Lewis Hamilton described his second-place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix as the “happiest day” of his Ferrari career so far after producing his strongest race performance since joining the Italian team.
The seven-time world champion left Montreal with renewed belief after a dramatic battle with Max Verstappen and a result that could mark a turning point in his season.
Lewis Hamilton relished intense battle with Verstappen in Canada
Hamilton started fifth on the grid but steadily worked his way into contention in a race packed with strategy and wheel-to-wheel action.
The Ferrari driver eventually found himself locked in a tense fight with Verstappen, with the pair battling for position in the closing stages around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The Briton later admitted that chasing down Verstappen had been one of the highlights of his weekend.
“It was awesome, absolutely awesome to fight with one of the greats,” Hamilton said to the media post-race.
“It was massively challenging. I think our cars are relatively close. In qualifying, we were relatively close, and I think whilst we’re probably a little bit quicker through the corners, everything you gain in the corner, they gain on the straight.
“Obviously, I lost a bit of time, he was quicker at the beginning of the race and then once he got into the medium, I was able to hunt him down.
“And I love that hunt. That’s [what] my whole life has been about since a kid, since I had a really old go-kart, I was just always hunting.
“So, it was amazing to be back in that position and hunting down a champion up ahead.”
His decisive move helped secure second place and gave Ferrari their biggest boost so far this season.
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