AUSTIN — Lewis Hamilton had never exLewis Hamilton explains US Grand Prix Lap 3 spinperienced a spin in Turn 3 at the Circuit of the Americas before.
Earlier in the week during practice, Hamilton spun in Turn 3, which hinted at a challenging weekend ahead in Austin.
During the early laps of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, Hamilton lost control and spun into the gravel at Turn 19, ending his race after just three laps.
In a media briefing shortly after, Hamilton recounted his experience.
“I had a great start and felt good, making it up to 12th place, my best start at Turn 1 in a long time. I wasn’t pushing hard yet, just working on getting the tires up to temperature,” he explained.
“Then the car started bouncing, the left front was bouncing, and suddenly the rear end lost grip, similar to what happened to George [Russell] yesterday.”
When asked by Elizabeth Blackstock of PlanetF1 if he had anticipated the spin, Hamilton mentioned a similar incident in Friday’s practice at Turn 3, which he called “rare.”
“I had the same spin in Turn 3 during P1, which is unusual; I’ve never spun there before,” he said. “I noticed George had the same issue yesterday but went back to the older car spec, and he’s performing well.”
Hamilton added that even without the spin on Lap 3, it seemed likely to happen eventually.
“If I hadn’t experienced the bouncing, I think it would have occurred later in the race,” he stated. “Something wasn’t right with the car, and that’s been consistent this weekend with our new package.”
He expressed disappointment but accepted the situation.
“It’s obviously tough, but it is what it is,” he said.
Responding to a question from SB Nation, Hamilton acknowledged the importance of the upcoming practice sessions in Mexico City, where Mercedes hopes to address balance issues and decide whether to stick with the new W15 specifications or revert to the old ones.
While speaking with SB Nation, Hamilton noted that Russell, who started from the pit lane after switching back to the older specifications post-crash, was already competing for points.
“Thankfully, we’ll analyze today’s data to determine if we’ll use the old or new spec next week,” Hamilton said.
“After a tough weekend, it’s good to have back-to-back races, and I’m glad we’ll be back on track in four days.”
With that, the seven-time champion left with a smile, eager to improve in Mexico City.
