Leclerc Explains Why Hamilton Was Untouchable in Canada

Charles Leclerc has revealed that a lack of confidence behind the wheel was the main reason for his difficult weekend at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix, where he was comprehensively outperformed by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.

Hamilton dominated the intra-team battle throughout the Montreal weekend, out-qualifying Leclerc in both Sprint Qualifying and grand prix qualifying before securing second place in the race itself. The seven-time world champion delivered his strongest result since joining Ferrari at the beginning of 2025 after overtaking Max Verstappen late in the race.

Meanwhile, Leclerc could only finish fourth and crossed the line more than 30 seconds behind his team-mate. The sizeable performance gap immediately raised questions regarding the setup direction chosen by the two Ferrari drivers at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Baca JugaLeclerc Ungkap Penyebab Tertinggal Jauh dari Hamilton di Kanada

However, Leclerc rejected the idea that setup differences were responsible for the disparity. According to the Monegasque driver, modern Formula 1 margins are now so fine that setup alone cannot explain such a significant gap in performance.

"There's none of the performance we are seeing today down to setup. Maybe there is one-tenth in setup, but at the end of the day it's not that much. In Formula 1 now we are speaking about such small details," Leclerc told media including RacingNews365.

Instead, Leclerc explained that the core issue was his inability to find the right feeling with the SF-26 throughout the weekend. That lack of confidence prevented him from pushing the car to its true limit, particularly during braking phases and low-speed corner entry.

The problem had already been referenced by Leclerc after the race when he described the Canadian Grand Prix as one of the most difficult weekends of his Formula 1 career. From the opening practice session onward, he admitted he never truly connected with the Pirelli tyres or the balance of the Ferrari package.

"It's more about my feeling and the way I drove. When you don't have the feeling, you don't push the car to the limit, and I could feel that I was completely off the pace," Leclerc explained.

The Ferrari driver also dismissed suggestions that he had been overdriving the car due to an incorrect setup. Instead, he insisted the lack of confidence actually caused him to drive more conservatively than usual.

"It's not a situation where I was pushing too hard and the setup wasn't working. By not having confidence on a day like this, I simply didn't push hard enough," he added.

On the other side of the garage, Hamilton enjoyed arguably his most competitive weekend since arriving at Ferrari. After previously admitting he changed his approach following simulator difficulties in Miami, the British driver appeared significantly more comfortable with the SF-26’s characteristics in Montreal.

The contrast between Ferrari’s two drivers now becomes an important storyline heading into Monaco and Barcelona. Ferrari is expected to remain strong in low-speed sectors, but consistency in tyre feeling and overall car confidence remains a critical area Leclerc must solve if he wants to stay firmly in the championship fight.