Hamilton reveals the unusual preparation behind Ferrari’s Montreal breakthrough

Lewis Hamilton’s second place at the Canadian Grand Prix was more than just a podium — it was a statement of progress, confidence, and renewed joy behind the wheel.

The seven‑time world champion delivered his 11th career podium in Montreal, and his first P2 finish with Ferrari, marking a major step forward in his adaptation to the Scuderia.

Asked how much fun he had during the weekend, Hamilton’s face lit up: “Yeah, had so much fun out there all weekend. Every single lap, I felt like we started on the right foot, came with the right attitude and the car really generally felt great.”

Montreal has always been one of Hamilton’s strongest circuits, and this year was no exception: “And so, to come to Montreal, a track that I do love, and get to enjoy a Sprint weekend here, which is the first that we’ve had [here], was awesome.”

But the significance of the result went deeper than the venue: “And this is my first second place with the team. It’s something I’ve been working so hard, I can’t even begin to explain how deep I’ve had to dig to be able to get to this point, and the work and moving mountains in the background to enable this sort of performance.”

Hamilton made sure to credit the people behind the scenes: “But I’m really grateful to the team for continuing to hold me up high and support me weekend in, weekend out.

"And it’s a really lovely feeling to see them so happy, because they truly deserve it with all the hard work they put in.”

Hamilton was noticeably more comfortable in Montreal than he had been in Miami. When asked what made the difference, he pointed to a major shift in preparation and setup work: “The prep before. I chose a different set-up this weekend through just ciphering through the data, working really well with my engineer. He’s absolutely awesome and I’m really loving working with him.”

He also praised his support crew: “And my number two did a fantastic job this weekend and helped me really pull more performance out of the car, getting into a much sweeter place.”

For Hamilton, the changes he requested — and Ferrari’s willingness to implement them — were crucial: “And I was able to attack all the corners finally. And as I said, there’s a lot of changes that I’ve had to ask for, and Fred’s been super supportive and again also moving mountains in order to make me comfortable.”

And now, the results are beginning to show: “And it’s finally starting to show in my performance. So, thank you to the team.”