Hamilton Follows 5th With Canadian Gp Ferrari Setup Changes

Lewis Hamilton said canadian gp ferrari setup changes and skipping Ferrari’s simulator left him fifth in Sprint Qualifying in Montreal. The Ferrari driver called it his best qualifying session in some time, and said the car felt stronger after subtle adjustments with his engineers.

Hamilton and Ferrari in Montreal

Hamilton’s run ended fifth for Saturday’s Sprint, with a small mistake on his last attempt costing him more ground. He still beat Charles Leclerc in a competitive session on track for the first time since the second round in China.

“That's probably the best qualifying session we've had for some time,” Hamilton said after Sprint Qualifying in Montreal. “Just really great work with the engineers, setup changes, the car felt really fantastic from P1, and we made just subtle changes going into qualy.”

He added that he felt good through the opening stages of the session. “SQ1 and SQ2 were looking good, and then I don't know why the others are able to like turn up a little bit more, I don't know.”

Hamilton’s simulator call

Hamilton said on Thursday in Montreal that he had not used Ferrari’s simulator before the weekend, and he now wants to keep that approach. “And, also, the fact that I didn't do the sim, and it was the best I've felt all year, so I think that's the way forward for me,” he said.

He said the change helped him focus on training rather than the simulator, and spend more time on ride stability, corner balance and mechanical balance. Hamilton also said he chose a setup the team had never used before, and that it transformed the car for him.

“And I chose a setup that we've never used before and it's transformed the car for me, so I hope that bodes well for the rest of the weekend.”

Ferrari’s weekend target

Ferrari did not bring upgrades for the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, while Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull arrived with new parts. That left Ferrari leaning on setup work and data gathered during the three-week gap since the last race, with Hamilton’s result offering an early return on that approach.

The Sprint is scheduled for 5pm on Saturday, with Grand Prix Qualifying following at 9pm. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has already been a productive place for Hamilton; he took his maiden pole position and victory there in 2007.