Lewis Hamilton secured his best-ever Ferrari result with a second place at Montreal, outqualifying Leclerc in both sprint and grand prix qualifying before battling Max Verstappen for laps and making the decisive pass into Turn 1 on lap 62. The seven-time champion described the outcome as a weight lifted, his first top-two finish with the Scuderia after a difficult 2025 season that prompted an off-season reset.

The engineering overhaul is the real story here. Ferrari committed to Hamilton for at least three seasons and brought in Cedric Michel-Grosjean as his long-term race engineer, supported by Carlo Santi and performance engineer Luca Diella. Hamilton also had early input into the 2026 development project, unlike his frustrating 2025 campaign under ground-effect regulations where he never felt at ease with the tools available.

"I finally have the engineering team I have been working towards," Hamilton said, describing the deep relief after months of struggle. With Fred Vasseur also moving mountains to make him comfortable, the Briton is now attacking corners with confidence. The changes made in the background are finally showing up in his lap times.