Hamilton on the verge of negative record: COTA to change the scenario?
Lewis Hamilton nears an unwanted Ferrari record, but the Circuit of the Americas might just be the track he’s been waiting for to succeed at for the first time in red.
The British driver is one weekend away from becoming the Ferrari driver with the most starts without a single podium finish.
Hamilton finished fourth twice this season at Imola and Silverstone, but a podium finish is yet to materialize. Meanwhile, his teammate Charles Leclerc has already finished inside the top three five times this season.
This comes despite the Briton possibly achieving Ferrari’s best result of the season so far — and something no Scuderia driver had done before: winning a Sprint race.
Hamilton's COTA track record speaks for itself
The American circuit is one of the Brit's best on the Formula 1 calendar.
The seven-time world champion has contested all 12 Grands Prix at COTA, finishing on the podium nine times, which a 75% podium rate. Out of all the times he crossed the finish line, his worst result was fourth place from 2013.
Looking closely at his results with the current generation of cars, Hamilton has had more ups than downs.
In 2022, he finished five seconds behind Max Verstappen in second place. A year later, he also finished second in the Sprint and then in the Grand Prix as well. In Verstappen’s most dominant season, Hamilton came close to chasing the Dutchman down but was disqualified for excessive skid wear.
The only negative experience came in 2024 season, when he beached hios W15 on the exit of the unforgiving Turn 19 on lap 3 of the race.
Hamilton’s current team, Ferrari, also has some recent good memories at the circuit: last year’s US Grand Prix was a highlight for the Scuderia, as Leclerc and Carlos Sainz claimed a one-two finish, solidifying Ferrari's place in the running for the constructors' title at the time.
Hamilton needs every advantage to battle against rivals
What doesn’t work in Hamilton’s favour is that McLaren now faces more competition.
Verstappen and Red Bull demonstrated on Singapore that they are capable of fighting for victories on various layouts, and Mercedes is also coming off two strong weekends, including George Russell’s victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
The Singapore Grand Prix was bittersweet for the Ferrari driver; Hamilton showed good pace until his brake failure, and outqualified Leclerc on Saturday as well.
On Sunday, Hamilton also explained Ferrari’s weaknesses compared to its rivals. He said: "We're currently really limited with rear end, compared to the guys who are taking the step and improving their rear."
The Scuderia has struggled with skid wear issues throughout the current campaign, a problem which cost Hamilton a strong result at COTA already in 2023 when he still drove for Mercedes.
Ferrari faced the same problem that year, resulting in Leclerc’s disqualification as well, so it’s an area the team needs to address, if they wish to overturn their recent run of lacklustre performances.
With many now considering Ferrari the fourth force on the grid, Hamilton’s needs to perform his usual COTA magic again to earn him his first-ever Grand Prix podium in the scarlet car.
Read also
GPblog's F1 Paddock Update
Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.
Popular on GPBlog
Leclerc wins in America, Verstappen baits Norris into penalty
'Horner prepares F1 comeback' as talks with Ferrari 'revealed'
Steiner sounds Piastri alarm as sudden departure theory addressed
