Lewis Hamilton overwhelmed after breaking F1 podium drought

Canadian Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton overwhelmed after breaking F1 podium drought

The Mercedes driver finished third in Canada

Ewan Gale

Sunday 19 June 2022 22:12

Lewis Hamilton was left feeling overwhelmed after securing only his second podium of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver had qualified fourth in wet conditions at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and was forced to defend from Haas driver Kevin Magnussen through turns one, two and three.

Having survived contact with the Dane, Hamilton jumped Fernando Alonso through a better strategy amidst virtual safety cars, consolidating third behind Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz.

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A late safety car bunched the field back up, though the seven-time champion was unable to mix it with the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers.

"It is quite overwhelming to get this third place," said Hamilton.

"It has been such a battle this year with the car and as a team but we continue to stay vigilant and focused and never giving up.

"That is something I am so proud of and I am inspired by my crew so thank you to everyone here and back at the factory.

"They are a little bit too quick for us at the moment but I was giving it everything. We are getting closer and we have just got to keep pushing and keep pushing and eventually or hopefully, we will be in the fight with these guys."

Hamilton "back to being young"

Hamilton had complained of his Mercedes never being as bad as it had been on Friday in practice but the Silver Arrows managed to turn around fortunes across the weekend.

On getting closer to the top two teams, Hamilton added: "I could just about see them at the end, thankfully with the safety car.

"But honestly, our pace was quite good. We did a lot of work back on the simulator but also here to get the set-up right so honestly, I am ecstatic.

"I did not expect this coming into the weekend. It is my second podium of the season so this feels really special, especially where I got my first grand prix win in Montréal."

Asked how his back was feeling given his struggles in Baku, Hamilton joked: "It is good, I am back to being young."