Lewis Hamilton believes that a place in the top 3 was well within his reach during the qualifying for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix, before a mistake in his last fast lap.
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Since the start of the Montreal weekend, Lewis Hamilton seems particularly comfortable behind the wheel of his Ferrari. The seven-time world champion has regularly shown a better pace than his teammate Charles Leclerc, both during practice and in the various qualifying sessions.
This momentum was confirmed on Saturday evening during the Grand Prix qualifying. While Leclerc could do no better than eighth, Hamilton was in the fight for the front rows throughout Q3.
The Briton even seemed capable of securing a place in the top three before a mistake ruined his chances on his last attempt.
A mistake at turn 7 that changes everything
On his final fast lap, Hamilton lost the rear of his Ferrari exiting turn 7. Immediately sensing that his time would no longer be competitive, the Ferrari driver chose to lift off and abandon his attempt.
Result: he must finally settle for fifth position on the grid, nearly three tenths behind the pole set by George Russell.
Despite this frustration, Hamilton mainly focused on the progress made by Ferrari since the start of the weekend.
“The car was really nice to drive, he explained after the session. We made good changes before qualifying. Honestly, I thought I could get a better result.”
The British driver is even convinced that a podium on the grid was possible without this mistake: “If I had nailed my last lap, I sincerely think I could have finished third.”
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Ferrari still handicapped by its engine deficit
Even though Hamilton is satisfied with the overall behavior of the SF-26, he acknowledges that Ferrari continues to suffer from a lack of power compared to Mercedes, particularly noticeable on a track like Montreal with its long straights.
“The team at the factory has done an incredible job on the car, he emphasized. But we remain limited by the engine power deficit. When you lose so much top speed to Mercedes, it becomes very complicated.”
However, the Briton wants to praise the work done in Maranello, especially on the reliability of the Ferrari engine.
“The reliability is excellent. The problem is not there. But with this lack of straight-line speed, you have to compensate elsewhere.”
Hamilton remains hopeful for the rest of the season
Despite this engine gap, Hamilton remains convinced that Ferrari can still get closer to the leading teams on some more favorable circuits.
According to him, the goal will now be to continue developing aerodynamics and cornering performance to reduce the gap with Mercedes and McLaren.
“We have to keep improving the car throughout the season, he explained. If we manage to be faster in the corners on some tracks, then we can get back into the fight at the front.”
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