Lewis Hamilton returned to the scene of his maiden Components 1 victory and made one other breakthrough of types – his greatest grand prix outcome for Ferrari after a turbulent 17 months on the Scuderia.
Hamilton had the higher of team-mate Charles Leclerc for many of the weekend in Montreal, although he fell behind him within the dash race. Beginning fifth on the grid for the grand prix, he handed McLaren’s Oscar Piastri for fourth place on the opening lap, then chased down and handed Max Verstappen‘s Crimson Bull for second within the last phases of the race.
His greatest earlier grand prix outcome was third in China, the place he gained the dash race for Ferrari in 2024. Other than these excessive factors, he has had a torrid time since his high-profile transfer from Mercedes, and develop into the topic of a lot hypothesis about his future.
“Yeah, I had a lot enjoyable on the market all weekend,” he stated after the race. “Each single lap. I felt like we began on the fitting foot, got here with the fitting angle and the automotive actually typically felt nice.
“And so, to return to Montreal, a observe that I do love, and get to take pleasure in a dash weekend right here, which is the primary that we have had [here], was superior. And that is my first second place with the staff.
“It is one thing I have been working so laborious, I can not even start to elucidate how deep I’ve needed to dig to have the ability to get up to now, and the work and transferring mountains within the background to allow this type of efficiency. However I am actually grateful to the staff for persevering with to carry me up excessive and assist me weekend in, weekend out.
“It was superior, completely superior to combat with one of many greats [Verstappen]. It was massively difficult.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing
Picture by: Andy Hone/ LAT Photos through Getty Photos
Forward of the weekend, Hamilton had defined that he had determined to not put together for Canada in Ferrari’s simulator at Maranello, saying he felt it lacked correlation with real-world situations on the tracks visited thus far this season.
He had achieved the identical in China and achieved what was then his greatest grand prix outcome for Ferrari, he reckoned, so he elected to comply with the identical path right here: eschew the simulator and give attention to a deep dive into information. He’ll now proceed that coverage.
“I am positive I might drive it [the simulator] in some unspecified time in the future,” he stated. “I believe what could possibly be good is, for instance, going again and doing correlation to this weekend so we will discover out the place it is lacking. As a result of the check driver will likely be on there saying it is all… they may solely know what they know as a result of they do not get to drive.
“It is solely Charles and me who get to drive the automotive. So, the optimistic of one thing like with the ability to drive the actual automotive, return and say, ‘That is truly what it seems like. These are the issues that we’re lacking,’ and in order that we will enhance it.
“I am all the time there to assist the staff transfer ahead and develop it. Now, whether or not or not I exploit it to arrange for an additional race? Most likely not.
“There are simply too many dangers. When you have a look at the 2 greatest races I’ve had, I did not use a simulator. And that is truthfully the way it was. Just about all of the championships earlier than, apart from in all probability 2008, I did not use the sim. So it is not a necessity. It is a instrument that may be highly effective.
“However for me, I am old-fashioned. I am in all probability higher with out it.”
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