Hamilton bemoans Ferrari engine deficit: ‘We’re just at the mercy’

Lewis Hamilton has delivered a sobering assessment of Ferrari’s biggest weakness, admitting the Italian team is effectively powerless to fight its growing engine deficit against Mercedes.

Despite believing Ferrari possesses one of the strongest cars through the corners, Hamilton warned that the Scuderia is being repeatedly punished on the straights – a flaw he fears will continue to haunt the team for the remainder of the campaign.

Every time Hamilton appeared ready to threaten the leaders during Saturday’s qualifying session in Montreal, the SF-26 bled momentum down the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s long blasts.

For Hamilton, it confirmed a growing fear inside Maranello – Ferrari’s power unit deficit has become the team’s defining weakness.

‘We’re just at the mercy’

Hamilton ultimately secured fifth on the grid after late improvements from Mercedes and McLaren shuffled the order in the dying moments of Q3. But the result only partially reflected what could have been.

The seven-time world champion was consistently among the fastest cars through the technical sections of the lap, only for the Ferrari to unravel on the straights as its lack of top-end speed once again came under the spotlight.

And Hamilton did not attempt to hide where he believes the problem lies.

"The guys at the factory have done an amazing job with the car,” Hamilton acknowledged after qualifying.

“We still have improvements to make. The car is fantastic but it is a battle of development through the season. Some people bringing upgrades one weekend and others the other.”

The praise for Ferrari’s chassis performance was clear. But so was the underlying concern.

“We’re just at the mercy of the lack of power that we have. Everyone is working very hard. Reliability is very good but when you are lacking that straight-line speed against the Mercedes, it is very, very tough.”

That sentence may sting deeply inside Ferrari.

For years, the Scuderia has battled inconsistency, strategy blunders, tyre management issues and operational mistakes.

But Hamilton’s assessment cuts to something even more alarming: the car itself may fundamentally lack the power needed to fight consistently at the front.

And according to Hamilton, this is not a problem likely to disappear overnight although the Scuderia is hoping that it will be a recipient of the FIA’s ADUO process which would allow it to potentially unlock more engine power.

“Nonetheless we have to expect for the rest of the season that’s just the way it is. So we’ll just see if we can continue to add onto the car and close the gap,” Hamilton concluded.

It was not the language of a driver expecting a miracle solution. It sounded more like reluctant acceptance.

Leclerc 'on ice' in qualifying

Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc endured an even more painful qualifying session on the other side of the garage.

The Monegasque struggled throughout the hour to generate confidence in the car and could manage only eighth, openly venting his frustration over team radio as Ferrari’s issues mounted.

"In Q1 and Q2 we were having to slow down on the out laps. I struggled incredibly to put the tyres in the right window. I was just on ice all qualifying,” Leclerc explained.

"After resolving a good amount of problems on the brakes yesterday, I was hoping to find confidence, but I was all over the place in Q1 and Q2.

“Q3 I managed to gain some confidence and the tyres were finally in the right window. That allowed me to put in an acceptable lap at the end but P8 is not really acceptable to be honest.

• Read also: Leclerc says Ferrari needs ADUO boost to close gap

“The lap in itself and the feeling was a bit better but it was just too late. Before that, there was not one lap where I could feel the car.”

In summary, Ferrari’s chassis looks capable. The cornering speed is real, and the drivers can feel the potential. But every long straight continues to expose the same lingering weakness – and Hamilton has now said it out loud.

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