Lewis Hamilton finished fourth at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The seven-time champion earned 12 points, pushing his career total to 5,004.5, becoming the first Formula 1 driver to surpass 5,000 points. Despite the milestone, the result extended his podium drought with Ferrari to 19 consecutive races, overtaking the previous record held by Frenchman Didier Pironi.
Max Verstappen’s victory in the race strengthened his lead in the Drivers’ Championship, earning 25 points and closing the gap to leader Oscar Piastri to 40 points. Hamilton started sixth and pressured Lando Norris early on, but a pit stop strategy on lap 32 dropped him back to sixth.
Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc secured third place, marking his sixth podium of the 2025 season.
- Key US GP results: Verstappen first, Norris second, Leclerc third.
- Hamilton has 109 points in the current championship, trailing Piastri (285) and Verstappen (245).
- Ferrari faces ongoing issues with the SF-25 model, including brake failures during the race.
The number hits every time 😎 pic.twitter.com/iivG4HTQWV
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) October 21, 2025
Podium drought with Ferrari
Hamilton’s streak without a podium began at the start of the 2025 season, his debut with Ferrari. Before switching from Mercedes, his last win was at the 2024 Belgian GP. In 2025, he repeated fourth place in four races: Emilia-Romagna, Austria, England, and now the United States.
Didier Pironi held the previous record with 18 races without a top 3, covering the entire 1981 season and the first three races of 1982. The Frenchman broke the streak by winning the 1982 San Marino GP, followed by six top 3 finishes in seven races.
Historical record comparison
Pironi raced for Ferrari from 1981 to 1982, a period marked by technical issues with the cars. His streak included seven retirements in 1981, with fourth as his best result in completed races. After his Imola podium, he added wins in the Netherlands and Monaco.
Other drivers, like Ivan Capelli with 14 races without a top 3 in the 1980s, faced similar droughts at Ferrari. Hamilton, at 40, is the only driver in the 21st century with such a prolonged streak.
The modern F1 era, with more reliable cars, makes Hamilton’s mark stand out among Ferrari’s recent challenges.
Strategy and track incidents
During the race, Hamilton used the “lift and coast” technique to conserve tires and fuel, a common Ferrari approach to protect the SF-25’s brakes. On lap 34, he reported a sudden loss of pace and questioned engineer Riccardo Adami about a 4-second gap to third place. Adami replied the gap was stable at 10 seconds since the pit stop.
Hamilton pressed on the discrepancy, noting he was close before the stop, but was told to push harder in turns 6 and 7. Late in the race, he reported issues with the front-right tire and front-end steering.
Ferrari’s strategy favored Leclerc, who pitted earlier and held the podium, while Hamilton lost time exiting the pits.
Hamilton’s 2025 performance
The season marks Hamilton’s adaptation to Ferrari after 12 years with Mercedes. He won the China sprint but has only achieved fourth places in main races. He holds 109 points, ranking fourth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Verstappen’s Austin win, his second straight there, extended Red Bull’s dominance. Norris, with McLaren, reclaimed second overall despite starting behind.
Hamilton began his career in 2007 with a podium in Australia, earning six points on debut with McLaren. His 5,000 points include 105 wins and 202 total podiums, absolute F1 records.
Upcoming races
F1 heads to the Mexico City GP on October 26 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the 20th of 24 races. Verstappen aims for a fourth straight win at the track.
Ferrari plans SF-25 upgrades for the final races, focusing on brake stability. Hamilton targets steady improvement without specific podium goals stated.
Leclerc, with 142 points, pushes for consistency in the pairing.
- Remaining calendar: Mexico (10/26), Brazil (11/9), Las Vegas (11/23), Qatar (11/30), Abu Dhabi (12/7).
- Verstappen needs wins to overturn Piastri in the championship.
- Brazilian Sauber driver Bortoleto finished 18th in the US, calling the race dull.
