Lewis Hamilton: Has Ferrari driver really found ‘sweet spot’ after ‘terrible’ weekend at Canadian Grand Prix | F1 News

Lewis Hamilton’s overtaking of Max Verstappen for second place at the Canadian Grand Prix topped off his most impressive weekend since joining Ferrari 18 months ago.

Hamilton trailed teammate Charles Leclerc throughout the sprint weekend in Montreal to claim his best result in a Ferrari and his second podium.

“These guys (Ferrari) have welcomed me with open arms, and it’s been pretty tough over the last year, so to finally find our sweet spot and have a good weekend was a really amazing feeling,” he said.

Similarly to George Russell, Hamilton needed a big performance after two difficult incidents over the weekend.

However, unlike Russell, the seven-time world champion got the response he was looking for as he let his driving do the talking…

Retirement for Hamilton? Not ‘for a while’

Hamilton made a strong start to 2026 as he was off the pace of Leclerc in Australia and China, claiming his first Ferrari podium in Shanghai.

He seemed to enjoy the new car significantly compared to the previous ground effect machine, but his form suddenly dropped in Japan and Miami as he failed to beat Leclerc on the road in any of the six competitive sessions that weekend.

Last Thursday in Montreal, Hamilton was asked by the Italian media about his future, especially if all was clear about whether he would drive for Ferrari in 2027.

He responded: “I’m still under contract, so everything is 100 percent clear to me. I’m still focused, I’m still motivated, I still love what I do with all my heart, and I’m going to be here for quite some time, so get used to it.

“There are a lot of people trying to get me to retire and it’s not even on my mind. I’m already thinking about what’s next, planning for the next five years. But yes, I still plan to be here for a while.”

Sky Sports F1 It is understood that Hamilton does not have a Ferrari contract until 2027, but has an option, if he wants, to stay with the team in 2028.

To whom Hamilton’s reply was intended, he wanted to make public that you would not get rid of him easily. Although contracts can be broken in Formula 1, and there are usually performance clauses for teams and drivers, so, with his comments, there was extra attention on Hamilton for the weekend and he certainly thrived on it.

Hamilton delivered after ‘Moving Mountain’

Ferrari did not bring any upgrades to Montreal where rivals Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull had new parts, so the Scuderia was expecting a tricky weekend.

But, Hamilton was immediately into it in practice, apparently eager to explore the car’s limits, and found a nice groove early on. It moved to fifth in sprint qualifying later on Friday but his pace in SQ1 and SQ2 was particularly encouraging as he looked set to challenge Mercedes for pole.

A small mistake at the hairpin in SQ3 cost Hamilton third place, but he still beat teammate Leclerc who was struggling with the brakes.

“This is probably our best qualifying session for a while,” Hamilton said.

“Really great work with the engineers, setup changes, the car felt really fantastic from P1 and we made subtle changes going into Quali.”

In the sprint itself, Hamilton was running fourth until he was overtaken by Oscar Piastre and Leclerc also moved ahead of the British driver.

Ferrari made some setup changes for qualifying later on Saturday and Hamilton again overtook Leclerc for fifth. This time a power unit problem denied him at least splitting the McLarens on the second row.

With drizzle in the air and tough, gusty conditions, Hamilton came alive on race day. He overtook a flying Verstappen early on and all fell seven seconds behind his old rival with 37 laps to go.

As the session progressed, Hamilton gradually chipped away at Verstappen’s advantage leading to a battle for second following Russell’s retirement.

He was up against the wall and pushing the limits of the car’s braking ability, knowing he had to take some risks to catch what was widely regarded as the best driver on the grid.

“I love that hunt. (I’ve been) my whole life since I was a kid, since I had a really old go-kart, I was always hunting,” Hamilton said.

It initially looked like superior Red Bull straight-line pace and Verstappen’s smart defending would be enough to hold off Hamilton. However, the Ferrari driver used his deployment tactically to take his best Grand Prix result in red with six laps to go into Turn 1.

“I just had to do these calculations, trying to figure out how to maximize the amount of energy each direct to my battery bar and make sure I had enough at that particular point,” he said.

“Thank God, I managed to pull it off. And it’s a great feeling when you overtake.”

Was the no-simulator approach the reason for the strong weekend?

Hamilton is using the Ferrari simulator to prepare for the race weekend significantly more than McLaren and Mercedes. But, the only two rounds he didn’t use the simulator were in China and Canada – the two races in which he scored a podium finish.

He said that “everything was reversed” once he got to the track in a race using the simulator, so he decided to focus more on the data to optimize corner balance and braking – something he hasn’t been happy about for most of the season.

Hamilton said he’s keen to use the simulator to liaise with Canada to see what the team is missing and why their equipment in Maranello doesn’t always transfer the same results to the track in real life, but he doesn’t plan to use it to prepare for the race weekend.

“There’s a lot of risk. If you look at my two best races, I didn’t use a simulator,” he said.

“Almost all the championships before that, except maybe 2008, I didn’t use SIM, so it’s not a necessity. It’s a tool that can be powerful. But for me, I’m old school. I’m probably better without it.”

Was Canada a turning point for Hamilton?

Hamilton is experienced enough to not let Canada get sidetracked and his return to form is timely with six rounds in eight weeks before the summer break at the end of July.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has always been a track that he has performed well at, taking his first pole position and victory there in 2007.

Leclerc said he had a “nightmare” weekend and struggled for confidence in the cold conditions, so the real test for Hamilton is coming and there is perhaps no bigger challenge than the next race in Monaco.

Ferrari are expected to be very strong, possibly even beating the team, with their lack of power in the low-speed corners and straights that will not show their lack of power.

That pressure to be able to win, and with Leclerc on home soil at a track he loves, will be a big hurdle for Hamilton.

“I think our car can be really strong there,” said Hamilton, who last won the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix.

“I’m going to really focus on making sure I bring the same power as I brought to Canada, study really hard with the engineers to get the car in the right place from Practice One.”

Perhaps Hamilton should bring his mother, Carmen Larbelestier, to Monaco as the two races he has competed in this year – China and Canada – suggest he could be a lucky charm.

“I got an apartment in Canada, so my mom stayed with me. So, every night we had dinner together and we watched a movie or sat and talked. It was great,” he said.

“We’re going on a little trip for a few days, so I’m really excited about that. It’s also nice to go to a positive result. So, now he has to come, he’s obviously my lucky charm, my lucky charm, he has to come every weekend!”

Next up is Formula 1’s European summer swing, with the Monaco Grand Prix the first of six races in eight weeks. Watch live on Sky Sports F1 from 5-7 June. Stream Sky Sports now – no contract, cancel anytime