Lewis #Hamilton confirms he’ll stay with #Ferrari through at least 2027, denying retirement rumors and pledging to race in #F1 for many years ahead. Watch F1 Canadian GP Live on https://tinyurl.com/f1-canadian-gp-2026
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00A very warm welcome, everybody, to our Drivers' Press Conference ahead of the FIA Formula One Canadian Grand Prix.
00:07Two groups coming your way, as ever. Group one in front of us now, left to right, if you need
00:13reminding,
00:13Lance Stroll, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
00:16Very warm welcome to you all. Let's start with the hometown hero, Lance.
00:22Welcome. Lots of fans coming to see you race at home this weekend.
00:26And just what does it mean to be back in Montreal in a race cup?
00:30It's great. I look forward to this weekend all season.
00:34It's my favorite race of the year. I love the track.
00:39You know, the fans, the energy, the whole city gets really into the race weekend.
00:45And it's just electric when, you know, even when you drive around for the first out lap in FP1,
00:52you just feel the energy around the circuit. It's amazing.
00:56Great memories over the years coming here. Some good results, some good races.
01:01So, yeah, it's exciting.
01:03Talking of memories, before we come on to on-track performance,
01:06you had a pretty special time, I believe, yesterday driving some old cars.
01:11A Senna-inspired Honda NSX, am I right?
01:15Yeah, it was a fun day with Honda, some old cars, and it's always fun to drive some different machines.
01:23So, it was fun.
01:25All right. What about the race car then?
01:27On track, both Astons finished both the Sprint and the Grand Prix in Miami.
01:32While the pace isn't where you want it to be at the moment, are you beginning to make some progress?
01:38Yeah, we fixed the vibrations in Miami, so that was good.
01:43We finished the race.
01:43Both cars got to the checkered flag for the first time this season, which I think is a step forward.
01:51And now we just need to find a lot more downforce and power.
01:55So, when we do that, we'll, I think, be in better shape.
01:58So, that's what we're focused on.
02:00Have you been given a time scale by the team as to when you can expect more downforce, more power?
02:06We have an upgrade for Spa or the one after Spa.
02:10I don't know which one in Zandvoort.
02:14Yeah, is it going to be enough to fight for the front?
02:17No, but, yeah, these things don't happen overnight.
02:21So, everyone's pushing as hard as possible and we're doing everything we can to bring as much lap time to
02:28the car as quickly as we can.
02:30Final one from me, Lance.
02:32You raced a GT3 car recently.
02:35Max Verstappen did the same Nürburgring 24 hours last weekend.
02:38And what did you make of what he got up to at the Nürburgring?
02:43Yeah, I didn't watch the whole 24 hours, but I saw some highlights.
02:47And, you know, for sure, he's, I mean, hats off.
02:51You know, he's so talented and so fast and so brave.
02:56I saw he was, you know, making some crazy moves in the middle of the night and was super quick
03:03behind the wheel whenever he was behind the wheel.
03:05So, yeah, it's fun.
03:07I think when we have brakes, you know, I have a GT3 car for track days and stuff when we're
03:15just for fun.
03:16And when we had that six weeks off, I got some friends together, put the car in the race and
03:22we got out there and had some fun.
03:24So, it's always cool driving different things.
03:27And, you know, yeah, it was good.
03:31It was fun to watch.
03:32Lance, thank you for that.
03:33Best of luck this weekend.
03:34Lewis, coming to you, when you hear stories of Lance racing a GT3, Max doing his GT3 stuff, does it
03:40whet your appetite?
03:41Does it make you want to go and have a go as well?
03:44Not particularly, no.
03:50No, there's definitely a part of me.
03:52I mean, I love the Norsch life.
03:53So, I would love to drive a car around there at some stage.
03:58And, I mean, the racing looks fantastic.
04:01So, but I don't know.
04:04Could do.
04:06Don't need to.
04:08Well, let's bring it on to this weekend.
04:10I mean, seven wins here in Montreal, including the very first of your 105 victories.
04:17Just how special is it to be back at a track where you've had so much success?
04:22It's always one of my favorite places to come in the season.
04:27Hi, everyone.
04:28It's good to see everybody here.
04:29It's, it's, it's, the weather's fantastic today.
04:32I landed, landed this morning and my mom's coming this weekend because it's just this,
04:38the atmosphere in the city is, is electric.
04:42And, and then just to come to this little Tiley Island and have such an iconic weekend where
04:48the fans are probably the closest that they get through the year.
04:50And, and the track is just, it's one of, it's one of the best tracks in the world.
04:56So, and yeah, obviously had some great races here in the past.
05:01So, excited for this weekend.
05:02What can we expect from you and Ferrari then this weekend?
05:08Uh, I think hopefully a better weekend.
05:12I think there's a lot of learnings taken from the, the first races and particularly from
05:19the last race.
05:19I think we've, um, there's been a huge amount of work, which I'm really grateful for, uh,
05:24all the team back at the factory working incredibly hard to try and analyze where we've been good,
05:30where we've been, where we've not been so good.
05:33And, um, we've adjusted processes and, um, approach.
05:38And, um, so I'm hoping that we're able to extract more from the car because I still think
05:41we're still trying to extract the most from, from the package that we have.
05:46And then also just being realistic of where we stand currently, um, compared to, to Mercedes,
05:53for example.
05:55But, um, lots can happen.
05:57Um, so, uh, it's just about trying to extract the most from the car this weekend.
06:00Where do you think you do stand in the pecking order with the upgrades that you brought to Miami last
06:06time out?
06:07I mean, it probably adjusts each weekend.
06:09Obviously, you know, Mercedes are, uh, at the top.
06:12Um, McLaren looked incredibly strong last week, last race as well.
06:16They took a good step and obviously Red Bull have made a huge step.
06:21Um, so I think we're kind of in and around McLaren and Red Bull, I would say, which order there
06:27is, uh, we'll see.
06:30But, um, I don't know, obviously, no Mercedes have a big upgrade this weekend.
06:33So, um, even without an upgrade, they were very quick in the last race or still won the last race.
06:39So, um, so our focus is just, just going to be on ourselves and just trying to optimize.
06:45And, and for me, I'm really excited to hopefully have a better weekend.
06:48Thank you for that, Louis.
06:49Best of luck.
06:49And Valtteri, let's come to you.
06:51The lap record holder in Montreal, uh, no less.
06:55Uh, how much do you relish the challenge of the circuit Gilles Villeneuve?
07:00It's fun.
07:01Like both drivers here covered, it's, uh, one of the most fun tracks on the, on the calendar.
07:06Really technical, makes good racing.
07:08So it's, it's definitely a challenge and especially now with just one practice, the track is always really green.
07:14Uh, so the evolution is pretty big, but, um, yeah, I like it.
07:17Now the team introduced a big upgrade last time out in Miami.
07:21Can you tell us a little bit more about it and what areas you felt the car had improved?
07:25Yeah, it's definitely more aero-focused upgrade that we had.
07:29Um, we've been lacking quite a bit of stability off the rear, off the rear end of the car in
07:34high speed.
07:34So that definitely improved.
07:35But, um, in Miami, there was only like one or two high speed corners, um, here none.
07:41But, um, yeah, we're making progress behind the scenes.
07:43And again, this weekend we've got some new aero bits, some mechanical upgrades as well.
07:49So, yeah, there's a lot of stuff happening in the background.
07:52So where, where do you see your battles this weekend with all of the upgrades that you've just mentioned?
07:57You know, I think everyone is improving.
07:59Like everyone is making steps, but we need to try and make sure that we make bigger steps.
08:03Um, you know, for sure we're still battling Aston.
08:06Hopefully we can see that we're a bit closer to the, um, to the midfield and then we see as
08:12we go.
08:13All right, Valtteri, thank you.
08:14Best of luck to you.
08:16Let's now open this to the floor.
08:18We will start with the broadcasters as normal and David Croft.
08:22Yeah, thanks ever so much, Tom.
08:23Um, David Croft, Sky Sports F1.
08:25A question for Lewis to start off with.
08:28Hope you've had a good couple of weeks.
08:30Congratulations to Arsenal for winning the Premier League title.
08:34Um, I don't know what you've been doing in the last couple of weeks, but when you went back to
08:38Maranello, did you go in the sim?
08:39Did you do any sim work?
08:41And if not, why the change in approach?
08:43What is it about the sim work that you think, don't need that?
08:47I could actually be better off without it, without doing that before I prepare for a race.
08:53No, I didn't use a sim.
08:55Um, firstly, the, the sim is amazing.
08:59It's an amazing space to work in.
09:02And it's the best sim I've ever seen.
09:05And, um, the best group of people that have, you know, a large team of people that I get to
09:10work with there.
09:10And so a day at the sim is actually pretty incredible.
09:14Um, it is a very, very powerful tool, uh, and something that as a team, we continue to evolve.
09:21I think since I've been there, I've had a lot of input in some of this evolution.
09:26And they've been really respondent and made loads and loads of changes.
09:29And, and we've just been improving it.
09:31But, um, with simulation, I feel that it's, the goalpost is always moving.
09:37So I started driving the simulator in 1997, the first simulator, I would say, at McLaren.
09:42This cockpit didn't move, but we had force feedback in the steering.
09:45And I remember it was at working, uh, at McLaren's old factory.
09:51And, um, and then when it moved to, like, the first real gen, I was, uh, they let me sometimes
09:59use it when I was in GP2.
10:02And then, uh, McLaren, we used it relatively often.
10:06Didn't, again, particularly enjoy it.
10:08But, because they were kind of long days and a lot of laps.
10:11There's a point at which you don't stop, you stop learning when you're doing so many laps, for me personally.
10:17And then, uh, when I joined Mercedes, they were quite far off with the sim at the time.
10:23I didn't use it in all the championships that we won.
10:26Barely used the simulator.
10:28Um, very, very rarely.
10:31And then it was 2020, 2020, maybe 2021.
10:35Started to use it a little bit more.
10:38I think there's only ever been really one time through my, through all the years that I've used the sim
10:43in these 20 years,
10:44that the setup that I had on the sim was the exact setup I used in qualifying and qualified pole.
10:51And that was Singapore, uh, I think it was, Singapore 2012, maybe?
10:59I think something like that.
11:00So then all the other times, it's, it's not quite perfect.
11:04But it is, as I said, it is a powerful tool.
11:06I just think, since I, the last year I used it every week.
11:10And more often than not, I felt, you know, you do all the work on the sim and you get
11:14to the track.
11:15You find a setup that you're comfortable with.
11:16You get to the track and it's, everything's opposite.
11:20So then you're undoing the things you've learned.
11:22Um, some of the ways you've approached the corners, you have to shift and adjust.
11:27Setup that you felt that was good on the simulator is not the same at the track sometimes.
11:31Sometimes it is.
11:32And so, so it's kind of hit and miss.
11:34So I just decided for this one, I'm just going to sit it out and, um, focus more on the
11:39data.
11:40Um, so there was just a lot of deep diving on, you know, through corner balance, mechanical balance, um, um,
11:49corner approaches, brake balance, optimizing the brakes, which have been a problem for me for some time.
11:54Um, and, um, and, um, and, and that's, that's led to like really good integration with my engineers.
12:00So it's not a tool that I'm not, I'm saying I'm never going to use again.
12:05I think it's something that for sure we'll continue to utilize, particularly on power deployment.
12:10Um, but, um, yeah, so most often what I'd done for the last like six months, you'd go in after
12:17this, after the weekend and you'd work on correlation.
12:20And so that when we run it again, but then you go to the next track and it's slightly off
12:24sometimes.
12:25And so we'll see how the weekend goes, but, you know, China, for example, I didn't have this, do the
12:31sim for China and it was my best weekend.
12:33Thank you, Luke.
12:35Next one.
12:38Craig Slater from, from Sky.
12:40It's another one for Lewis.
12:41I wonder if you could, Crofty mentioned Arsenal, whether you could share some of the emotions of, of Arsenal winning
12:46the league.
12:47It's been a long time and you've been a long fan.
12:49And if I could relate it to F1, Nick Alartes has been given some time and they've had that continuity
12:54at Arsenal.
12:55Are you, are you hopeful that they can have the same at Ferrari given time?
12:59And that it seems like a settled outfit that you have too.
13:03Uh, like, I think for like for everyone, very emotional.
13:06I shed a tear to be honest, because I remember I was five years old.
13:10Um, and I used to play in the local Stevenage in Petrie way.
13:14He used to play around the corner football with friends and to, you know, as any black kid in the
13:18area.
13:18And, uh, out of the people that I was playing with.
13:22And I remember trying to fit in and all of them sported different, West Ham and Tottenham and Manchester.
13:27So I was bouncing between all these when I was like four or five years old, depending on who I
13:32was with.
13:32And my sister, I remember exactly like the, I messaged her the other day, like she was walking me home
13:39and I told her, she asked me what team I supported.
13:41And she, she gave me a dead arm back then, you know, she gave me a little dig in my
13:44arm and said, you have to support Arsenal.
13:45So we had a laugh yesterday about it, but, um, and then we've just, it's, we've had so many near
13:52close moments and to finally get it, you know, it, it was, wow.
13:59Like a lot of emotion came up for me.
14:01And as I'm sure for so many people, they're just so happy and proud of the, of, of the team.
14:06And, um, obviously Arsene was, was great.
14:10I think the direction they've gone in the past couple of years, it's been just fantastic.
14:14So a lot, very inspired by what they've done, really, really proud of the team.
14:21And I think they can go from strength to strength from here and only get stronger.
14:26And in terms of what my time and my team, yeah, um, I'm always looking to, I'm always looking for
14:33other leaders that are doing great things and how they work with teams.
14:37I'm always trying to learn how I can be a better colleague, a better teammate to the people around me,
14:44how I can, um, uh, extract more from myself, but also from the people, from the groups that I get
14:49to work with.
14:51Um, because teamwork is really, is this, it really does make the dream work.
14:55It's, it's, it's a real thing.
14:56And when you have a huge group of people, there's so many different energies and, um, you have to be
15:02quite dynamic to be able to integrate into those different sections.
15:05But I feel like we're in a really good place.
15:07I'm in a good place with my team.
15:09There's always going to be teething issues and stuff that you always have to work on.
15:13But, uh, yeah, I'm really happy.
15:16Thank you for that.
15:17Next.
15:17Mara San Giorgio, Sky Sport Italy.
15:20Another one for Luis.
15:22Um, Luis, we are getting closer to the Bonaco Grand Prix and the rumors are starting to spread.
15:28What about you?
15:29Is everything clear?
15:31Is everything okay for, uh, for you for next year?
15:34Yep.
15:34Um, I'm, I'm still in contract.
15:36So, um, everything's a hundred percent clear to me and, um, yeah, I'm still focused.
15:47I'm still motivated.
15:48I still love what I do with all my heart.
15:51And, um, you know, I'm going to be here for quite some time.
15:56So get used to it.
15:57Um, you know, there's a lot of people that are trying to retire me and, and, uh, that's
16:04not even on my thoughts.
16:05I'm thinking, I'm already thinking of what will be next.
16:10Um, um, and planning for like the next five years.
16:17Um, but yeah, um, still plan to be here for some time.
16:22So, yeah.
16:24Mariana Becker from TV Global.
16:26Hi, Luis.
16:27Hi, Valtteri.
16:29Hi.
16:30You're almost sleeping.
16:33Uh, Luis, I was going to ask you something else, but I'm curious.
16:36Why did you choose Canada to bring your mother?
16:39It was her choice.
16:40And how does it change for you now weekend having your mother around?
16:45Um, yeah, so I've been trying to get my mom to come on the road for a while and she
16:51hasn't
16:52wanted to travel the last couple of years.
16:54So she's only come to Silverstone for like the last God knows how many years.
16:57And I tried to get her out of her comfort zone last year and bring her to Canada.
17:02I wanted to take her to Lake Louise and so many beautiful places in Canada to visit and
17:08excuses kept coming up.
17:10And so she promised me, um, end of the year.
17:13She said, next year is the year I'm going to travel with you.
17:15So we did China together, which was honestly the best time we'd ever had together.
17:21And, um, and then she asked me if she could come to Montreal and I was like, absolutely.
17:26Um, but I think also, cause it is a really great city to come to.
17:29It's really good restaurants here.
17:32There's such a buzz in, in town.
17:35And I was like, do you want to bring a friend?
17:36And she's like, no, I just want to come spend time with you.
17:38So, you know, we, we, we have just a great time.
17:42She's really my best friend.
17:43So, um, I'm really grateful that she's taken the time to come and be here.
17:47Does it change your way?
17:49Uh, I think, I think probably the energy is, it's always, it definitely makes a difference
17:54to your weekend when you have, uh, support from your family and, um, the fact that we're
18:01on the road all the time and you don't always get to see your family.
18:05It's, it's really, really nice to then have that.
18:07And, and also to get to, you know, when she came to China, I got to show all the, all
18:11the
18:11team.
18:12She loved being around the team.
18:14Um, she felt really integrated with the team and they made her feel so welcome.
18:18So, and she loved being around Italians and the food was great.
18:21So, you know, so, um, yeah, so I'm really, I'm really excited for her to be here and fingers
18:28crossed she'll come tomorrow.
18:30Next Sam Johnston, Sky Sports question for Valtteri.
18:34Um, you obviously worked quite closely with Kimi Antonelli last year.
18:38I was just interested to hear kind of what specifically you worked on with him as you in your role
18:43as
18:43a mentor and have you seen much of that, what you worked on in his success early this
18:48season.
18:49Yeah.
18:50First of all, I take all the credit, of course, for his success.
18:52You know, I think it's just a fact.
18:54Uh, no, I mean, it's been great to see.
18:58I, I was always had a feeling that he can make a good step after his first year over the
19:03winter and that's what he's done.
19:05He's grown a lot in a short period of time.
19:09Um, he seems much more confident, much more comfortable with the team, with the car.
19:15Um, but yeah, just, you know, um, the latest advice I gave him end of last year is just
19:23keep, keep doing what you're doing because he was making great progress.
19:27He was getting more confidence, um, in driving, but also his technical feedback.
19:33So I think it seems like he's been just chipping away, you know, just ticking boxes.
19:38He's still so young, so early on in his career and doing extremely well.
19:43So, yeah, I'm really, really proud of him.
19:47Hello everyone, welcome to the channel.
19:49Uh, we have just heard the press conference of the both drivers, of the all drivers that
19:58we had.
19:59So it's a really interesting mix that we had.
20:02So the Canadian Grand Prix weekend is also officially here and, uh, the driver's press
20:09conference just gave us a really interesting look in what everyone had, uh, is going to
20:15in this race.
20:16So Montreal is one of those tracks where anything can happen.
20:20Long straights, heavy braking zones and walls that are always waiting.
20:24It's really, really tricky for the driver.
20:26So what the drivers say here actually matters more than usual.
20:29The first group that, uh, had really interesting mix, uh, home pressure experience and pure
20:36composure, and, uh, you could already feel three very different mindsets in the room.
20:43Let's roll, uh, let's start, let's start with him.
20:46So the home driver, and probably one under the most pressure coming into the weekend, you
20:51could tell straight away he knows what this race means.
20:54Racing in front of your home crowd isn't just another weekend.
20:57It's expectations and attention and honesty can either lift you or completely overwhelm you.
21:03And hopefully they will have the card to compete on this Grand Prix because as we know, Aston
21:09Martin has a lot of problems with their, uh, bullet.
21:15Stroll talked about using the strategy, that energy as motivation, but, uh, at the same time
21:20he didn't, uh, overhype things, he kept it grounded, focused on the execution, staying
21:25clean and just putting together a solid weekend.
21:29And, uh, to tell you the truth, uh, was, that's actually key here because Montreal isn't a track
21:35where you can afford mistakes.
21:37One lockup, one brush with a wall and your whole race can fall apart.
21:43So, first of all, this is about doing something crazy, it's about delivering under pressure and
21:47if he can do that, the crowd behind him could actually become a huge advantage.
21:52But, uh, we just don't, uh, have to forget this part that, uh, they are struggling a lot
22:02with, with the vehicle that they have, with the car.
22:05Um, they tend not to find a solution at the moment, so that's what the pressure means on
22:12top of him and things like that.
22:14Even though he didn't talk too much about it, but we see what's happening with that
22:19card and, uh, they are just, uh, really, really behind.
22:24But hopefully, uh, as I said, uh, the crowd will be on his advantage and give him a little
22:30bit of motivation so he can, uh, deliver a, maybe deliver points for the team or things
22:37like that.
22:37But, um, to win something, it will be like really, really miracle thing to happen.
22:44So, yeah, let's move on.
22:46So, now we're shifting to Lewis Hamilton and his tone was very different, calm, controlled
22:50and very focused.
22:52He talked all about, considering he tells you everything about, uh, where Ferrari is right
22:57now, they're not, uh, just chasing one good lap, they're trying to build a full weekend.
23:03And that's been their story lately.
23:05Their progress, there's improvement, but it's not quite enough yet to fully change challenge
23:11at the front.
23:12Hamilton didn't sound frustrated though, which is interesting.
23:16Instead, he sounded patient, like he knows the team is moving in the right direction, but
23:21also knows they need to maximize every single opportunity.
23:25Even though, uh, uh, uh, Ferrari are really, really good at the moment with their car, but
23:32they just need to find that extra speed, let's say like that, and, uh, extra balance to the
23:40car because, uh, they tend to lose a lot of, uh, power on the straights.
23:46And, um, at the track like Canada, uh, that actually plays into, into this, uh, particular
23:54role because this is a circuit where experience matters and, uh, knowing when to push, when
24:00to back off and how to manage the race, that's where Hamilton can still make the difference,
24:06uh, between the drivers.
24:08So, uh, don't be surprised if he quietly puts himself in a strong position this weekend.
24:14Hopefully, we will see that eager Hamilton, that, uh, powerful, uh, Lewis that he always
24:24delivers.
24:25But, as I said, it all depends how the car will, will be this, this weekend because hopefully
24:33they have done, they have done some changes to the upgrades that they brought to the last
24:38race and, uh, maybe some tweaks and things like that and hopefully it will be really good
24:43for him.
24:44Then we got Valtteri Bottas and, uh, it's not really good for him at the moment with the
24:52Cadillac because, uh, uh, uh, I don't know, like, it's a new team, let's say it like that.
25:10Uh, but, but, what, what, what can I say about that?
25:15It's a new team, they're trying to be as good as they can, they're trying to, to, to see to
25:21win some points, uh, but they're, they're in the mix, uh, in the mix of, uh, um, the middle
25:32grid, let's say like that.
25:33But we didn't, we, we haven't seen them fight Will, uh, uh, lately, let's say like that.
25:40Because, uh, he knows exactly where the, where he stands this season.
25:45It's about extracting performance, staying consistent and picking up points when others
25:50make mistakes, but that car tends to have some kind of, um, low power, let's say like that.
25:57It's not like fully built because Cadillac is new to this business, to this particular
26:04sport, but they are, they are not chasing this season.
26:08They, they are just learning on this season.
26:11Let's say like they, they, they are, they are, they are students on this season.
26:16And even though they have, uh, um, experienced drivers, but still they are learning how to
26:24perform, uh, on this particular sport.
26:27And that's the thing about this year.
26:29Mistakes are being punished heavily because the field is so close.
26:33So for Bottas, not about chasing headlines, about being efficient, clean and ready when
26:38chaos hits.
26:39And in Canada, chaos usually hits because that's how the track is.
26:44So, uh, this is the first part of this press conference that we have just watched.
26:52So this, uh, first group really shows the three sides of the 2006 grid, Stroll dealing with
26:58pressure, but aiming for a clean result, Hamilton using Spinner to stay in the fight and Bottas
27:02playing the long game in a super competitive midfield.
27:06And, uh, yeah, if you liked what you saw and what you heard, please don't forget to like
27:13a subscriber channel and, uh, yeah, comment down below for whatever question you have.
27:19We look on those questions and we tend to reply to all of them when we have time.
27:25Thank you everyone and see you on the next one.
Comments