Lewis Hamilton says he is getting more and more comfortable in the Ferrari but that a podium still feels far away after finishing fourth in last weekend’s United States Grand Prix at COTA.
Ferrari has yet to win a race this year, and Hamilton is still seeking his first podium. In Austin, Hamilton finished fourth behind teammate Charles Leclerc in third, and although he was over 13 seconds adrift after a slow final lap, the seven-time world champion can see progress.
“So close, but still so far…” Hamilton said of a podium finish. “Definitely a trend moving forwards, it’s going in the right direction. I’m definitely feeling better in the car, and I definitely get to deep dive in these next couple of days, try and figure out how can extract more performance From the car. Get the car in a slightly better place, but overall, pretty decent. The team did a great job [in Austin].
“I’d just say we need consistency. If I can finish there, or even get a podium at some point, just finishing ahead of the Mercedes is our goal. If I can help the team secure second in the constructors’ that would be a good end to the year.”
Ferrari’s strong performance came at a track it finished one-two at last year, but Hamilton is unsure if it will be competitive in Mexico City despite it being the scene of another win for the Scuderia in 2024.
“It’s really difficult,” he said. “From one weekend – Mercedes won the last race, and then this race they were behind us. So, it’s really, really difficult to know why that is, and why there are those swings and roundabouts, but we’re really just hoping our car is better next week.”
Leclerc also has question marks over Ferrari’s chances in Mexico, given the team’s form so far this season.
“We are in a different situation now,” Leclerc said. “I still want to believe we can win a race before the end of the season. But I think we need to be realistic in our situation and I don’t think we quite have the car to do so.
“I think this weekend [in Austin] has been the perfect weekend for the team and I’ll be surprised if we can achieve anything better until the end of the year. But we’ll take it race by race and see what can be done.”
