Lewis Hamilton questions Ferrari’s qualifying tyre strategy: “We were told…”

Lewis Hamilton was surprised Ferrari didn’t consider running on the medium tyres in the final part of F1 qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton secured his best qualifying position of the year in a grand prix, securing fifth on the grid for Sunday’s race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Unlike George Russell and Max Verstappen, who elected to run on the medium tyre, Ferrari ran Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on the softs throughout qualifying.

Since the introduction of the new C6 soft tyre this season, a recurring theme has been that it is difficult for drivers to keep alive for a whole lap.

Speaking after qualifying in Montreal, Hamilton conceded Ferrari didn’t have the pace to compete with the top three.

However, he did question the decision not to run on the mediums - or even consider it.

“No, no, not really. I think we did the best we could,” Hamilton told Sky Sports.

“I think with setup and I’ve been working flat-out all weekend trying to go quicker but I just don’t think the car can go that much faster. I don’t think we can compete with the guys up front.

“We just have to accept that’s the way it is. I think perhaps Charles was on a good start of his lap. Obviously, didn’t finish it. Maybe there was a couple of tenths there but it wouldn’t have put us on the front row.

“The other guys also had the medium tyre which I am not really sure why we didn’t consider it. We were told that the soft was the better one so that’s what we went for.”

Hamilton targets first Ferrari podium

Hamilton has yet to finish on the podium with Ferrari.

His best result so far this season was fourth at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion has an incredible record in Montreal, winning the race on seven previous occasions.

Hamilton is hopeful that the issue that hampered his pace in Barcelona last time out will not occur again.

“Whether or not the issue could come back. Hopefully not. We’ve done everything we can to mitigate it so I am hoping for a good day tomorrow,” Hamilton added.

“I really love this track. Every track I am going to is the first time driving this Ferrari. It’s so much different. It’s very, very tricky to adapt to. But as I said, to be P5, hopefully I can fight from there.

“We’ve got new tyres - new medium and two new hards so it’s a small advantage maybe to the cars ahead. Still chasing that podium so that’s what I will try to go for tomorrow.”