lewis hamilton, ferrari, italian fans — Photo: © IMAGO

United States Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton hits Ferrari humiliation after breaking 43-YEAR record

Lewis Hamilton missed out on a podium

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Accredited motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 20 October 2025 08:58

Lewis Hamilton claimed an unwanted F1 record with Ferrari at the US Grand Prix, usurping a previous statistic held for the 43-years.

Despite improved pace for Hamilton and Ferrari at the Circuit of the Americas, a first podium continues to elude the champion, equalling his best grand prix finish of fourth on Sunday.

A podium result initially looked like a possibility, after Hamilton enjoyed a spectacular start to overtake George Russell for fourth place.

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The battle between Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris also played into his hands, as the pair fell into his clutches and DRS range before the McLaren managed to overtake the Ferrari.

On lap 29 however, Hamilton was instructed to lift and coast to prevent excessive wear to his skid block, with the instruction costing the Brit lap time to prevent disqualification.

The 40-year-old nearly dropped to fifth on the final lap when he suffered a front-right tyre puncture, but managed to make it to the finish line before Oscar Piastri overtake the champion.

Hamilton’s team-mate Leclerc claimed the final spot on the podium in third, and by doing so, earned the Brit an unwanted F1 record.

Hamilton misses out on Ferrari podium

Following the US Grand Prix, Hamilton has gone 19 races without a Ferrari podium, the longest of any competitor who drove with the team following a debut - with his sprint race victory not counting towards the grand prix record.

French racing driver Didier Pironi previously held the record for 43-years from the years 1981 until 1982, breaking the 18-race streak by winning the 1982 San Marino GP.

Pironi would go on to win one more race and claim five more podium finishes in 1982, finishing the season second in championship and five points behind the world champion Keke Rosberg, having unfortunately suffered a career ending crash late in the season.

The Frenchman's previous season in 1981 makes Hamilton’s 2025 season look like a success, with Pironi retiring from seven out of the 15 races he contested, and he only achieved nine points across the year to finish 13th overall.

While this was largely the fault of the unreliable Ferrari 126CK, Pironi was also outpaced by team-mate Gilles Villeneuve, who won back-to-back wins in Monaco and Spain the same year.

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Lewis Hamilton Ferrari United States Grand Prix