Canadian F1 GP a chance of “redemption” for Lewis Hamilton after “soul-searching”

Ex-F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix is the perfect chance for Lewis Hamilton to turn things around at Ferrari.

Hamilton has excelled at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve over the years, taking seven wins in Montreal.

The British driver clinched his maiden F1 victory in 2007 for McLaren from pole position.

Over the years, Hamilton has often produced his best in Canada, with his most recent win in 2019.

Aside from the China sprint race, Hamilton has struggled for form.

Teammate Charles Leclerc picked up this third podium of the year last time out in Barcelona, while Hamilton finished sixth, losing out to Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg in the closing laps.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer assessed Ferrari’s chances ahead of this weekend.

“They can’t go worse than that, can they? That’s the good thing for them,” Palmer said of Ferrari at last year’s Canadian GP. “It was as bad as could be. Again, on paper, it’s a good track for Ferrari.

“The corners are basically all low-speed which is what allowed the car to work in Monaco. They didn’t have to worry about any high-speed setup. They could just run the car low to the ground and get it working.

“Again, they obviously flopped last year. They did completely mess up their qualifying strategy. If you’re Ferrari now you're thinking this is as good a shot as any. Also, Hamilton is brilliant in Montreal generally.

“This is got to be some sort of redemption circuit for Lewis I think.”

Hamilton “completely dejected”

Hamilton’s poor run of form is a continuation of last year, where he was completely out-classed by teammate George Russell.

Natalie Pinkham, a presenter for Sky Sports, admitted she’s not seen Hamilton so “dejected” as in recent races.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him… well I have over the last 14 years. Not in recent memory so low as he was in the pen in Monaco and then the pen in Barcelona,” she said.

“He was completely dejected. He had more questions than answers. A lot of soul-searching required. But as you say, we’ve seen these moments of brilliance - and the Lewis of old.

“We know it’s still there but he needs the stars to be aligned to deliver it and that’s not happening frequently enough.”

Palmer questioned the “moments of brilliance” Hamilton has produced this season but pointed towards Leclerc's being a standout talent as the main issue for the seven-time world champion.

“Honestly, I can’t think what these moments of brilliance are that we’ve seen this year. China and the sprint qualifying in China, to do it over one lap was impressive,” Palmer explained.

“So China, definitely. Other than that? Occasionally it looks like he can find his groove. Also there’s parts through a weekend where he’s mentioning Charles pretty well and you’re thinking they’re within a tenth either way. To me, he’s up [against] a prestigious talent in Charles Leclerc and Leclerc is going to be right up there with Max in terms of one-lap performance.

“We’ve seen it for years - some of his pole laps have been exquisite. Trying to match up to that is difficult. I also think Leclerc’s race pace is really underrated.”