Lewis Hamilton pinpoints reason for US GP loss, but concedes Red Bull were quicker

Hamilton now trails Verstappen by 12 points in the Drivers' Championship with five races remaining

Lewis Hamilton believes a better "rear end" on the Red Bull Racing was the difference between victory and second place at the United States Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver also conceded that the Austrian team were just a bit quicker than their rivals on the day, which poses a worry for the upcoming races in Mexico and Brazil.

The seven-time world champion looked to be on the better strategy as the United States Grand Prix entered its final stretch. But despite being on fresher tyres and reeling in Max Verstappen to within just over a second, he was unable to pass the Red Bull in the final laps, eventually finishing 1.3 seconds behind.

"We gave it everything we had, and they were just quicker than us this weekend, for whatever reason," Hamilton said after the race, as quoted on F1.com. "I can't pinpoint it. It looked like they had just a better rear end, a little bit less sliding than we had."

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen — Side-by-side: Max Verstappen (left) and Lewis Hamilton fight for the lead Robyn Beck/AFP

The Austrian team's advantage will be concerning for the Silver Arrows team, especially with the next two races in Mexico and Brazil expected to suit the Red Bull car more than the Mercedes. Hamilton admitted that they will have to ensure the damage is minimal to stay alive in the championship.

"We are going to the next two tracks which are very strong circuits for Red Bull so it is going to be tough," the British driver added. "We will just try and minimise how strong they can be compared to us, and see if we can do a better job."

Hamilton looked favourite to win after the reigning champion made a blistering start from second place to snatch the from Verstappen after Turn 1. However, the Dutchman did not let the Briton break free and kept within two seconds before overtaking him by performing the undercut in the first round of pitstops.

The F1 juggernaut now heads down south to Mexico for the next race on Nov. 7 as the season enters its final stage. After taking victory at the United States Grand Prix, Verstappen now leads Hamilton by 12 points with five races remaining.