Lewis Hamilton left the Canadian Grand Prix with renewed optimism after delivering one of his strongest performances since joining Ferrari, finishing second in Montreal and sending an encouraging message about the future potential of the SF-26.
Following the race, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion spoke candidly about Ferrari’s progress, the atmosphere inside the team and the remaining weakness that is still preventing the Scuderia from consistently fighting for victories.
There was also time for a lighter moment during the post-race interview, as Lewis Hamilton joked about the Italian nickname he used to hear growing up: “In Italy they always used to call me Luigi when I was a kid,” he laughed after stepping out of the Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton encouraged by Ferrari’s progress in Canada
Beyond the joke, however, the British driver’s comments reflected genuine satisfaction with Ferrari’s performance throughout the Montreal weekend.
After several difficult races earlier in the season, the Canadian Grand Prix offered one of the clearest signs yet that Ferrari may finally be moving in the right direction with the SF-26.
Lewis Hamilton praised the effort being made behind the scenes in Maranello and highlighted the reliability of the car as one of the most positive aspects of Ferrari’s current package: “But what a great result. Incredibly proud of the team, grateful for the hard work and this is truly deserved for the team,” Lewis Hamilton explained – “They’ve worked so hard, we’ve got a great car, it’s reliable.”
The Montreal circuit was always expected to expose Ferrari’s power unit limitations because of its heavy emphasis on acceleration and straight-line performance. Yet despite that disadvantage, Lewis Hamilton still managed to remain competitive throughout the race and eventually secured a crucial podium finish for the Scuderia. Perhaps even more importantly for Ferrari fans, the British driver appeared increasingly comfortable with the characteristics of the SF-26 during both qualifying and race conditions.
Ferrari still losing time on the straights
Even with the encouraging result, Lewis Hamilton openly admitted that Ferrari is still lacking performance compared to its main rivals in one key area.
“Whilst we’re not where we want to be like on the straights, we’re still in there, still in the fight,” he said.
The comment reflects a problem Ferrari has been battling throughout the 2026 Formula 1 season. Compared to Mercedes, the SF-26 continues to suffer from a noticeable power deficit, especially on circuits where top speed and electrical deployment efficiency play a major role. However, Canada also demonstrated that Ferrari can remain competitive when tyre degradation stays under control and when the team is able to maximize the strengths of the chassis through corners and braking zones.
Lewis Hamilton’s ability to fight aggressively near the front despite the straight-line disadvantage reinforced the belief inside Maranello that the gap may not be as dramatic as raw numbers sometimes suggest.
Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari can soon fight for victories
Perhaps the most important part of Lewis Hamilton’s interview came when discussing Ferrari’s future development path.
The seven-time world champion made it clear that he believes the team is not far away from genuinely competing for race wins if it can solve its remaining straight-line weakness: “I think once we… If we are able to cut and close that gap on the straights, we’re going to be fighting for wins,” Lewis Hamilton stated.
That optimism arrives at an important moment for Ferrari, with major aerodynamic updates expected in the coming races and increasing attention already shifting toward the development packages planned for Barcelona The SF-26 has already shown strong potential through corners and over kerbs, while circuits like Monaco could further highlight Ferrari’s chassis strengths compared to rivals Mercedes and McLaren.
For now, Lewis Hamilton’s podium in Canada may not have ended Ferrari’s title concerns, but it did provide something the team desperately needed: proof that under the right conditions, the Scuderia can still fight at the very front of Formula 1.
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