RACE REVIEWS
The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix Review
The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix delivered a spectacular afternoon of racing at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. While Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured a commanding victory to extend his championship lead, the defining story of the day belonged to Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time World Champion produced a vintage performance to claim a stunning second-place finish—his best result since moving to Scuderia Ferrari.
Race Overview: Mercedes Drama and McLaren’s Misery
The race distance was shortened to 68 laps following a pre-race grid delay when Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bulls car suffered a clutch failure. Tricky, chilly, and gusty track conditions added strategic tension, splitting the grid on tyre choices. McLaren gambled on intermediate tyres, a decision that proved disastrous when the rain held off. Lando Norris briefly led but dropped back after early pit stops for slicks, eventually retiring with a gearbox issue.
At the front, a fierce intra-team Mercedes battle ignited. Pole-sitter George Russell and Antonelli repeatedly traded the lead wheel-to-wheel. However, the duel ended abruptly on Lap 30 when Russell’s power unit suffered a terminal electrical failure, forcing his retirement and triggering a Virtual Safety Car. This left Antonelli completely untroubled at the front, crossing the line 10.7 seconds ahead of the field.
| Position | Driver | Team | Gap / Status |
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:28:15.758 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +10.768s |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +11.276s |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +44.151s |
| 5 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | +1 Lap |
The Main Event: Hamilton’s Breakthrough in Red
A Decisive Pre-Weekend Shift
Following a difficult debut year in 2025 and a wayward start to 2026, Hamilton arrived in Montreal with a revamped approach. Ditching simulator work at Maranello to focus entirely on on-track feel, he unlocked immediate speed. Hamilton outperformed teammate Charles Leclerc across every single session of the weekend, qualifying a strong 5th on the grid despite a minor power unit glitch late in Q3
Managing the Chaos
As drizzle threatened the circuit, Hamilton fell behind a hard-charging Max Verstappen in the opening stint, eventually finding himself seven seconds adrift of his old rival after the pit stops. Rather than panicking, Hamilton expertly managed his tyres and corner speeds on the low-grip track. Telemetry data revealed him to be the absolute fastest driver through the technical chicane of Turns 1 to 4, using his signature heavy-braking style to claw back time.
Following Russell’s retirement, the hunt for second place became an isolated duel between Hamilton and Verstappen. Pushing his SF-26 right up against Montreal’s unforgiving walls, Hamilton rapidly dissolved Verstappen’s lead.
Â
On Lap 62, Hamilton made his decisive move. Despite the Red Bull having a straight-line speed advantage, Hamilton strategically managed his battery deployment. He lunged around the outside of Verstappen into Turn 1, completing a brilliant, clean pass that sent the Canadian crowd into raptures. He confidently gaps the Red Bull to cross the line in 2nd, an emphatic 33 seconds ahead of Leclerc in 4th.
Â
The Happiest Day at Ferrari So Far
Standing on the podium, an elated Hamilton called Sunday the happiest day of his Ferrari career. The result acts as a massive validation for Hamilton and his newly structured engineering team under Fred Vasseur. Crucially, the long-run performance indicates that Ferrari has successfully solved the thermal tyre degradation issues that plagued the SF-26 earlier in the year.
With the gap between Hamilton and Leclerc narrowed to just three points in the standings, the internal dynamic at Maranello has shifted dramatically. This race proved that when the car gives him the feedback he needs, Hamilton’s competitive fire and elite racecraft remain fully unmatched.