Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton described his performance in the Canadian Grand Prix as “one of the worst races” of his career. Hamilton finished fourth, behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who overtook him in the closing laps to secure his first podium finish of the year.
Hamilton believed his car had the potential to win, but he admitted to making numerous mistakes in his 341st race. This disappointment came on a track where he has historically performed well.
“Over the weekend, it’s a poor performance from myself,” he said. “Some other things came into it yesterday, mostly myself, but then today, it’s one of the worst races I’ve driven. Lots of mistakes.
“Of course, if I qualified better, I would have been in a better position…
“But it is becoming a car we can fight with and that’s a real positive, going into the next part of the season. It’s going to be a close battle and if I get my head on right, I’ll get better results.
“I think this weekend the car was capable of winning. That’s such a great feeling so we’ll take the points and keep on trying.”
Lewis Hamilton shares the record of seven wins and six poles at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where he secured his maiden victory with McLaren in 2007. George Russell, who started from the second pole position of his career and the team’s first since Hamilton’s pole in Hungary last year, reflected on the race, saying it felt like a missed opportunity.
Russell acknowledged the team’s strong start on intermediate tires but noted that they struggled after switching back to slicks, making mistakes while pushing the limits. Despite these setbacks, Russell celebrated their first podium of the year and expressed satisfaction with their performance, highlighting the excitement of being back in contention for a win.
Regarding his late overtakes on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Hamilton, Russell remarked that the racing was tight but fair.
“It’s so difficult when there’s only one dry line, so you have got to be committed and trust your rivals.”
Team boss Toto Wolff said despite missing out on a first win since the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in 2022, he was satisfied with the team’s recent progress.
“A victory was maybe a long-shot, or a short dream, but you must not be too greedy. The car has made a good step forward and the development direction is true.”
He added that he was not sure if Red Bull had “made a step backwards” but that “the most important thing” is that their performance advantage was shrinking.
