Hamilton targets first Ferrari podium from P5 in Austin: “Got to get past George”
Lewis Hamilton has a clear to-do list for Sunday at COTA. Start fifth, beat George Russell, and see what shakes out with Red Bull and McLaren. If it all breaks his way, Ferrari might finally get him onto a Grand Prix podium in red.
After a sharp Sprint showing and a tidy qualifying, Hamilton will launch from the third row for the United States Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc slotting in two places ahead in third. Max Verstappen heads the field once again, Lando Norris alongside him in a front-row rerun of Saturday’s Sprint.
Hamilton’s Ferrari tenure has already delivered a Sprint win this year, but not yet the full-fat Grand Prix trophy dash. If he sounded optimistic in Austin, it’s because the ingredients looked closer to right than they have in weeks — even if the cooks in Brackley just brought a new recipe.
“The podium’s possible,” Hamilton said, matter-of-fact. “I’ve got to get past George tomorrow — that’s key. They’re quick, and he was putting pressure on Max in the Sprint. Mercedes had an upgrade recently. We didn’t. So for us to be where we are, given that, I’m grateful. Balance should be better tomorrow.”
Ferrari’s Saturday was defined less by headline pace and more by execution. That, Hamilton says, is where the gains were found. There’s a calm about this place now when it counts — fewer flustered radio calls, more attention to tyre temps, a cleaner read on the track. It showed.
“It was how we executed the session,” he explained. “Communication, a calm approach, when we went out, tyre temperatures — we just did it better as a group.” He felt there was a tenth in hand on the lap that would have tightened the gap to Leclerc, which tracks with the car’s footprint across the weekend: lively in the low speeds, a bit draggy in the back straight exchange, and not quite as settled over the kerbs as the McLaren.
Saturday’s Sprint underlined the margins. Hamilton pounced on a Leclerc error into Turn 12, nicked the place, and banked fourth at the flag. He left the paddock with a small spring; Leclerc, with a reminder that Ferrari’s inter-car battle can tilt on the slightest mistake.
As ever, there’s a Verstappen-sized problem up front. The Red Bull didn’t look untouchable in race trim on Saturday, but it didn’t need to be. Norris was frisky, Mercedes looked racier than their qualifying indicated, and the Ferrari pair had solid long-run pace tucked away. It sets up a chess match out of the blocks: track position will be king, degradation queen, and the pit walls the bishops trying to cut off two-stop ambushes.
Key threads to watch on Sunday:
– Start-phase elbows: Hamilton’s launch against Russell could define his entire afternoon. Get that done early and the podium door swings open.
– Ferrari tyre life: If the SF-25 holds the rears together in the heat, both cars are live for the rostrum.
– Mercedes’ upgrade effect: If the new parts keep Russell and Hamilton’s former team in the tyre window longer, Ferrari will need to undercut or overcut to clear them.
Hamilton’s tone is measured but confident — the kind that suggests he trusts the process even more than the stopwatch right now. And Ferrari, after a year of mixed Fridays and redeeming Sundays, would take that every time.
Grid snapshot: Verstappen on pole, Norris alongside; Leclerc leads row two; Hamilton P5 with Russell as the immediate target. The maths is straightforward. The racing rarely is.
If Hamilton clears the silver roadblock early, his first Ferrari Grand Prix podium is firmly in play. If not, he may need to improvise. Either way, Austin’s long run to Turn 1 will tell us most of what we need to know.
