Lewis Hamilton hailed his strongest performance yet in Ferrari colours after finishing second at the Canadian Grand Prix, while teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli continued his remarkable start to the Formula One season with a fourth consecutive victory in Montreal on Sunday.
It was a landmark day for both drivers, albeit for very different reasons.
For Hamilton, the result marked his first second-place finish since joining Ferrari and his most convincing display yet with the Italian team after a challenging start to life in red. For Antonelli, the victory further cemented his astonishing rise, with the 19-year-old becoming the first Italian driver since Alberto Ascari in 1952 to win four straight Formula One races.
ANTONELLI CONTINUES DREAM RUN
Antonelli’s triumph came after what looked set to be a gripping intra-Mercedes battle with teammate George Russell. The two drivers traded positions multiple times in the early stages, including a fierce wheel-to-wheel exchange on lap 13, before Russell’s race ended abruptly on lap 30 due to a power unit failure.
With Russell out, Antonelli took full control of proceedings and never looked back, crossing the line in 1:28:15 to finish nearly 11 seconds clear of Hamilton. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completed the podium in third.
“Not the way I wanted to win. It was meant to be a good fight with George but we will take it,” Antonelli said after the race.
The Mercedes rookie has now won all five Grands Prix this season and leads the drivers’ championship with 131 points, well ahead of Russell’s 88.
Russell, meanwhile, was left frustrated after a mechanical issue robbed him of a shot at victory.
“Just everything turned off all of a sudden,” Russell said.
“Just went into the corner, engine stopped, no electronics, no proper braking. I’m pretty damned frustrated with what’s happened but what more can I do?”
HAMILTON FINALLY FINDS HIS COMFORT ZONE
While Antonelli stole the headlines with another historic win, Hamilton’s performance offered Ferrari significant encouragement.
The seven-time world champion revealed that key behind-the-scenes adjustments, including a fresh approach to car setup and closer collaboration with his engineers, had finally helped him feel comfortable in the Ferrari package.
“The prep before, I chose a different set-up this weekend through just ciphering through the data, working really well with my engineer,” Hamilton said.
“I was able to attack all the corners finally.”
Hamilton also praised Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur for backing the changes he had requested since arriving at the team.
“There’s a lot of changes that I’ve had to ask for, and Fred’s been super supportive and also moving mountains in order to make me comfortable. It’s finally starting to show in my performance.”
The Briton also reserved special praise for his engineering team, including Cedric Santi, who stepped into a key role at the start of the year.
“I’m really grateful to the team for continuing to support me weekend in, weekend out. It’s a lovely feeling to see them so happy because they truly deserve it.”
The podium was particularly significant given Montreal’s emphasis on straight-line speed, traditionally an area of weakness for Ferrari. With rivals such as Mercedes introducing upgrades in Canada, Hamilton believes Ferrari’s competitiveness offers hope for the races ahead.
“Considering this is a real straight-line-speed circuit and we managed to hold on and get this result, that definitely gives me high hopes for what’s ahead,” Hamilton said.
Mercedes now lead the constructors’ standings with 219 points, ahead of Ferrari on 147, but while Antonelli’s dominance continues, Hamilton may finally have found his footing in red.
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