Thanks to his second place at the Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton achieved his best result with Ferrari. The Brit now wants to see the Scuderia continue its efforts to get back to Mercedes’ level.
Read more George Russell sanctioned by the FIA after his outburst in Canada
After sometimes difficult beginnings under Ferrari colors, Lewis Hamilton experienced his most convincing weekend since joining the Italian team in Montreal. Starting fifth on the grid, the seven-time world champion quickly benefited from McLaren’s failed gamble, which had fitted intermediate tires at the start despite a mostly dry track.
The Brit then found himself at the heart of an intense battle with Max Verstappen for much of the race. Long blocked behind the Red Bull, Hamilton finally managed to come back in the last laps before making a decisive attack to seize second place.
This podium represents a huge relief for the Ferrari driver, who had been waiting for a benchmark result for several months. Very moved after the finish, Hamilton wanted to salute his team’s work.
“These guys welcomed me with open arms and it has been quite difficult for over a year now” explained Hamilton after the race.
“So finally managing to find the right balance and have a good weekend, it’s an incredible feeling to be back here at the front. Plus, being able to really fight with Max in the race was great.”
Ferrari regains hope against Mercedes
Since the start of the 2026 season, Ferrari seemed to be Mercedes’ main rival before gradually losing ground to the Silver Arrows and McLaren. However, this result obtained at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit allows the Scuderia to regain some optimism.
Hamilton notably considers this performance encouraging given the profile of the Canadian track, particularly demanding for top speed, a sector in which Mercedes seemed to have a significant advantage until now.
Read more Kimi Antonelli regrets Russell’s retirement after their intense duel in Montreal
“I’m really happy. I love this circuit and I’m already looking forward to coming back” added the Brit.
The Ferrari driver also recalled that Mercedes brought a major upgrade this weekend in Canada, while several teams continued to aggressively develop their cars.
“It’s clearly encouraging because Mercedes brought a big upgrade here, Hamilton emphasized. Many teams brought new parts. Our big package arrived in Miami and the team is working extremely hard at the factory.”
A clear message sent to Maranello
Even if this second place represents an important step, Hamilton refuses to be satisfied. The Brit believes Ferrari must continue to develop its car to hope to sustainably compete with Mercedes in the fight for victories.
According to him, achieving such a result on a circuit so unfavorable to Ferrari shows that there is real potential for the rest of the season.
“Managing to get this result on a circuit so focused on top speed gives me a lot of hope for the future, he confided. But we must keep pushing and keep trying to extract more performance.”
With this solid performance in Montreal, Hamilton sends a strong signal: Ferrari finally seems to be starting to find the right direction.