Lewis Hamilton makes ‘difficult’ admission about new F1 rules despite best Ferrari result

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Lewis Hamilton recorded his best result for Ferrari to date, finishing an impressive P2 at the Canadian Grand Prix. Despite his performance, he lamented how difficult it is to overtake in 2026.

Lining up P5 on the grid, the seven-time champion found himself in the podium places after McLaren’s strategy blunder and George Russell’s sudden battery failure. Hamilton gradually gained on Max Verstappen and produced a stunning overtake around the outside of turn one.

Damon Hill and Martin Brundle agreed on Hamilton’s overtake, describing it as ‘magic’ as he came home to finish second, his best result for Ferrari so far.

Charles Leclerc lauded Hamilton’s ‘incredible’ performance at the Canadian Grand Prix. It was a hugely impressive drive, but the 41-year-old admitted that he is finding the rules ‘difficult’, especially overtaking.

Lewis Hamilton says it is ‘so hard’ to overtake under the 2026 F1 regulations

Hamilton was complaining about a lack of power in Montreal, and after the race, he admitted that he was finding overtaking a challenge. He was faster through the corners, but that time was lost down the straights.

He said via Sky Sports F1 (24/5, 11:23 pm): “I think there are so many elements that have to come together to get the car in the right place and I think I finally have that with the engineers that I’ve got and the whole set up within the team and I really hope that I can continue on with this performance.

“I’m much, much happier and more comfortable in the car and it feels more like it used to be.

Some great performances on track, but which driver was the standout at the Canadian Grand Prix?

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“But wow, it’s so hard in the race to overtake. These guys, they have more power in this race so every time I gain speed through the corner, they gain it back on the straight.

“And you have to, it’s, I’ve never known something so difficult, it’s like 10 times harder than normal because you have to calculate how much battery power you have at the end of one straight and the next straight and the next straight and each time you’re like guesstimating what you’re going to have.

“It’s like, it’s not great but it is what it is and I’m grateful that I was able to finally make it possible.”

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Lewis Hamilton has never been happier at Ferrari after the Canadian Grand Prix

Hamilton could not hide his smile in the media pen after the race. He was absolutely delighted with his performance and the work Ferrari had put into the weekend.

“Amazing. I’m so, so happy,” he added. “It’s a good day of racing and overall just a really solid weekend. I felt on the up all weekend and the team have done a really amazing job just really refining the car and for us to be up there battling and also to have a good battle with Max as well, finally.

“So I’m really, really grateful and yeah, just so, so happy. I love this job. It’s like the greatest, it’s the greatest show in the world and I’ll never take that for granted.”

Things could get even better for the Brit, as many are tipping Ferrari to have an advantage next time out in Monaco. Kimi Antonelli says Ferrari will be the favourites, giving Hamilton a strong chance of victory.