Mercedes loves Montreal, Hamilton its new setup

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton start the weekend in Montreal in much better form than they showed in Miami. The Mercedes driver takes pole position for the Sprint race with a deeply updated W17, as well as in symbiosis with the Canadian track. The Ferrari driver, however, wastes a potential second row, while still rejoicing in the harmony with the SF-26, orphaned by developments, but revisited in its mechanical set-up. Mercedes is in its habitat The Silver Arrows return to monopolize the front row, reaping the benefits of the first package of updates from the tests in Bahrain. The technical department has worked on various areas of the W17, working on the front wing, the bottom and the diffuser. The developments have changed the balance of the car slightly, although not in an invasive way. However, the reaction of Toto Wolff is striking, disappointed by the advantage over the competition that was lower than expected. In the sprint qualifying, in fact, the Mercedes express a superiority in the order of 3-4 tenths of a second, far from those 6-7 tenths at the beginning of the season, but it remains to be seen how competitive the W17 will be in Saturday’s qualifying. In any case, the silver single-seaters shook off the competition that had come dangerously close in Miami. The credit goes not only to the developments, but also to a track that already during the ground effect era was perfectly suited to the DNA of the Silver Arrows. The one named after Gilles Villeneuve is a circuit that transmits little energy to the tyres, helping to contain their temperatures, and is also full of braking and restarts with the steering wheel straight, offering an ideal mix of conditions for Mercedes. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images In the derby inside the garage, the one who prevails for the moment is George Russell, who in commenting on the pole praised above all the high-grip asphalt of Montreal, almost as if to trace his difficulties in Miami to the slippery surface of Florida. Antonelli, however, is very close, regretting the excess of caution in the first sector after the mistake on the first attempt in Q3. A good portion of the Sprint will be played at the start, a scenario for which the team has implemented various corrective measures, gathering positive feedback in the only free practice session. Hamilton transformed with an unprecedented set-up. Ferrari arrived in Montreal without great expectations, on a track that exposes the Cavallino’s engine deficit without even offering fast corners where the SF-26 can make the most of its excellent aerodynamic load. Yet, the sprint qualifying leaves a bitter aftertaste for the Ferrari drivers, given that without the errors made on his lap, Hamilton would have been in the second row behind the two Mercedes. The English champion started the Canadian weekend in a very different form compared to previous events, leading one to wonder whether not having to prepare on the simulator actually helped him. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images In reality, behind Hamilton’s good Friday lies careful data analysis work that the Briton has carried out together with his engineers in recent weeks. The areas of interest were the use of the brakes, the corner approach and the balance during the cornering phase, after the Englishman had reported a lazy car on entry and understeer in the middle of the corner. All this led to the resolution of an unprecedented mechanical setup, which evidently benefited Hamilton’s confidence in the SF-26, which is essential for skimming the walls of Canada. Part of the credit, perhaps, goes to the Montreal track itself, which has always been very popular with Lewis and lacks fast corners and combined braking, scenarios in which Hamilton is unable to trust the rear as Leclerc can. McLaren in difficulty If in Miami McLaren had seriously challenged Mercedes for victory, it seems unlikely that this can be repeated in Canada, with a gap that currently exceeds three tenths. The reopening of the parc fermé regime after the Sprint will show how much the world champions have room for improvement on the set-up, even if in general in recent years Montreal has never been an exciting track for papaya cars. The low energy transmitted to the tires in fact minimizes degradation and overheating, the management of which is McLaren’s strong point. Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP via Getty Images It is therefore early to despair in Woking, even if the abandonment of the new front wing after the only free practice session is certainly not an encouraging sign. “During the session we found that the wing wasn’t performing as well as we expected and decided to run with the previous version,” admits Neil Houldey, Technical Director – Applied Engineering. Piastri’s many blockages are another alarm bell for the new wing, especially regarding the closing phase of the moving elements, but it cannot be ruled out that McLaren could propose the wing again in the next events. Red Bull goes back Those who move away from Mercedes are also Red Bull, with Verstappen in seventh place trailing by half a second. Slow corners, decidedly abundant in Canada, are certainly not the strong point of the RB22, which also suffers from a certain instability of the rear, which is particularly unstable on Canadian curbs. As always happens at Sprint weekends, the reopening of parc fermé will allow us to intervene on the set-up, which is why it would be reckless to cut Red Bull out of the fight for the podium. It will certainly also be interesting to follow the mid-group challenge, where Racing Bulls returns to show itself, ninth with Lindblad, and above all Williams, which gains the top-10 with Sainz. For both, a setback will be needed for the leaders to hope for points already in the Sprint, but unexpected events are never lacking on the walls of Canada. Click here to add Formula Passion as your favorite source on Google Discover: you will find our content more easily!

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News , 2026-05-23 09:23:00