The Canadian Grand Prix was an actual ordeal for Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time Method 1 world champion completed sixth, however after the primary pit cease, he now not had any actual tempo. The blame, if it may be known as that, was as a consequence of an unlucky encounter with a groundhog hit head-on earlier than the hairpin at Flip 10, which broken his automotive and price him 20 factors of aerodynamic load.
Unhealthy luck appears to have excellent imaginative and prescient, particularly in conditions already as sophisticated because the one going through the Briton. The general environment at Ferrari will not be good, however Lewis Hamilton’s perspective doesn’t appear to be the precise one—not less than not in entrance of the cameras or as soon as he’s within the automotive. He has at all times been a really emotional particular person, and when issues go incorrect, he tends to really feel the load of it.
Arriving in Maranello and hoping to discover a well-organized construction is, sadly, unrealistic. And that’s the level this text intends to concentrate on, greater than on the efficiency in Montreal, which objectively leaves nothing else to be mentioned. The seven-time world champion opened up in post-race interviews, providing some very telling insights.
He reiterated that he actually didn’t know why the group nonetheless hadn’t launched any updates. He mentioned he hoped—and was partially satisfied—that one would arrive quickly. Nonetheless, in his view, small developments wouldn’t be sufficient; what was wanted have been deeper structural modifications. Lewis Hamilton expressed a need to clarify every thing that was taking place behind the scenes, noting that many parts have been in movement and that a number of issues would make clear the scenario, however he admitted he couldn’t reveal an excessive amount of.
The previous Mercedes man acknowledged that this season had seen varied issues and that some inner dynamics have been evolving. His objective, he defined, was to contribute positively to those processes, to help strong and lasting change. He careworn the necessity for main interventions and made clear his intention to assist construct a successful basis for the longer term. He additionally famous that being sincere meant admitting that the title struggle was at present out of attain. Ferrari was out of competition, and focusing an excessive amount of on the present season can be pointless. Lewis Hamilton emphasised the significance of wanting forward and concentrating on what actually mattered: the longer term. The highest precedence was constructing a genuinely aggressive automotive for the 2026 Method 1 marketing campaign, and he was decided to make sure that actual progress would already be seen in 2025.
Lewis Hamilton dropped fairly a bombshell. To start with, he continued to vocally demand aerodynamic updates that also hadn’t arrived. Since Frederic Vasseur grew to become Ferrari’s group principal, the Frenchman has persistently prevented the replace query, preferring to optimize the prevailing bundle first. In comparison with 2024, nonetheless, the automotive is dreadful—an indisputable fact that can’t be ignored.
The important thing level raised by Lewis Hamilton, although, issues the group’s construction. What precisely is going on at Maranello? His remarks echoed what Fred Vasseur mentioned to the French media on Friday: “It’s a must to ask the precise questions if Ferrari hasn’t been successful for years. We’ve modified the group principal, the drivers, and virtually every thing besides one factor.”
What hasn’t modified? A couple of key personnel? Some technical facets inside the Ferrari Racing division? It’s unattainable to say for sure, however the reality stays that Lewis Hamilton desires to affect the quick and medium-term way forward for the Italian facet, particularly with the arrival of the brand new technical laws subsequent 12 months. He smiled as he spoke, clearly wanting to indicate that he’s on the coronary heart of this transformation, suggesting how the group can get again to successful.
In any case, a part of his transfer to Maranello was meant exactly for this: to deliver a working methodology to an setting that, sadly, doesn’t know how one can win. That’s not a criticism for its personal sake, it’s a reality. This can be a work-in-progress scenario. Maybe it will be higher for Ferrari followers to make peace with that actuality and wait patiently for higher occasions, probably by placing their belief in a seven-time Method 1 world champion.
— see video above —