Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton faces a crucial weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix at the 4.361-kilometre Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, as highlighted by Sky Sports F1 analysts Karun Chandhok and David Croft. The seven-time world champion recently endured what many consider his most challenging race so far with Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he was surprisingly outpaced by teammate Charles Leclerc in Barcelona. Although the Briton secured a Sprint race victory earlier in the season in China, he remains without a full Grand Prix podium after nine races with Ferrari, while Leclerc has already claimed three.
Following his disappointing performance at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Lewis Hamilton returns this week to Canada—the site of his first Formula 1 victory—hoping for a turnaround to regain momentum. Karun Chandhok expressed on the latest episode of The F1 Show that the situation is becoming increasingly critical for the British driver. He noted that the season is now entering its middle phase, and Hamilton has yet to find a consistent rhythm or feel fully comfortable with the car. Chandhok pointed out that Lewis Hamilton’s performances have been inconsistent, such as being poor in qualifying at Imola but strong in the race, and not quite matching Charles Leclerc in Monte Carlo, where he remained well behind his Maranello teammate.
Karun Chandhok indicated growing concern about the form for the former Mercedes driver, especially after the Spanish Grand Prix weekend in Barcelona, where Charles Leclerc overtook and pulled away comfortably even before tyre strategies came into play. After a difficult 2024 Formula 1 season in which Hamilton was outperformed by his Mercedes teammate George Russell, many hoped his switch to Ferrari would revive his competitiveness, but the pattern of struggles has largely persisted. Chandhok added that if he were in Hamilton’s position, he would be worried. With nearly half the season gone, it is time to assess whether there are fundamental issues with the car’s setup that need addressing.
He emphasized that the Briton’s talent remains undeniable—evidenced by his China win—but the team still needs to find the perfect balance for him to feel confident every race weekend. Currently, Hamilton experiences too much fluctuation between strong and weak performances, which affects his overall results.
Regarding Hamilton’s morale, there has been some discussion about whether he might have received a boost after recent revelations about a car issue. While Hamilton himself attributed his performance deficit to his own driving after the Spanish GP, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur later disclosed that a mechanical problem affected Hamilton’s performance in the final stint. Although Hamilton did not publicly mention the issue, David Croft suggested that understanding the problem might have helped Hamilton’s morale.
David Croft explained that Hamilton was visibly down after Spain and that Ferrari did not specify the exact problem. Fred Vasseur’s confirmation of a car issue in the closing stages indicates Hamilton’s lack of race pace was not solely due to driver performance. The British television broadcaster for Sky Sports reasoned that going back to the drawing board to identify and fix the problem could serve as a morale booster for Lewis Hamilton, knowing that his struggles were not entirely his fault.
Hamilton has a strong record in Canada, with six pole positions and seven race wins at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, including his last victory in 2019. Croft believes that this track could be the ideal venue for Lewis Hamilton to regain his form. He remarked that Canada is one of the Briton’s favorite circuits and a place where he has historically performed well, securing both his first pole and first F1 victory there. Croft stated that if Hamilton has another disappointing weekend similar to Barcelona, it would signal deeper issues. However, he expressed confidence that the seven-time world champion has the ability to reverse his fortunes at this crucial point in the season.
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