Lewis Hamilton’s hopes for a strong showing at the 2024 United States Grand Prix were dashed after an unexpected retirement just three laps into the race. The seven-time world champion, who started in 17th place at the Circuit of the Americas, lost control of his Mercedes W15 and beached his car in the gravel, marking a premature end to what has been one of his favorite circuits over the years.
Hamilton had a promising start, gaining five positions to climb to 12th on the opening laps. The veteran driver, starting on hard tyres, looked set to make steady progress through the field. However, a sudden loss of rear grip—caused by the car’s bouncing and an unpredictable gust of wind—led to him spinning off at Turn 17.
“I had a great start, was feeling good and got up to 12th. It was the best start that I’ve had at Turn 1 in a long time,” Hamilton explained to the press after the race. “I wasn’t even pushing at that point; I was literally just trying to get going and bringing the tyres up to temperature. The car started bouncing, the left front started bouncing, and the rear end just came round.”
The incident raised concerns within Mercedes about the upgrades introduced for the US GP. Both Hamilton and teammate George Russell struggled throughout the weekend, with Russell spinning in qualifying and experiencing similar handling issues. Hamilton also had an off-track moment during practice, further intensifying the team’s concerns about the new aerodynamic package.
Hamilton suggested that the upgrades may have contributed to the car’s instability, citing Russell’s decision to revert to the old-spec car as a potential solution: “I was just saying about George obviously having the same problem yesterday. He has gone back to the old-spec car and is looking good out there, so maybe there is something with the new upgrade.”
Adding to the complexity of the situation, Hamilton noted that a 40 kph gust of wind had hit just as he turned into the corner, which may have exacerbated the problem. “We will investigate as much as we can, and after today we will get the data and see if we are going to be on the old or the new spec next week.”
Hamilton’s retirement triggered the first safety car in Formula 1 since the Canadian Grand Prix four months ago, further underlining the dramatic nature of the incident.
Despite the disappointment, Hamilton remained optimistic and focused on the team’s efforts: “I’m sorry to the team. They worked incredibly hard to bring these updates. We’ll work even harder to get the car right for Mexico next weekend.”
Mercedes now faces the critical task of evaluating their upgrades and addressing the car’s handling issues ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix. With both drivers experiencing difficulties, the team must determine whether to continue with the new aerodynamic package or revert to the previous spec for the next race.
