P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton will start a lowly eighth for the United States Grand Prix Sprint race – despite showing flashes of pace earlier in the day.
Lewis Hamilton expressed his belief that Ferrari faces a significant challenge after the team’s noticeable deficit in securing pole position for the United States Grand Prix Sprint.
Despite leading the works Ferrari in Austin and securing the eighth grid position, Hamilton was 0.892s slower than Max Verstappen, who claimed pole with a time of 1:32.143, compared to Ferrari’s best effort of 1:33.035.
Adding to Ferrari’s disappointment, the customer team Stake, represented by Nico Hulkenberg, will begin from the fourth position, posting a lap 0.390s faster than the works team.
Hamilton’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, also struggled, securing the tenth grid spot, leading to the seven-time champion expressing his frustration over Ferrari’s unexpected lack of pace during the session.
Hamilton described Ferrari’s deficit from pole position as a substantial challenge, indicating that it will be a tough climb to make up the eight-tenths difference.
