Hamilton Stuns at Canadian GP With Best-Ever Ferrari Result, Passes Verstappen to Finish Second

Lewis Hamilton delivered the finest performance of his Ferrari career at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix, surging from fifth on the grid to a breathtaking second-place finish at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. The result — his best with the Scuderia since joining at the start of 2025 — has reignited conversation about whether the seven-time world champion still has what it takes to contend at the highest level of Formula 1, and it sparked Ferrari’s name trending across social media on Sunday evening.

The Canadian Grand Prix was a race of chaos and drama, with both McLarens eliminating themselves from contention through a disastrous tyre strategy call and contact at the hairpin. George Russell, who had been leading the race for Mercedes, retired on lap 30 with a power unit failure after being locked in a fierce battle with team-mate Kimi Antonelli. That left Antonelli to cruise home to his fourth consecutive victory, extending his championship lead over Russell to 43 points. But just as significant as Antonelli’s dominance was what Hamilton produced behind him.

Hamilton Finally Delivers Ferrari’s Breakthrough Moment

Hamilton had entered the Montreal weekend with quiet confidence, having made the unconventional decision to skip Ferrari’s factory simulator entirely in his race preparations — the same approach he had used in China earlier this season when he claimed his previous best result for the team. This time, it paid off on a grander scale. Starting fifth, he picked off Oscar Piastri’s McLaren on the opening lap, then spent the middle portion of the race methodically hunting down Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

The critical move came with eight laps remaining. Hamilton dove down the inside of Verstappen at Turn 1 on lap 62, completing a pass that drew audible excitement from the Montreal crowd and erupted on social media. He ultimately finished 10 seconds behind race winner Antonelli, with Verstappen forced to settle for third. Behind them, Charles Leclerc came home fourth for Ferrari after surviving a frightening tank-slapper through the final chicane, giving the Scuderia a pair of drivers in the top four.

“I had so much fun out there all weekend,” Hamilton said after climbing from the car. “Every single lap. I felt like we started on the right foot, came with the right attitude and the car really generally felt great. It was awesome, absolutely awesome to fight with one of the greats. It was massively challenging.”

It marked Hamilton’s first second-place finish wearing Ferrari red, surpassing his previous best with the team — a third-place result in China earlier this season. For a driver whose high-profile move from Mercedes has been accompanied by relentless scrutiny and speculation about his future at 41 years old, the performance was a statement of intent.

The Simulator Snub That Worked — Twice

Hamilton’s decision to abandon Ferrari’s simulator has become one of the more fascinating subplots of the 2026 season. He had explained ahead of the weekend that the simulator lacked correlation with real-world conditions at the circuits visited so far, citing concerns that using it could introduce more problems than it solved. After his China podium, he elected to follow the same path in Montreal — and found that deep analysis of data, without simulator miles, gave him better feedback on what the car actually needed.

The approach stands in contrast to the conventional wisdom in modern Formula 1, where simulator preparation is considered non-negotiable. Hamilton was blunt about his conclusions: “If you look at the two best races I’ve had, I didn’t use a simulator. And that’s honestly how it was. Pretty much all the championships before, except for probably 2008, I didn’t use the sim. So it’s not a necessity. It’s a tool that can be powerful. But for me, I’m old school. I’m probably better without it.”

His candid assessment will generate plenty of debate within Ferrari’s engineering ranks, but it is difficult to argue with the results. Hamilton now sits fourth in the 2026 drivers’ championship standings with 72 points, just three behind Leclerc in third. Whether this weekend marks a genuine turning point or another isolated peak for the driver who once made consistency look effortless remains to be seen, but Montreal provided the most compelling evidence yet that Hamilton’s instincts remain elite.

Championship Picture Takes Shape After Montreal

The Canadian Grand Prix reshaped the 2026 drivers’ standings in meaningful ways. Antonelli’s fourth win from eight races this season has been nothing short of remarkable for the 19-year-old Italian, who stepped into what was expected to be a supporting role at Mercedes and instead dominated. He leads the championship with 131 points, with Russell’s retirement in Montreal dropping him to 88 points in second — a 43-point deficit that grows more daunting with each passing week.

Ferrari, meanwhile, leaves Montreal with genuine momentum on both fronts. Leclerc and Hamilton are separated by just three points in third and fourth respectively, and the team demonstrated pace that could challenge for race wins under the right conditions. McLaren’s dismal afternoon — both Norris and Piastri retiring — leaves Norris fifth in the standings with 58 points, and the British team will be desperate to regroup before the next round.

For Ferrari fans and bettors tracking the constructors’ battle, the Scuderia’s combined haul from Montreal underscores their status as a genuine challenger in a season that has been more unpredictable than most. And for Lewis Hamilton personally, the result in the city where he won his first-ever Formula 1 race back in 2007 carries a particular resonance — a reminder that at 41, he remains capable of moments that still make the sport hold its breath.