Lewis Hamilton may have scored his best result of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend, but it was a result tinged with disappointment. The seven-time world champion was left ruing a major missed opportunity.
While Mercedes teammate George Russell scored the second pole position on Saturday, Hamilton could only manage seventh. With upgrades on both cars, the Silver Arrows made a big leap in performance that very few outside the team expected.
Russell and Hamilton arguably had the strongest package in Montreal after trailing the top three teams for the first eight races of the season. But Hamilton’s poor qualifying effectively ruled him out of contention for the win.
While he gained a place in the chaotic start phase, he wasn’t able to execute an on-track pass on the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso. By the time they swapped positions in the pit lane, he already had a big gap to make up.
Hamilton set about doing that after taking an early gamble to bolt on the slick tyres, but a mistake cost him multiple seconds in his pursuit of McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. He would eventually pass the Australian, as well as Russell, as the two teams battled it out behind Max Verstappen in the closing stages.
However, his teammate ensured he was the driver to bag Mercedes’ first podium of the season as he regained his position from Hamilton at the final chicane. On a circuit where Hamilton has won a joint-record seven times, it was particularly surprising to see Russell ahead.
Damon Hill says Lewis Hamilton has set a high benchmark
Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, Hamilton was left lamenting what he called a ‘really poor performance’. He viewed it as ‘one of the worst races’ he’s driven in his 341-race Formula 1 career after a string of mistakes.
1996 world champion Damon Hill then offered his reaction to the interview on his Instagram story. Hill noted that Hamilton had set a uniquely high standard.
“What level is Lewis Hamilton’s ‘not very good’ I wonder,” the former Williams driver wrote.
While the 39-year-old is enduring the poorest season of his career to date, he remains the most successful driver in F1 history. In addition to his seven titles, he’s won 103 races and taken 104 pole positions.
Martin Brundle baffled by what happened to Hamilton at Canadian Grand Prix
Hamilton may not have maximised his result in the race, but much of the damage was done in qualifying. The Englishman had set a commanding pace in FP3 but Russell wrestled back the initiative on Saturday evening.
The 26-year-old was just under three tenths faster than his fellow Mercedes after the first runs of Q3, with both cars on used tyres. They were running first and second at that point, but their rivals would improve on their second runs.
Five cars slotted into the gap between Russell and Hamilton, neither of whom managed to find any more pace. Sky F1’s Martin Brundle couldn’t comprehend a lap where ‘none of his sector times shone’.
The latter now trails 8-1 in the season-long qualifying head-to-head. It’s one of the most lopsided battles on the grid right now alongside Verstappen vs Sergio Perez (9-0) and Alex Albon vs Logan Sargeant (8-0).
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