Lewis Hamilton Closing In On 43-Year-Old Ferrari F1 Record He Won't Want To Break

Hamilton's start to life at Ferrari did look promising with victory in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint. However, in the grand prix proper that weekend, a disqualification for excessive plank wear would foreshadow a campaign of issues for the team. The Briton added to his sprint win with a sprint podium in Miami, but has been unable to take one in a grand prix.

With a podium still not coming at the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton moved equal with Didier Pironi for the most grands prix without a podium for Ferrari after joining the team.

Both drivers are currently tied with 18 races without a top three since making the move to the Scuderia, with the Frenchman breaking his duck egg at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in 1982, an event that preceded the tragic death of teammate Gilles Villeneuve in Belgium shortly after.

If Hamilton therefore doesn't score a podium finish at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend, he will take sole ownership of that record.

While the first half of the season was turbulent for Hamilton as struggles led to speculation over his F1 future, performances after the summer break have been encouraging.

He had been Leclerc's equal at the Dutch Grand Prix before a crash in treacherous conditions at Zandvoort, while a strong weekend at Monza was undone by a penalty carried forward from the Netherlands.

Hamilton had thought he was in the running for pole in Azerbaijan before conditions changed for Saturday's qualifying at the Baku City Circuit, while he was on course to beat Leclerc and finish fifth in Singapore last time out before a brake failure left him limping home, eventually classified eighth following a post-race penalty.

He sits sixth in the drivers' standings with 125 points.