Lewis Hamilton crossed the line 4th in Canada, securing his best finishing position of the season. However, the 7-time Champion will feel there was more on the table. Hamilton was very self-critical of his performance, explaining that a combination of poor qualifying and mistakes on race day cost him a chance to fight for the win.
Mercedes will leave Montreal with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the Silver Arrows can be very pleased with their progress. The W15 performed at an exceptional level in all conditions, claiming Pole Position and fighting for the win.
The last 48 hours have vindicated the increasingly confident statements made by Toto Wolff and James Allison in the last few weeks.
However, Mercedes were certainly capable of winning the Canadian GP.
HAMILTON FRUSTRATED WITH MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Lewis Hamilton was very self-critical in his post-race interviews with the media.
“It wasn’t a positive race for me. Felt like one of the worst drives that I had.
“Bits of good speed at points, but ultimately, a pretty poor weekend for myself. In qualifying, I put myself back there. Then I was stuck behind Fernando for a long, long time, as you would expect.
“After that I lost a lot of ground, then lost another bunch of ground, then went off. But the positive is the car is progressing, moving forwards.
“I think if I’d qualified the way I should have, I would have been competing for the win. So that’s why it’s quite frustrating.”
The challenge now is for Mercedes to sustain this performance. If the W15 can sustain this pace at the Spanish GP, then the Brackley-based team will be a force to be reckoned with in the remainder of 2024.
By George Russell’s own admission, his execution today was “ugly”. This assessment summarises what became a very bitter-sweet afternoon for the team, who are slowly re-asserting themselves at the front.
At least for now, it seems Mercedes have something to fight for.
