Hamilton relishes Verstappen duel: 'Thank God I pulled it off'

The seven-time world champion capped off a strong weekend at one of his favourite circuits - where he has won seven times before - with a spectacular overtake on Verstappen, who has always been one of the toughest drivers to pass on track. Hamilton showed impressive pace throughout the race, gradually closing the gap to his former 2021 title rival in the closing stages before launching a decisive move around the outside into Turn 1, a pass that secured him second place and his second podium finish with Ferrari.

Asked to sum up his battle with Verstappen after the race, Hamilton described the fight as an incredible experience and admitted it had been hugely challenging to go wheel-to-wheel with one of the sport’s all-time greats. The Ferrari driver explained that the performance difference between the two cars was extremely small, with Ferrari appearing stronger through the corners while Red Bull held the advantage on the straights.

He also revealed that he initially lost time while trying to keep up with Verstappen during the opening stages, but began to close the gap once the Dutchman switched onto the Medium tyres. The Brit added that chasing down rivals has always been one of the aspects of racing he has loved the most ever since his karting days, making the late-race pursuit of Verstappen particularly enjoyable.

Hamilton concluded by admitting the move had been extremely difficult to pull off, especially given Ferrari’s apparent power deficit compared to Red Bull on the straights. The Brit explained that even with the overtake mode activated, Verstappen still appeared to have superior straight-line speed, forcing him to carefully manage his battery deployment and constantly calculate where and how to maximise the available energy.

Hamilton praised Ferrari after securing another podium finish, thanking the team for the support and confidence they have shown him since his arrival in Maranello. The seven-time world champion admitted the past period had not been easy, making the result even more satisfying after finally managing to put together a truly competitive weekend.

The Brit also described the performance as an encouraging sign for Ferrari, especially considering several rival teams introduced major upgrades in Canada. Hamilton pointed out that Ferrari had already brought its own significant development package earlier in the season and stressed that more updates are already being prepared back at the factory.

Looking ahead to the upcoming races, Hamilton expressed optimism over Ferrari’s potential, particularly given that Montreal’s layout heavily rewards straight-line speed - traditionally not one of the SF-26’s strongest areas. According to the Brit, the fact Ferrari still managed to secure such a strong result provides confidence for the races to come, although he insisted the team must continue pushing to unlock even more performance.