Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc reflected on a mixed Sprint Qualifying for Scuderia Ferrari at the 2026 F1 Canadian GP, after the pair secured P5 and P6 respectively at the end of Friday’s session in Montreal.
While Lewis Hamilton took encouragement from what he described as Ferrari’s strongest qualifying performance in some time, Charles Leclerc struggled heavily with braking issues throughout the session.
Ferrari ultimately slotted in behind both Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team and McLaren Formula 1 Team, with Mercedes locking out the front row and McLaren securing third and fourth.
Hamilton confident in the SF-26’s pace
Hamilton, however, was left optimistic after feeling far more comfortable in the SF-26 around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
“It looked like yeah, great,” Hamilton said. “Probably the best qualifying session we had for some time and just really great great work with the engineers. Set-up changes, the car felt really fantastic from from P1 [Practice] and we made just subtle changes going into into quali.”
“P1 and P2 is looking good. And then I don’t know why the others are able to like turn up a little bit more I don’t know but I’m just happy to be there in the fight.”
The seven-time World Champion looked noticeably committed through the final chicane throughout Sprint Qualifying and admitted he had enjoyed himself behind the wheel more than at any other point this season.
“You know, I was having so much fun out there,” he said. “And also, you know the fact that I didn’t do the sim and I feel it’s the best I felt all year. So I think that’s the way forward for me.”
Analysing data ahead of the F1 Canadian GP weekend
Hamilton went on to reveal that Ferrari had spent the past weeks closely analysing data in search of answers, with the Briton opting for a setup direction the team had not previously used.
“We worked really hard seeping through the the data the last couple of weeks and I found that so much more beneficial in terms of when I was able to just focus on training and not be distracted.”
“And then the second part is just like really going through a fine comb with with ride stability, through corner balances and mechanical balance and I chose a setup that we’ve not used, I don’t [think] we’ve never used it actually before so and it’s transformed the car for me. So I hope that flows well for the rest of the weekend.”
Leclerc with mixed feelings
On the other side of the Ferrari garage, Leclerc endured a far more difficult F1 Canadian GP Sprint Qualifying session despite the underlying pace of the car.
“Honestly, on my side I kind of expected it,” Leclerc admitted after qualifying sixth for the Sprint Race.
“I haven’t been at all at ease with the car, I’m really really struggling with the brakes on my side of the garage for some reason, so we need to look into it, trying to find something for tomorrow, otherwise it’s going to be a very long weekend.”
The Monegasque driver explained that the issue had severely affected his confidence under braking around the heavy-stop Montreal circuit.
“In the brakes I get into the corners hoping that I don’t end up going straight,” he said.
“So yeah that’s the main issue at the moment, other than that the car feels actually quite okay. Lewis has been incredibly quick this weekend, but on my side I just need to work on the feelings with the brakes and hopefully we can turn the situation around tomorrow.”
With two major braking zones placing significant stress on the car at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Leclerc confirmed Ferrari has identified the likely root cause, although the team remains uncertain whether it can fully resolve the issue before Saturday’s Sprint and Qualifying sessions.
“I think we have a quite good idea of what’s going on, whether we have a fix for tomorrow is another story, so we’ll try and deal with it in the best possible way and see.”
