Lewis Hamilton says not using Ferrari’s simulators is “the way forward” after being encouraged by his performance in sprint qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Hamilton looked like Mercedes’ closest challenger for most of the session, but a small mistake on his final run left him fifth on the grid in Saturday’s shortened race.
But his effort was good enough to beat Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc for the first time since the second round in China in every competitive session on the track.
After being clearly outclassed by Leclerc in the last two races in Japan and Miami, Hamilton confirmed on Thursday that he would not use the simulator ahead of this weekend’s event in Montreal.
“It was probably the best qualifying session we’ve had in a while,” Hamilton said. “Really great work with the engineers, changing the setup, the car in P1 was fantastic, and we made subtle changes to the quality.
“SQ1 and SQ2 looked good, but I don’t know why others look a little better.
“But I’m happy to be in that fight. I had a really good time there. And also the fact that I didn’t simulate and that was the best I’ve felt all year, so I think that’s the way forward for me.”
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Despite only finishing fifth in qualifying, Lewis Hamilton was pleased with Ferrari’s performance in sprint qualifying.
The Gilles Villeneuve circuit was a happy hunting ground for Hamilton as he took his first pole position and win at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix.
Ferrari was not expected to challenge for the lead this weekend as it has no upgrades, but Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull have fitted new parts to their cars.
But Hamilton says the three-week gap since the last race has given Ferrari the opportunity to “study the data” and understand their cars.
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Lewis Hamilton plans to remain in Formula 1 for quite some time.
“Firstly, I find it much more beneficial in that I can focus on training without being distracted,” he said.
“And the second part is really about getting a fine comb into ride stability through corner balance and mechanical balance.
“And I chose a setup I’d never used before and it changed the car for me, so hopefully that bodes well for the rest of the weekend.”
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Lewis Hamilton admits he ‘shed tears’ watching his beloved Arsenal win their first Premier League title in 22 years.
Leclerc said he was “struggling with a brake issue” that he did not understand, which contributed to his lack of speed on Friday.
“I have the car so it didn’t bother me at all. We have to look at the car and find something for tomorrow otherwise it’s going to be a very long weekend,” he said.
“I go into corners with my brakes on hoping I don’t go straight. That’s the biggest problem. Other than that, the car feels fine.
“Lewis was incredibly fast this weekend but he needs to work on his feelings on the brakes. Hopefully we can turn things around.”
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Martin Brundle believes the Canadian Grand Prix could deliver some drama this year as the new F1 cars face the challenge of the circuit’s tricky layout.
Verstappen: My foot was slipping off the pedal.
After an encouraging weekend in Miami, Red Bull suggested that Sprint polesitter George Russell and Max Verstappen were unhappy with their steering during practice in seventh place and that his car was not handling kerbs and bumps properly.
Verstappen, who was a tenth ahead of team-mate Isack Hadjar, said he was “not surprised” by Red Bull’s serious lack of pace.
“I didn’t feel very good in the car,” the four-time world champion said.
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen admits he wasn’t surprised to finish seventh in the Canadian sprint.
“I had a lot of trouble getting into the car. I couldn’t put my foot down, my foot was coming off the pedal. It was very difficult to stay consistent.
“That’s something we’ll have to look into. We’re sticking with that for the sprints and hopefully we’ll be better in the (race) qualifying.”
The McLarens, off to a fast start, beat the Mercedes in the Sprint.
Mercedes’ biggest weakness this season has been the start of the race, as in only one of his six starts in the sprint and grand prix has he led the Silver Arrow after the opening corner.
McLaren was the best starter along with Ferrari, so Lando Norris in third and Oscar Piastri in fourth will be targeting the first few hundred meters to get ahead of the Mercedes front row.
“Our start has been better than Ferrari’s all year,” Piatri said.
“We are confident that it is only a matter of time before Mercedes becomes competitive, but until then we will do our best to take advantage.”
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Lando Norris is encouraged by McLaren’s gains after a Sprint Qualifying P3 at the Canadian GP.
McLaren brought the second part of its upgrades from Miami to Canada, but decided not to run the new front wing in Sprint Qualifying.
Norris admitted he was “a little worried” after practice and was surprised McLaren were able to fill the second row.
“The car feels fine. Some things might be more questionable, but this track is so weird, the grip is low. You’re going off the curb,” he said.
“You can’t really represent everything, and it’s hard to back up what you get in the wind tunnel.
“Some parts need more time and we will present them again next week or in Barcelona, but the rest of the car has been running well. It is good progress.”
Sky Sports F1 Canadian GP Schedule
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Take a look back at the wildest moments captured on onboard cameras at the Canadian Grand Prix
Saturday, May 23
2.40pm: F1 Academy Race 1
4 p.m.: Building the Canadian GP sprint
5 p.m.: Canadian GP Sprint
6:30 PM: Ted’s sprint notes
7pm: F2 Sprint*
8:10 PM: Preparing for Canadian GP qualifying*
9 p.m.: Canadian GP Qualifying*
11pm: F1 Academy Race 2*
11:45 PM: Ted’s Qualifying Laptop*
Sunday May 24th
3.40pm: F1 Academy Race 3
5pm: F2 Feature Race
7:30 p.m.: Build-up to the Canadian GP: Sunday Grand Prix*
9 p.m.: Canadian Grand Prix*
11 a.m.: Canadian GP reaction: checkered flag*
12:00 AM: Ted’s Note*
*Applies to Sky Sports main event as well
Formula 1 is in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix and another sprint weekend. Watch the action live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday at 9pm. Stream Sky Sports NOW – No Commitment, Cancel Anytime
