A Sprint race that Lewis Hamilton found particularly difficult to accept and process. Ferrari had initially started in a relatively encouraging fashion, with the British driver showing respectable pace and appearing capable of fighting closer to the front. However, as the shorter race progressed toward its conclusion, Lewis Hamilton was ultimately forced to surrender positions due to excessive rear tyre degradation, which once again exposed one of Ferrari’s recurring weaknesses this season. Charles Leclerc took advantage of the situation on the final lap to move ahead of his teammate, leaving Ferrari with a rather uninspiring fifth and sixth-place finish that offered little real satisfaction. However, after several setup adjustments ahead of the second qualifying session of the Canadian weekend, hopes of improvement quickly faded, as the outcome proved even more disappointing than the previous day. Lewis Hamilton secured a third-row start, while Charles Leclerc could manage only the fifth row, highlighting another frustrating qualifying session for the Italian side.
Canadian GP Q1: Ferrari fails to impress
The second qualifying session of the Canadian weekend began with the Soft compound tyres, as expected, with every team aware that outright pace would be essential from the very first runs. It was immediately clear that even the softest Pirelli tyres required significant front-end warm-up in order to reach the optimal operating window, something that could heavily influence performance over a single flying lap. This remains a persistent weakness for the Ferrari SF-26, despite the extensive development work carried out during the design phase and the team’s continuous efforts to improve mechanical and aerodynamic balance. Lewis Hamilton looked noticeably more comfortable from the outset, showing a cleaner driving style and greater trust in the front end, while Charles Leclerc struggled more visibly to build confidence and find the right balance in the opening minutes of the session.
That difficulty was confirmed when Charles Leclerc ran straight on at Turn 14 and was forced to cut the chicane in order to avoid a bigger incident. As seen the previous day, Ferrari still appeared to lack full confidence under braking on single-lap pace, an issue that becomes especially costly on a circuit like Montreal where heavy braking zones define the lap. Charles Leclerc also reported concerns with the hybrid system, believing the battery was not charging efficiently enough to deliver optimal energy deployment where needed most. The Ferrari pit wall responded with a suggestion to avoid pushing flat-out through the opening sector during the charge lap in order to prevent excessive battery depletion and allow the system to recover more effectively.
The opening phase of qualifying effectively turned into a continuous run without returning to the pits, with cooldown laps strategically used to reduce tyre temperatures and recharge the battery pack as efficiently as possible before another push attempt. Ferrari informed both drivers that their lap times were currently sufficient to make the cut into Q2, although the stopwatch figures themselves were far from especially encouraging when compared to the leading pace. For that reason, and with the midfield battle appearing extremely tight, both Ferrari drivers remained on track to continue improving.
In the end, Charles Leclerc improved his lap but still sat four and a half tenths behind session leader Kimi Antonelli, which underlined Ferrari’s inability to challenge at the very front. Lewis Hamilton did slightly better, reducing that gap by another 80 milliseconds despite encountering traffic at Turn 1, which compromised the beginning of his lap. Lewis Hamilton mentioned the issue over team radio, although Ferrari had already identified the problem and were aware of the circumstances. Charles Leclerc also reported that the car felt unusual and requested a systems check, likely after damaging the floor slightly when he ran wide earlier in the session. The question quickly became whether Ferrari had suffered any meaningful performance consequences from that moment.
Canadian GP Q2: Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari lacks stability
The Ferrari drivers returned to the circuit on another fresh set of red-walled Soft tyres, knowing that the second phase of qualifying would demand cleaner execution and stronger consistency. Ferrari remained highly competitive in Sector 1, where the SF-26 continued to demonstrate solid pace and the ability to make up time through the opening sequence of corners. However, the weakness in the final sector remained significant and continued to cost the team valuable lap time. Charles Leclerc was particularly unhappy with his preparation lap, describing it as extremely poor and clearly indicating that his confidence behind the wheel remained fragile.
Both Ferrari drivers were subsequently called back into the pits for another quick evaluation. Lewis Hamilton was less than two tenths behind pace-setter Kimi Antonelli, suggesting that he remained in a reasonably competitive position, while Charles Leclerc found himself over seven tenths adrift, a much more concerning margin considering the limited time available to respond. Ferrari’s pit wall asked whether Charles Leclerc wanted a front wing adjustment to alter the front-end balance and potentially improve turn-in response, but the Monegasque driver insisted that the installed aerodynamic load was not the underlying issue. Instead, he believed another problem was affecting the car’s overall behaviour, though he could not clearly identify exactly what was causing the instability.
Lewis Hamilton’s stop was extremely brief and efficient. After barely two minutes reviewing telemetry with the engineers, he headed straight back out with another new set of Soft tyres in an effort to maximise track evolution. Ferrari engineer Carlo Santi provided the necessary instructions, advising an additional preparation lap because a standard out lap alone would not be enough to bring the front tyres up to the desired target temperature. That detail once again reinforced Ferrari’s continuing tyre preparation challenges.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc returned to the circuit looking far from comfortable and clearly not fully convinced by the package underneath him. He was evidently driving at the limit, but with little trust in the car’s behaviour under braking, making every corner entry a potential source of uncertainty. Lewis Hamilton encountered traffic at Turn 3 but still managed to improve his lap time, further strengthening his position. Charles Leclerc also found time, but he remained four tenths slower than Lewis Hamilton and expressed frustration once again over poor track positioning, suggesting Ferrari’s timing and release strategy was not helping his effort.
Canadian GP Q3: Lewis Hamilton delivers, Charles Leclerc falls short
Before the final phase of qualifying, Charles Leclerc urged Ferrari to improve its management of his track position, clearly convinced that he was repeatedly being sent out in the wrong place at the wrong time. His frustration was evident, as clean air can make a decisive difference on a circuit where margins are measured in hundredths. The decisive final segment began with the familiar expectation that the Mercedes-powered cars would enjoy their usual straight-line and deployment advantage, forcing Ferrari to rely on near-perfect execution and driver precision to stay in realistic contention.
Track conditions remained stable, with no major environmental changes affecting grip levels or tyre behaviour, and both Ferraris once again fitted fresh Soft tyres for the opening runs. Lewis Hamilton immediately delivered a strong lap, going second behind Lando Norris and putting three tenths between himself and Charles Leclerc in the process. Charles Leclerc could manage only fifth, sitting four tenths off the benchmark, although it should be noted that the two Mercedes cars had yet to complete representative runs at that point. Even so, the early comparison between the Ferrari teammates was telling. After a brief pause in the garage, preparations began for the final attempts.
Charles Leclerc clearly needed to find something extra on the decisive lap, even though his confidence in the Ferrari over a single lap remained far from ideal. Ferrari once again opted for an additional preparation lap before the final push attempt, hoping better tyre preparation might unlock a stronger performance. Lewis Hamilton, unfortunately, was unable to complete his final lap after making an error on corner exit at Turn 7, forcing him to abandon the attempt despite a relatively unremarkable opening sector that had not looked especially competitive anyway.
Charles Leclerc improved on his final effort, but it was still not enough to beat Lewis Hamilton. Just one tenth separated the Ferrari teammates, yet in the incredibly compressed midfield battle that tiny margin translated into three grid positions. That underlined just how competitive and unforgiving the Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session had become. In the end, Ferrari was left with fifth and ninth on the grid, a result that offered little encouragement for a team hoping to fight much closer to the front.
Just as had been the case on Friday in Montreal, the Ferrari SF-26 lacked the final burst of pace needed to challenge the frontrunners when it mattered most in Q3. While Lewis Hamilton extracted a respectable performance under difficult circumstances, Charles Leclerc never truly looked comfortable enough to maximise the car’s potential. Ferrari’s issues with tyre preparation, braking confidence, hybrid management, and final-sector competitiveness all combined to produce another frustrating outcome.
Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix now looks set to be a particularly demanding race for Ferrari, especially when tyre management becomes the defining strategic factor over a full race distance. If rear degradation once again becomes a major issue, as seen in the Sprint, then both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc may face an uphill battle not only against Mercedes and McLaren, but potentially against several midfield rivals capable of capitalising on Ferrari’s weaknesses.
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