Lewis Hamilton may now be realising what Ferrari engineers lack compared to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull crew

Lewis Hamilton opened up on his disagreements with his Ferrari engineers ahead of the Canadian GP last weekend. They have different ideas when it comes to setting up the car.

The scenario is perfectly normal. Hamilton is the most successful F1 driver ever and the second-most experienced, with over 360 race starts.

Since joining the sport in 2007, he’s developed firm convictions when it comes to the best approach for certain circuits. He has an excellent record at Montreal with a record-equalling seven victories.

Ferrari may not have won a championship since 2008, but they have been fairly regular race-winners. They also boast enormous engineering resources, so they’re not simply inclined to defer to the driver.

Karun Chandhok says Hamilton is still establishing ‘trust’ in Ferrari. If he has to put his own preferences aside, he needs to see the team’s advice pay off.

Max Verstappen’s Red Bull engineers boast a ‘creativity’ absent at Ferrari

Ferrari bosses recently asked Fred Vasseur to accelerate the team’s development plans, even if that meant taking risks. This was no doubt born out of impatience with the Scuderia’s disappointing form.

Vasseur pushed back on that instruction for two reasons. First, he believed that the FIA’s flexi-wing clampdown at the Spanish GP would help the team, but the early indications suggest he was wrong.

Second, both the team principal and chassis technical director Loic Serra strongly believe that there is untapped potential in the car, according to Motorsport Italia. Their simulations tell them they should be going faster.

One theory is that Ferrari engineers lack the ‘creativity’ of their Red Bull counterparts, who have won four consecutive titles with Max Verstappen. The Milton Keynes outfit have repeatedly turned their weekends around with a set-up overhaul between Friday and Saturday.

Verstappen was four-tenths off the McLaren drivers in FP2 at Imola, and then went on to win the race. Likewise, he ended the opening day at Suzuka in April in eighth place before converting pole position.

2026 Ferrari whispers will worry Lewis Hamilton with debut season a write-off

The report also adds that Ferrari have recalled suspension technicians to the SF-25 in preparation for an upcoming upgrade. The new assembly should arrive for Hamilton’s home race at Silverstone.

Hamilton called for updates after the Canadian GP, and yet he’s also been advocating a reallocation of resources to 2026. While podiums and maybe a victory or two are still possible this year, he knows that his championship ambitions at Ferrari are riding on the regulation changes.

Worryingly, while there’s optimism about former team Mercedes, Ferrari’s engine is an unknown heading into 2026. The output of the battery, now significantly larger, could play a major role in determining the pecking order.

Hamilton dominated F1 following the 2014 pivot to V6 hybrids, and clearly received positive indications about Ferrari’s long-term plans during negotiations.