“It’s Crazy To Be 12 Clicks Down” – Lewis Hamilton Calls Out Ferrari’s Setup After Missing USGP Podium

Lewis Hamilton believes that the setup he ran during the U.S. Grand Prix was the main reason behind him not being part of the Austin podium. With his front wing being “12 clicks down” from the optimum setup, the seven-time champion was left dealing with heavy understeer for much of the race, and that is what led to the gulf in performance between the two teammates.

Quoted by Motorsport.com in his post-race interview, Hamilton revealed how he was lacking in pace and had a terrible time turning the car. Having worked out most of the setup mistakes through the race, the 41-year-old stated it was “crazy to be 12 clicks down. We really need to look at how we get into that point, you know?”

Per Hamilton, things would have been a lot different if he had started on a different setup, given he had started matching the pace of the cars ahead in the final stint. But the fundamental problem of the car in the opening two stints meant Hamilton did not have enough time left to catch those ahead of him.

What’s worse for Hamilton and Ferrari is the fact that these problems don’t surface when doing a lap of the grid to see what setup the others are running. At the time, the driver felt good about the choices made, but as soon as the lights went green, a massive washout and understeer became the theme of his outing.

The Luxury of Hindsight for Lewis Hamilton

With there being a “subtle difference” in the overall setup of his car and that of Charles Leclerc, the defining difference came in the setting of the flap and how much front wing was put in.

For Hamilton, he feels that his side of the garage has been consistently missing the mark, and that’s where his problems lie.

During the race, the No. 44 driver had to add front wing during each of his pit stops, gradually improving the performance of his car.

On the first stop, he added four clicks to his front wing, but that was far from optimal for him. This meant that at the next stop, the 41-year-old would need to add another four clicks, bringing his performance a lot closer to those ahead.

However, even that was not the ultimate solution, with Hamilton feeling that another four clicks of front wing performance would have brought the car to its absolute peak.

For Leclerc, finding the right balance was easier in Hamilton’s eyes, as the Monegasque was able to do a long second stint, giving him time to get comfortable.

But the Briton, who had started the race on a used set of softs, did not have a long enough stint to fully understand the changes needed. As time went on, he knew that away from the front wing, a different tire strategy would also have been better.

Lewis Hamilton Would Have Preferred an Alternative Tire Strategy

While the result of the race was still mildly successful for Hamilton, things could have ended in a much better place for the British driver. However, a mix of shortcomings made sure to derail his race early, with the team failing to pinpoint the right balance setup with the front wing.

To make matters worse, Hamilton played a crucial role in his own downfall by opting to race with two sets of medium compound tires. Thinking that the hard tires would be no good at COTA, Hamilton didn’t bother having them as part of his race strategy, and the approach backfired big time.

Once the dust settled, the hard tires turned out to be the best compound on the day, but the Ferrari driver couldn’t benefit from it. Ultimately, a VSC ended any lingering hopes of a podium finish for the seven-time world champion, who now sits just one point below George Russell in the overall driver standings.

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