Lewis Hamilton Fears Q3 Exit as Ferrari Woes Continues at Canadian GP
Lewis Hamilton is bracing for a tough qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix, admitting his Ferrari fell off the pace in Friday practice and could leave him out of Q3.
After finishing fifth in FP1, Hamilton dropped to eighth in FP2 and revealed post-session that setup changes had made things worse.
“Not great, not particularly great,” Hamilton told the media in Montreal. “I love driving here and the crowd’s been amazing today, but the car is a lot different to what I’ve experienced here in the past.”
The seven-time world champion, who holds the record for most poles and wins at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, said he initially thought the car had improved after tweaks, but the pace didn’t follow.
“I think P1 was alright, then we made some changes. Honestly, I thought the car was quicker, and we just went slower, or they [our rivals] went quicker.”
Lewis Hamilton in the media pen after the 2025 Spanish GP.Kym Illman/Getty Images
Hamilton’s track record in Montreal has been stellar until recently. Last year, he qualified only seventh with Mercedes, his worst ever grid position at the Canadian GP. Before that, he had never started outside the top five at this venue.
Now with Ferrari, Hamilton hinted that even reaching Q3 isn’t guaranteed: “I don’t know[what’s possible]. I think it will be a challenge to get into Q3 at this rate, but not impossible. Then I think trying to fight and get into the top five is going to be tough.”
Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok believes this could be a pivotal moment in Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari.
“We’re coming into the second third of the season now, and he’s not finding the rhythm,” Chandhok said. “There’s got to be a degree of concern creeping in.”
While Hamilton has shown flashes of race pace, the inconsistencies in qualifying and struggles to match Charles Leclerc across recent weekends race questions.
As the paddock turns heads into Saturday, all eyes will be on whether Hamilton and Ferrari can find the sweet spot in time or face another frustrating session in a city where he once dominated.
