Scuderia Ferrari HP leaves Canada with a very solid haul of 37 points scored over the course of the weekend, 30 of them coming in today’s Grand Prix after the seven collected in Saturday’s Sprint. At the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit, Lewis Hamilton finished second to take his second podium of the season at the wheel of the SF-26, following his third place in China. It was also the team’s fourth podium in five races and Ferrari’s 840th. Charles Leclerc produced a very solid recovery drive after a challenging weekend in terms of confidence with the car, climbing from eighth to fourth adding to the team’s points tally.
The race. The Grand Prix got underway on a slippery track. Both drivers started on used Soft tyres. Lewis made an excellent launch that allowed him to pass Oscar Piastri in the opening corners, while Charles got ahead of Isack Hadjar. The tyre choice proved to be the right one and, as the drivers who had started on Intermediates progressively switched to slicks, Hamilton was already up to third and Leclerc fifth within the opening laps. After losing a position to Max Verstappen in the first part of the race, Lewis maintained a very strong pace, while Charles also managed to have a solid first stint. On lap 31, taking advantage of a Virtual Safety Car period, both SF-26s pitted for Medium tyres to run through to the chequered flag. Hamilton retained third place, while Leclerc temporarily lost fourth to Hadjar before reclaiming the position on lap 40 with a clean and decisive move. In the closing stages, Lewis increased his pace even further, catching and overtaking Verstappen with five laps remaining to secure second place.
Next Monaco. Hamilton’s finish and the overall team result confirm the progress made by the team, all down to the work carried out both at the track and back in Maranello. Scuderia Ferrari HP now prepares for the next round of the championship, the Monaco Grand Prix, Charles’ home race.
Lewis Hamilton #44
It’s been a really positive weekend on my side. I felt at one with the car from the first laps in practice, and while qualifying didn’t quite go our way, the pace was there. Today is a testament to the work that’s been put in, both here at the track and back at the factory, so a huge ‘Grazie’ to everyone involved.
I’m really grateful for the way the team has supported me and welcomed me from day one. It means a lot. To come away with a strong points finish is important, and there are plenty of positives to take forwardThe fight with Max was intense and enjoyable, that’s why we race and it shows the progress we’re making. The upgrades we brought in Miami worked well and we’ll keep building on this momentum and stay focused on the journey ahead.
Charles Leclerc #16
It has been a difficult weekend for me, starting from FP, I just didn’t get the right feeling in the car and struggled to put the tyres in the right window. Lewis on the other hand had a great weekend in the same car, so I have to look into his data and understand what he did differently to make it work.
Next up is my home race in Monaco. I look forward to racing there, and I hope that our car will give us an advantage on that track.
Fred Vasseur Team Principal
Overall, it has been a strong weekend for the team and the result reflects the work everyone has put in. Lewis was competitive throughout the entire weekend, from his first lap in free practice to the final one of the race. He immediately felt confident in the car and, in these very cold and low-grip conditions, confidence is key to being able to build tyre temperature and extract performance consistently.
It was a bit more difficult on Charles’ side as, unlike his team-mate he never felt completely comfortable with the car from the beginning of the weekend. However, he still did a very good job today, recovering to fourth place and scoring important points for the team.
We were expecting a difficult weekend in Montreal because several of our competitors brought upgrades while we did not, so this result is definitely encouraging.
