Hamilton points the finger at the engine: “We lose too much on the straights to stay with Mercedes”

Sprint Canada, Hamilton tries but is sixth Despite the sparks between the two Mercedes drivers, in the Montreal Sprint some emotion comes from Lewis Hamilton. The Briton, always a great protagonist on this track, makes a great start and overtakes Oscar Piastri, also giving the impression of being able to worry Kimi Antonelli when the Bolognese asks too much of the tires following overtaking attempts. His Ferrari, however, never has the pace of the best and is clearly the third force on the track: in the final, Hamilton has to surrender to the return of Piastri and the Mercedes power unit. Piastri’s great maneuver on the outside of the chicane before the finish line also cost Hamilton the top-5, as he was overtaken by the oncoming Charles Leclerc. Between P4 and P6, however, little changes for the Ferrari driver, who underlines the impossibility for the SF-26 to compete on equal terms with the Mercedes in the presence of such an engine difference. Hamilton’s words “We don’t have the pace on the straights to compete with the Mercedes, that’s clear. We lose too much on the straights”, this is his comment to Sky Sport F1. “Apart from that, the car is excellent in the corners, we are very fast. Mercedes has taken advantage of the updates, but we are there. We are simply not fast enough to recover what we lose on the straights.” “I tried to maintain my position, but with the Mercedes engines it’s practically impossible,” he added. “Having said that, we are pushing well, I feel the car well and I hope I can have a good qualifying.”

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News , 2026-05-24 04:05:00