Ferrari arrived at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix with modest expectations, largely due to the power deficit of its engine compared to its main rivals. During the final phase of Sprint Qualifying, Charles Leclerc let his frustration boil over on team radio after a problem compromised his decisive lap.
As seen in Free Practice 1, Ferrari finished third and fourth, but the underlying picture suggested a more difficult weekend ahead. Lewis Hamilton, who notably chose not to prepare for the weekend using the simulator, looked sharper than Charles Leclerc from the very beginning. Montreal has also never been one of Charles Leclerc’s strongest circuits, where he has often found himself trailing teammates in previous seasons. There was already concern heading into SQ3 that the Mercedes-powered cars would unleash additional engine performance in the final segment and stretch the gap to Ferrari — which is exactly what happened.
But one particular incident pushed the Ferrari driver over the edge.
Charles Leclerc furious over traffic in final sector
“Guys, what the hell, this traffic, for God’s sake. Come on! My tyres are completely out of the window because of this. People going 10 km/h in the final sector. We should complain about the cool-down laps. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, illegal. For tomorrow, let’s focus on being alone on track.”
Those were Charles Leclerc’s words after race engineer Bryan Bozzi informed him that he had finished Sprint Qualifying in sixth position.
Overall, it was not a straightforward session for the Monegasque driver, who appeared to lack the pace shown by Lewis Hamilton’s strongest laps for much of the session. In the end, however, the final classification showed the two Ferrari drivers relatively close, both in grid position and outright lap time.
Early brake concerns for Charles Leclerc
Several team radio exchanges also suggested that Charles Leclerc was struggling with braking issues, particularly in the early stages of the session: “Guys, is there a problem with the brake balance? It’s not possible, we are completely out of the window.”
It appeared that the issue was later resolved, allowing the Ferrari driver to gradually regain confidence and improve his feeling with the SF-26. Even so, it remains difficult to imagine a dramatic turnaround for Ferrari ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Regardless of the quick fix, the competitive outlook is unlikely to change drastically for Saturday’s main qualifying session. With the SF-26 severely lacking straight-line speed on Montreal’s long straights, beating the likes of McLaren and Mercedes is shaping up to be an incredibly uphill task for Ferrari.
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