F1 2021 USGP: Lewis Hamilton "did the best" with what he had

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who had to settle for second place in the 2021 USGP, feels he did his best to claim victory at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The Briton, who had five wins at the USGP coming into this year's edition, believes there is nothing he could have done differently in the race.

According to the seven-time world champion, Max Verstappen and his team simply had the "upper hand" all weekend. The Dutchman, whose tires were hanging on by a thread towards the end of the race, exhibited a strong defense on track to claim victory and extend his points lead over Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton feels there is nothing he nor his team could have done differently to win the USGP

Lewis Hamilton leads Max Verstappen during 2021 USGP in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Speaking after the race during the FIA press conference, Hamilton said:

“I really thought for a second (that) we might be able to win. I gave it absolutely everything out there. It was such a tough race but unfortunately, we couldn't convert it.”

Commenting on his rival’s race weekend, the reigning world champion said:

“Firstly, congratulations to Max, he did a brilliant job today. Red Bull just had the upper hand and we couldn't match them. It looked like they had a better and more stable rear end on their car, with less sliding.”

While Hamilton had beaten pole-sitter Verstappen into the first corner at the start, pitstop strategies and tires played a key role in determining the outcome of the race. The Mercedes driver summarized his race by saying:

“The start was obviously great and closing the gap towards the end, but I got into the dirty air and the tires overheated in the last few laps.”

Hamilton described his cockpit experience while battling Verstappen, saying:

"We had a good start, he seemed to be quite close throughout on the medium tire and then obviously, they stopped extremely early and then just tried to offset myself after that. I was hoping it would give us a chance to fight later on, but I think track position was key today.”

On whether he was more competitive than his rivals on the hard tires towards the end of the race, Hamilton said:

“I think they were quicker all weekend, on all tires today. Just in the heat, I think the real strength has shone through this weekend, a bit like it has in other places, like Bahrain, this year. So, yeah, did the best I could with what we had.”

In FP1, both Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas had outpaced their rivals in terms of performance by a significant margin, suggesting a dominant weekend for Mercedes in the race. On being asked about how it changed, Hamilton said:

“No, I think they just got quicker. I have no idea about it.”

On being asked if there was anything that could have been done differently, Hamilton replied:

“I don’t know what we could have done differently, so I have to sit down and talk with the team afterwards. I think the team did a great job today and it was the best with what we had.”

The next two tracks on the F1 roster — Mexico and Brazil — strongly favor the Red Bull Racing team, and a 12-point lead at this stage in the season could be a blow to Mercedes. Commenting on the next two races, Hamilton said:

“Yeah, we’re going to, at least the next two tracks for sure, very strong circuits for Red Bull so it’s going to be tough, for sure.”

Speaking of his rival’s title lead over him, the 36-year-old Mercedes driver said:

“I’m not thinking about it at the moment, I’ve got to be happy with the job that I did today and live in the moment.”

Explaining his approach towards the next race weekend, Hamilton said:

“Unfortunately, we weren’t quick enough to win the race today but yeah, we just look forward and take it one race at a time.”

With the Mexican circuit clearly favoring his rivals, Hamilton’s primary concern is going to be how he can turn the tables in his own favor. Commenting on how he might counter his rivals, he said:

“They are two circuits that are strong for Red Bull so we just try to minimize how strong they can be compared to us and see if we can do a better job.”

Even though history seemed to favor Hamilton at the Austin circuit, Verstappen’s racecraft and Red Bull's effectiveness on the pit-wall delivered a blow to Mercedes. Bouncing back from the USGP outcome is going to be an uphill battle for the Silver Arrows. The next two venues are not just a challenge for their current car but are tracks where his rivals and other teams are likely to have the upper hand.