Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly fear an extremely tricky 2026 Canadian Grand Prix in the rain, with rain tires deemed insufficient and very unstable conditions.
Read more Aston Martin sanctioned a second time after a «potentially dangerous» incident with Stroll
The Canadian weekend could descend into chaos if the weather forecasts are confirmed. In Montreal, rain is expected for the race, which would place the drivers facing one of the most complex challenges of the season with the new generations of single-seaters.
The expected very low temperatures, combined with a circuit that is not very energy-demanding, greatly complicate tire management. In these conditions, reaching and maintaining the correct operating window of the tires becomes particularly difficult, especially with rain and intermediate tires.
Hamilton criticizes Pirelli rain tires
Lewis Hamilton has been very skeptical about the effectiveness of the current rain tires supplied by Pirelli. According to him, their behavior remains far from satisfactory in the conditions expected in Montreal.
The Briton believes that the evolution of the tires towards structures adapted to the absence of heating blankets has not brought the expected gains. He even considers that the current tires cause more problems than they solve.
“The rain tires have not been spectacular in terms of behavior since the transition to the absence of heating blankets or lower blanket temperatures” declares Hamilton.
“Pirelli had to design a tire capable of working with these blankets, but that made things more complicated, and we are constantly struggling with tires that do not work properly.”
For him, even in testing, the limits became clear: “During my test, I tried to push the tires into their operating ranges with blankets, but even under these conditions, it remains insufficient.”
Read more Max Verstappen frustrated by Red Bull’s «radio silence» in a confusing Canadian qualifying session
Gasly fears a “game of elimination” scenario
Pierre Gasly shares a similar concern and expects an extremely difficult race to manage for the entire field.
The Frenchman does not rule out a scenario where many drivers would be forced to retire or make mistakes, turning the race into a true natural selection on a wet track.
“I would not be surprised if we witness some kind of elimination game, although I could be wrong” he explains.
Gasly also highlights his lack of references with the current rain tires, recalling his tests: “I tried the rain tires at Magny-Cours and it was quite surprising. Even in dry conditions, it is already difficult to get them into the right window, so in the rain it will be extremely complicated.”
Regarding strategic choices, he adds humorously: “I will let others try the intermediates.”
A completely open race in Montreal
With unstable weather, delicate tires to exploit, and single-seaters still difficult to master in these conditions, the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix could quickly become a race of total uncertainty.
In this context, risk management, tire strategy, and the ability to avoid mistakes could weigh much more than pure performance, in an event where every lap could completely reshuffle the standings.