Lewis Hamilton would have hoped to battle Max Verstappen during the final laps of the United States Grand Prix, but it never materialised.

During the final laps of the Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, Hamilton was rapidly closing in on Verstappen, who was on older tyres. However, the extended Virtual Safety Car caused by Valtteri Bottas' retirement cost Hamilton valuable time. In the end, he finished fourth, around a second behind the four-time world champion.

After the race, the Ferrari driver said: "I would've loved to have a little bit of a battle with Max, maybe during the last couple of laps. So, yeah, that would've been awesome."

Hamilton admits issues during first couple of stints

The seven-time F1 world champion then also pointed out that he missed out on a podium because of his first two stints on Sunday.

He continued in Austin: "But as I said, I think it was all a result of the first two stints where I just lost so much ground. And can't be giving up that time in the future. I really feel like, I'm happy with how I drove. It just took two whole stints to try and get this car to turn.

"And then once it started to turn in the third stint, I was back on pace with the guys ahead and put some big gap to close. You know, it was eight, nine seconds or whatever it was to car ahead. And those guys were obviously very quick, so I just got to work on not losing that time," the Ferrari driver concluded.

Hamilton knows exactly what Ferrari need to become F1 title contenders in 2027

Looking ahead to the upcoming F1 season, Hamilton said: "I'm really working on areas that we need to improve for next year's car. That's part of the discussion this weekend and the next couple of weekends. The feedback to the guys who are designing the parts for next year is just pointing out to them where we can improve on the actual chassis side and aero package."

He also highlighted once again that Ferrari needs to work on his power unit. "They're working hard to improve our engine for next year. I think if we're able to somehow get closer to these guys with the engine, then obviously we're going to be fighting for wins in these races."