This is the Hamilton that Ferrari wanted when they signed him, that Italy in Canada

Grande Italia in Montreal Raise your hand if you imagined, perhaps even under the influence of alcohol, that Kimi Antonelli would win four (and even in a row!) of the first five grand prix of the year, jumping to the top of the Formula 1 world championship standings. Nobody. Just as no one could have hypothesized that the championship would take a decidedly Italian turn, but from an Italy that is not called Ferrari. It all seems so unreal. Yet Antonelli is a disruptive and unpredictable reality that now really leads us to dream, to dare predictions that go far and that we are even afraid of uttering. But have you seen how he drives? And have you seen how relentless he is in attacking his rivals? And, again, how does he transform into a giant, he who is slender and even seems fragile, when he is in the lead and makes everyone understand not to be damned by chasing him, because he will remain there until the end? Canada was the stage for a feat that will be remembered for a long time, carried out – some will say – with the complicity of Russell’s abandonment. But I don’t have the slightest doubt that Kimi would have prevailed anyway even if the duel, fair but very tough, with his teammate had continued. Because at this moment Kimi’s skill has made Russell an intimidated, disoriented driver, fearful in direct confrontation to the point of uttering obscure and treacherously interpretable phrases about a comparison to be faced ‘with equal means’, as if Mercedes had already made hierarchical choices in favor of Antonelli. It’s not something new: when a champion appears with qualities that flourish race after race exponentially, the first to pay the price is the one who races with the same car. Russell, who also fought very well, is now forced to find himself, to get his head back on track, an exercise that is not always successful immediately. But in the meantime Kimi will continue to grow. Or the ethereal English driver will have to resign himself and think of a future elsewhere. If the go-go duels between Russell and Antonelli thrilled us in the first part of the race, in the end there was a show, like in the old days, between Hamilton and Verstappen, with a masterful Lewis who got the better of climbing on the second step of the podium. It was his best race ever with Ferrari and that 10”7 gap from Mercedes shows how effective the SF26 was on a track with braking and acceleration on the many straights, but without fast corners. We haven’t seen a Hamilton like this for years and that’s what Ferrari wanted when they hired him. Being very moody, Canada’s is a spring that will push him even higher. Unless it was an exploit linked to the track he loves. In any case, this time it was he who saved the Cavallino, while Leclerc seemed lost in the desert of the Island of Notre Dame, which has always been allergic to him. He will be able to make up for it in two Sundays at his home in Monte Carlo, a race that Ferrari must win. But how nice to see Verstappen and Red Bull fighting with the leaders again. And what a disappointment McLaren’s incomprehensible choices at the start were, when they chose intermediate rain tyres, which also gave Norris the bonus for a (useless) lap in the lead. Montreal proposed the same winner of the three previous grand prix, but there was quite a bit of shuffling of the cards. And then seeing an Italian triumph and Ferrari returning to fight in a big way is something that doesn’t happen every day. But what if it was just the beginning?

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News , 2026-05-25 15:00:00