The Texan circuit is among the many trickiest of all the System 1 calendar — not solely due to the acute bumps that continuously problem the automotive’s trip peak, a long-standing peculiarity of the observe, but additionally due to its format. Austin’s Circuit of the Americas is a circuit constructed on compromise: corners of very totally different traits observe each other relentlessly, making it extraordinarily onerous to seek out the best steadiness, each within the setup and in tyre administration. It’s no secret that in qualifying trim, Ferrari’s SF-25 has usually struggled to extract the utmost potential from the tyres.
Probably the most crucial second continues to be the transition between the penultimate and ultimate qualifying classes, the place Ferrari is commonly the highest crew shedding essentially the most floor. Nonetheless, in Austin, the problems prolonged past the comfortable compound; additionally they affected the medium tyres, as seen in the course of the first and second segments of Dash Qualifying. Each Ferrari drivers risked elimination in SQ2 and SQ3, with Hamilton narrowly escaping by simply six thousandths of a second over Andrea Kimi Antonelli within the second session. Ultimately, the British driver secured eighth place on the grid however with a deficit of just about 9 tenths to the entrance — a niche that weighs closely on Ferrari’s targets and morale.
The Scuderia stays in competition for second place within the Constructors’ Championship, however with Crimson Bull returning to prime kind due to Max Verstappen and Mercedes displaying constant top-five tempo, the chance of shedding helpful factors is changing into an increasing number of actual. Ferrari’s hopes now relaxation on the reopening of parc fermé after the Dash and on the excessive observe temperatures anticipated in Texas, which might provide a small benefit in tyre administration for the race.
Lewis Hamilton, for his half, saved his phrases transient however exact, providing a transparent and brutally sincere evaluation of the hole to the highest after ending eighth, almost 9 tenths down on pole-sitter Max Verstappen. “It’s not the tempo we have been anticipating,” mentioned the British driver. “In Q1 it felt fairly good, however then we began to lose efficiency, and the automotive turned actually troublesome to drive. Eight tenths is a large hole.”
There was little extra so as to add — and equally troublesome to think about that a lot will change within the efficiency of the SF-25 between now and the tip of the season. For Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton, the closing races of 2025 look set to be an uphill battle, with hopes pinned on maximizing each doable alternative.
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