© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
By Carol M. Creasey
After a second place finish at the Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton declared that his team had made steps in the right direction, and he was excited to get back in the car in Canada.
Montreal is a circuit where he has excelled in the past with 7 wins, but with the dominance of Red Bull continuing, he realistically spoke about fighting with Aston Martin and not Red Bull.
Lewis led George Russell in second free practice, but advised everyone not to read too much into it. Third free practice and Qualifying took place in mixed conditions with rain and dry weather alternating. Lewis explained afterwards how hard it had been to get heat into his tyres, and said he was happy with his fourth place position, as was Russell with fifth. Verstappen got pole, with Hulkenberg in second, and Alonso in third. Later Hulkenberg received a five-place grid penalty, which moved Lewis up to third, and George fourth.
At the beginning of the race, Lewis made a superb start, which saw him overtake Alonso for second place. Russell was running in fourth but unable to match Alonso’s pace, although he tried to keep up with him. Sadly in lap 12 he hit the wall, pitted and then came out again. He was making his way back up the field, reaching eighth place, but had to retire later in the race because of brake issues.
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With Verstappen in front, then Lewis and Alonso, they all made pit stops when Russell’s crash brought out the Safety Car. Lewis fought valiantly against Alonso, but the Aston Martin was much stronger on pace, and eventually he was overtaken. So, in the end Verstappen won, Alonso came in second, and Lewis in third. Alex Albon did a great drive in the Williams car, bringing it up to seventh place, and was voted Driver of the Day. Also finishing in the top ten were the Ferraris and Perez, who after looking very competitive at the start of the season, seems to have lost his way.
Lewis was delighted to once again be on the podium in back to back races, and gave words of encouragement to all his fans by saying the gap to Red Bull was getting smaller, and as a team they would keep chipping away to improve the car.
Many cynics continue to sneer, and insist he should move to Ferrari, but how would that help him? With the new upgrades, Mercedes continues to surpass Ferrari, and the next team to beat will be Aston Martin, namely Fernando Alonso. The loyalty that Lewis has to Toto and his team is far greater than money can buy, so keep at it Mercedes, you are all doing a great job!
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