compared to his teammate, he hasn’t been too far off.

Considering all the variables that were thrown at him, such as learning a new language, team, and having to spend a lot of time in a new country, he should be far more comfortable in 2026.

He knows everyone within his team, and is in a position to start using his experience to drive them forward. When he doesn’t have to focus on fixing his own issues, that’s when he will deliver his best work.

Hamilton’s impatience is growing at Ferrari and they’ll know the importance of being fast from day one next year. They cannot afford a sloppy start to 2026, otherwise jobs may be at risk.