Ferrari endured another difficult session in Canada, with the Scuderia once again struggling to unlock the ideal setup window for the SF-26. The Maranello car looked uncomfortable on corner entry during Free Practice, while the pace deficit to Mercedes appeared significant. There was barely time to process those concerns before Sprint Qualifying got underway in Montreal, where Charles Leclerc ultimately finished sixth and Lewis Hamilton fifth.
Canadian GP Sprint Qualifying SQ1: Charles Leclerc battles braking issues
Even before the pit lane light turned green, both Ferrari cars were already lined up and ready to go. For this opening run, the team immediately switched to the medium compound tyres, which had not been used during Free Practice 1. According to initial reports, Ferrari had also made setup adjustments to the SF-26, though it remained to be seen whether those changes had improved the car’s performance.
Lewis Hamilton was the first Ferrari driver to complete a lap, though it was clearly an exploratory run rather than an all-out push. During the cool-down lap, his race engineer suggested some gearbox usage adjustments to optimise performance in the opening sector.
Shortly afterwards, Charles Leclerc began his run and immediately went four-tenths faster than his teammate. Lewis Hamilton responded on his next attempt by moving to the top of the timesheets.
Charles Leclerc, however, encountered problems at Turn 1, locking the front-left tyre after running deep into the corner. It was not a severe flat spot, allowing him to push again immediately, but braking instability remained a concern.
The Monegasque driver complained about brake balance over team radio, suggesting the braking system felt out of sync. Bryan Bozzi attempted to reassure him, reminding Charles Leclerc that securing a competitive lap was the priority to avoid elimination.
Just as Charles Leclerc was beginning another flying lap, the red flag was deployed — the third interruption of the weekend — after Fernando Alonso locked up heavily at Turn 3, ran wide and crashed into the barriers.
While marshals worked to recover the Aston Martin, Ferrari relayed a large amount of information to Charles Leclerc, who was likely fortunate that the stoppage interrupted the session when it did.
With just 1 minute and 46 seconds remaining after the restart, only Lewis Hamilton returned to the track, having already set the fastest time. His lap was little more than a systems check, taken at reduced pace to continue building confidence with the SF-26, verify braking references and monitor track conditions before returning to the pits for SQ2.
Canadian GP Sprint Qualifying SQ2: Lewis Hamilton pushes harder
As always, the second segment was where the real battle intensified. Ferrari has often looked competitive enough in Q2 this season, only to lose ground dramatically in Q3 when outright power becomes decisive.
Both Ferrari drivers completed preparation laps to bring the tyres into the ideal operating window before switching into full attack mode.
Lewis Hamilton immediately produced a strong lap, finishing less than two-tenths behind the Mercedes pair. The seven-time world champion quickly asked where further improvements could be found, with feedback pointing to the final sector, particularly Turns 13 and 14. Charles Leclerc faced more challenges initially, trailing his teammate by around three-and-a-half tenths. Gradually, however, he built confidence and improved his feel for the car, reducing the gap to just one tenth.
Neither Ferrari had trouble progressing, but McLaren’s surprisingly quiet pace raised eyebrows, suggesting the Woking team was holding something in reserve. George Russell, by contrast, looked fully committed, pushing aggressively as if determined to establish himself as the benchmark in Montreal ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
After a short pause in the garage, attention turned to the decisive final segment, where Ferrari hoped to extract everything left from the SF-26.
Canadian GP Sprint Qualifying SQ3: the familiar late-session drop-off
The final phase began with the now familiar tyre preparation lap, crucial for reaching the target temperature window and unlocking maximum grip.
Lewis Hamilton delivered a solid opening effort, with only minor imperfections in Sector 1. Charles Leclerc, by comparison, failed to optimise his first attempt and finished more than four-tenths behind his teammate.
On the following lap, Lewis Hamilton improved by another tenth, but it was not enough to stay ahead as Lando Norris moved in front. As expected, McLaren suddenly came alive, with Oscar Piastri also jumping ahead of the Ferrari driver. Andrea Kimi Antonelli then slotted into second place, adding further pressure. Charles Leclerc improved as well, closing significantly on Lewis Hamilton’s benchmark.
Yet the underlying pattern remained unchanged: when maximum engine performance was required, Ferrari once again lost ground. Charles Leclerc also complained about traffic and continued to express frustration over the lack of straight-line performance late in the session. Saturday’s Sprint race is unlikely to be straightforward for Ferrari.
One final note: Lewis Hamilton chose not to use the simulator to prepare for the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, and so far the early evidence appears to support that decision. The bigger question now is how the remainder of the weekend will unfold — because that could prove highly significant.
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