MONTREAL : Lewis Hamilton said changes behind the scenes and a revised car setup helped deliver his strongest performance yet for Scuderia Ferrari after he finished second at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The seven-times world champion passed Max Verstappen late in the race at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to claim his second podium finish of the season following the Chinese Grand Prix in March.
“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 praised Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur for supporting changes aimed at improving his comfort in the car.
“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. And it’s finally starting to show in my performance,” he added.
The 41-year-old also thanked Ferrari engineers, including Cedric Santi, who replaced veteran engineer Riccardo Adami on an interim basis at the start of the year.
“I’m really grateful to the team for continuing to support me weekend in, weekend out,” Hamilton said.
The result was particularly encouraging for Ferrari at a circuit known for rewarding straight-line speed, traditionally an area of weakness for the Italian team.
Ferrari introduced a major upgrade package earlier this season in Miami, while rivals including Mercedes brought updates to Canada.
“Considering this is a real straight-line-speed circuit and we just managed to hold on and get this result, that definitely gives me high hopes for what’s ahead,” Hamilton said.
“This is my first second place with the team. It’s something I’ve been working so hard for. I can’t even begin to explain how deep I’ve had to dig to get to this point.”
