Lewis Hamilton wins over Italian F1 media after superb Ferrari podium

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton wins over Italian media after superb Ferrari podium

Lewis Hamilton stunned in Montreal with his podium

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 27 May 2026 18:57

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Lewis Hamilton's stock has risen, not just with Ferrari, but also with the Italian F1 media after the Canadian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion didn't quite make the splash the world was expecting when he jumped into a Ferrari for the first time last year, and what transpired was perhaps one of Hamilton's worst season in Formula 1.

Nonetheless, the new regulations couldn't have come at a better time for Hamilton, who seems much more comfortable in the 2026 car compared to the ground effect era.

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He claimed his first podium with Ferrari at the Chinese Grand Prix and went one better in Canada, where he finished second - his best result with the team.

It wasn't just the podium that impressed, but the manner in which Hamilton achieved it, sweeping around the outside entering Turn 1 after a thrilling battle with former rival Max Verstappen.

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Hamilton praised in Italian media

Far from being a race day fluke, Hamilton also excelled in qualifying, in contrast to team-mate Charles Leclerc who described Montreal as the 'most difficult weekend' of his career.

Hamilton, on the other hand, has never looked more at home with Ferrari and his jubilant post race interviews couldn't be further than Leclerc's despondency. The Brit hailed the weekend as his 'happiest day at Ferrari so far', and even seems to have gelled with race engineer Carlo Santi.

Speaking about his right-hand man, Hamilton said: “He’s absolutely awesome and I’m really loving working with him.

“And my number two did a fantastic job this weekend and helped me really pull more performance out of the car, getting into a much sweeter place."

Certainly a far cry from the Riccardo Adami days.

Italian media rate Hamilton's Canadian GP performance

Hamilton's positive weekend was reflected in the rating of his performance by Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, who gave him a score of nine.

They wrote: "In a full race, not a sprint (which he won once in China), second place on the Notre Dame Island track is his best finish since he's been driving a Ferrari. Could this be the start of a turning point? Is his connection with the Reds starting to materialise?"

Team-mate Leclerc was given a score of 6.5, and wrote: "On Saturday, he had described the weekend as disastrous, due to the lack of everything: from speed to competitiveness.

"Sunday, however, saw him climb from eighth to fourth place and taught him that the devil isn't always as bad as he's made out to be. However, he finished nearly 30 seconds behind Hamilton: a significant penalty."

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Canadian Grand Prix