Lewis Hamilton achieved his best result with Ferrari in Canada after an intense duel with Max Verstappen in the final laps of the Grand Prix.
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Second at the finish of the Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton experienced one of his most accomplished weekends since joining Ferrari in 2025. The seven-time world champion chased Max Verstappen for a long time before making a decisive overtake in the final laps on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
The Brit finally managed to keep his position until the checkered flag despite constant pressure from the Red Bull driver.
“It was great. Absolutely great to fight with one of the greatest” Hamilton said after the race.
A strategic duel against Verstappen
For much of the race, Hamilton was stuck behind Verstappen, but benefited from a better pace at the end of the stint to gradually catch up to the Dutchman.
The Ferrari driver explains that the characteristics of the two cars made the battle particularly complex.
“Our cars are quite close. We are probably a bit faster in the corners, but everything we gain in the curves, they recover on the straights” he explained.
Hamilton also acknowledges that energy management played a crucial role in this confrontation.
“At the start of the race, he was faster, then once he switched to medium tires, I was able to start chasing him. And I love that feeling of the chase” the Brit declared.
Ferrari still handicapped on the straight
Since the start of the season, Hamilton has regularly mentioned Ferrari’s power deficit compared to Red Bull and Mercedes. A weakness he still felt in Montreal despite his excellent result.
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“Even when we use the overtake mode, they still have more power on the straights” he emphasized.
The Brit explains he had to constantly adapt his battery management to defend his position after overtaking Verstappen.
“I was constantly calculating to try to maximize the energy available on each straight and be sure to have enough at the right moment” he detailed.
“Thank God, I made it”
Despite the pressure exerted by Verstappen until the last meters, Hamilton held firm to secure a second place particularly important for Ferrari.
“Thank God, I managed to do it. And honestly, the feeling when you make an overtake like that is incredible” Hamilton concluded.
This result confirms Ferrari’s progress in Montreal and could mark a real turning point in the Brit’s season after several complicated months.
No (yet?) new race engineer
Hamilton highlighted that he is going through an excellent period within the team and that the debut of Cédric-Michel Grosjean as the new race engineer does not seem imminent at all, because after the difficulties encountered with Riccardo Adami, his relationship with Carlo Santi is flourishing.
“My engineer is absolutely fantastic and I really enjoy working with him, he confirmed. My second engineer also did an excellent job this weekend and helped me get even more performance out of the car, bringing it to a much more optimal level.”
“I finally managed to attack all the corners and, as I said, I had to ask for many changes, he concluded. Fred Vasseur has supported me enormously and, once again, he did everything to make me feel comfortable, he moved mountains and it is finally starting to reflect in my performances.”
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