F1 news: Five takeaways from Ferrari’s Canadian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton leads resurgence
Scuderia Ferrari arrived at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve and showcased vast improvement from their previous race weekend in Miami.
Whilst both Ferraris had a tough finish in the sprint race, Lewis Hamilton took part in a brilliant battle with Max Verstappen in Sunday’s grand prix to secure the second step on the podium, with Charles Leclerc finishing in fourth to secure Ferrari a solid points haul for the weekend.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and Ferrari fan Luca Salmasi takes a look at five key talking points from their fifth race of the season.
Upgrade delivers visible results
Montreal was the first weekend of the season so far when their recent developments looked most effective.
Throughout the weekend, both drivers showed much more consistency, starting with Hamilton finishing third in the only practice session and Leclerc finishing behind him in fourth.
Across the rest of the weekend, they would be best of the rest behind both McLaren and Mercedes, but finally in the grand prix, they were really able to showcase their true race pace through Hamilton’s battle with Verstappen, which in other races may not have gone Ferrari’s way.
Lewis Hamilton has finally settled in
The Canadian Grand Prix was one of Hamilton’s best and most complete race weekends in a Ferrari, and it finally looks like he is properly settling into life at the Prancing Horse.
Hamilton was competitive in qualifying, calm, and able to use his experience when caught up with backmarkers, showcasing his skill late in the race as he battled for podium places.
Additionally, his radio communication with the team sounded clearer and more collaborative than in previous races, where he seemed frustrated by a lack of understanding.
Hamilton’s podium felt more significant because it came predominantly from genuine pace and ability rather than from strategy alone.
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Charles Leclerc’s challenging weekend
Leclerc struggled with his brakes early in the weekend, but tyre management was his main issue, which began in the only practice session and lingered throughout.
Traffic in Q1 and Q2 denied him the clean preparation laps needed to warm up his tyres properly, and without those laps, the rubber would simply not switch on.
The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve has rarely been kind to Leclerc in qualifying, even when the Ferrari has worked well for other drivers, as it had for Hamilton.
Smooth strategy and pit stops
One of Ferrari’s biggest criticisms in recent years has been its operational inconsistency, but at the Canadian Grand Prix, it was smooth by comparison.
Pit stops were smooth, tyre choices were decisive, and the team reacted well to the changing race situations.
Ferrari avoided the confusion and hesitation that had previously cost them in tight races, with the sharper execution helping to maximise Hamilton and Leclerc’s points finish.
A major turning point
The upgrades introduced for the Canadian Grand Prix were set to be a major turning point in Ferrari’s season and showcased how the gap to the likes of Mercedes and McLaren has closed.
This weekend also reinforced Fred Vasseur’s long-term direction for Ferrari, in particular, the calm engineering structure and more focused development.
If Ferrari can continue this level of competitiveness, the Canadian Grand Prix could be remembered as the race where their season truly comes alive, and they can start to properly compete for the constructors' title.
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