Ferrari US GP 2026: Fastest in Practice, Fourth on the Grid

The Ferrari US GP 2026 story comes down to a simple question: why does the fastest car in practice start fourth and fifth? According to RaceFans, Ferrari led all three practice sessions at the Circuit of the Americas, then qualified Charles Leclerc fourth, 0.232s off pole, and Lewis Hamilton fifth, 0.276s off. The race starts at 20:00 UTC on Sunday 25 October 2026, and Ferrari's best asset is not their grid slot. It is what their cars do after the start.

What happened to Ferrari in qualifying?

Pole went to Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes with a 1:34.035. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar filled the rest of the front row for Red Bull, and Ferrari were fourth and fifth. The Race's headline summed up the mood: another Ferrari pole bid had faltered, with the team the practice pacesetter once again. We have not seen a full explanation from Ferrari, and neither will we pretend to have one.

What we do know is that the margins are tiny. Leclerc was 0.017s slower than Hadjar and 0.053s slower than Verstappen. Hamilton was a further 0.044s behind Leclerc. This is a fourth and fifth place that sits within three tenths of the pole sitter, not a collapse.

Ferrari also brought what The Race describes as their last major aero upgrade of 2026 to Austin. Whether it explains Saturday's pace or only Friday's is a question for the race to answer.

Why is Ferrari's race pace the real story?

Because on lap one, in this year's data, Ferrari do something other front-runners do not. In the GridRaces results for rounds 1 to 17, Leclerc has gained a net 14 places on the opening lap over 17 starts. He gained places in 10 of them and lost them in 3. Hamilton is on plus 5 over 17, gaining in 8 and losing in 2. Our first-lap analysis shows the contrast with Mercedes, who have lost places overall.

Put that next to the grid. Antonelli, on pole, has a net minus 9 on lap one across 17 starts. Hadjar, in third, is on minus 8 across 14. The Ferraris start right behind both of them.

Ferrari US GP 2026: three storylines to watch

First, Leclerc against Hadjar into Turn 1. Seventeen thousandths of a second separate them on the grid, and the lap-one numbers favour the Ferrari driver heavily.

Second, Hamilton's patience. Fifth is a position from which a driver can wait for the first stint to sort itself out, and Hamilton's lap-one record is positive more often than not. He does not need heroics to move forward.

Third, the Mercedes pair. George Russell starts sixth, 0.441s off pole, directly behind both Ferraris. Mercedes have lost ground on lap one all year, so a slow launch from either car would shuffle the whole second row.

Our bold prediction

Our call, which we will happily eat if we are wrong: at least one Ferrari is on the podium. Leclerc's lap-one record is the best of the front-runners we compared, the pace in practice was there, and the gaps on Saturday were small. If the Ferrari upgrade works as intended, both cars could be involved.

If you disagree, the live timing page is where the argument gets settled after the lights, and the standings show what each result does to the constructors' picture. For how the weekend built up, our practice results report has the Friday and Saturday detail.

Ready to put your Energy behind your own judgement? Make your picks for the US GP in predictions.