Charles Leclerc opens up on “extremely painful” Canadian GP as Ferrari star admits confidence completely disappeared
Charles Leclerc described the Canadian Grand Prix weekend as one of the toughest experiences of his Formula 1 career after enduring persistent balance and tyre issues that left the Ferrari driver struggling for confidence from the very first session in Montreal.
While Lewis Hamilton delivered Ferrari’s strongest result of the 2026 Formula 1 season with a brilliant second-place finish at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Charles Leclerc endured a deeply frustrating weekend that exposed the inconsistencies still affecting the SF-26 package.
The Monegasque driver crossed the line fourth in Sunday’s Grand Prix after finishing fifth in the Sprint race, but the final result did little to reflect the scale of the difficulties he experienced throughout the event. For the first time in several race weekends, Lewis Hamilton comfortably outperformed Charles Leclerc across both qualifying and race pace, with the seven-time world champion appearing significantly more comfortable with Ferrari’s setup direction.
Charles Leclerc repeatedly battled instability under braking, poor tyre feel and a complete lack of confidence in the car, especially through Montreal’s aggressive kerbs and low-grip corner sequences. According to the Ferrari driver, those problems remained unresolved from FP1 all the way to the closing stages of the Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc admits Montreal weekend became a survival exercise
Speaking after the race, Charles Leclerc admitted that the Canadian Grand Prix had felt more like damage limitation than a genuinely competitive weekend. The Ferrari driver explained that he never found the connection with the Pirelli tyres needed to push confidently around the demanding Montreal circuit.
Charles Leclerc suggested that finishing fourth was more a consequence of external circumstances than a reward for performance, especially after strategy mistakes from McLaren and George Russell’s retirement reshaped the order at the front.
The Ferrari driver explained that the weekend had effectively become a “nightmare” from the opening practice session onward, describing it as potentially the most difficult Formula 1 weekend he had experienced in terms of feeling and confidence behind the wheel.
According to Charles Leclerc, he never developed trust in the tyres throughout the entire event, and during the final phase of the race he was forced to drive significantly below the car’s ultimate pace simply to avoid making a costly mistake.
The Monegasque also admitted that several moments during the Grand Prix felt dangerously close to losing control, underlining just how uncomfortable he felt with the SF-26 package in Montreal.
Lewis Hamilton becomes Ferrari’s benchmark in Canada
Despite his own struggles, Charles Leclerc acknowledged the outstanding performance delivered by Lewis Hamilton across the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. The Ferrari driver pointed to Lewis Hamilton’s pace, tyre management and confidence level as a valuable reference point for Ferrari moving forward.
Charles Leclerc admitted that Lewis Hamilton extracted virtually everything possible from the SF-26 in Montreal and suggested that the British driver’s performance would now provide the team with critical data to analyse the significant gap between the two sides of the garage.
While Charles Leclerc failed to unlock performance, Lewis Hamilton appeared increasingly comfortable with Ferrari’s evolving setup philosophy, particularly during the race’s second stint on medium tyres. Lewis Hamilton’s aggressive overtake on Max Verstappen and his eventual second-place finish highlighted Ferrari’s improving competitiveness under the new regulations.
Charles Leclerc explained that the characteristics of the Montreal circuit have historically not suited his natural driving style. He suggested that the rhythm of the corners and braking zones around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
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