While Mercedes celebrated their first podium of the 2024 season and their best result of the year, Lewis Hamilton was far from happy after the Canadian Grand Prix. In a season marked by ups and downs, the Canadian Grand Prix was a mixed bag for Lewis Hamilton, the British former champion seemingly disgusted with his performance in Canada.

While Mercedes celebrated their first podium of the 2024 Formula One season, Hamilton’s fourth-place finish left the seven-time world champion deeply unsatisfied. Hamilton’s critical self-assessment revealed a driver who felt he had fallen short of his true potential over the weekend.

 

Disappointment amid progress

“On the one hand, I’m happy that we’re making progress and that we can take positives from the weekend,” said Hamilton. However, the seven-time world champion was openly unhappy with his performance.

“Yesterday was a pretty disastrous afternoon and today’s race was pretty shocking from my point of view,” said Hamilton. He did not hold back, stating: “Over the weekend, that was a really bad performance from me.”

Acknowledging that a combination of factors contributed to his struggles, Hamilton admitted: “There were a few other things that came into play yesterday, but a lot of it was my fault and today was just one of the worst races I’ve ever driven. I made a lot of mistakes.”

Given those harsh words, it may come as a surprise that Hamilton finished just off the podium in fourth, his best result of the season. However, Hamilton knew he could have done much better in Montreal this weekend, especially after showing his potential in Saturday’s third practice session.

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Potential shown in practice

“Lewis did a lap that was out of this world,” said Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff. “It was so fast and his long run was stratospheric, galactic,” added Wolff, underlining the impressive pace Hamilton displayed.

However, that impressive pace did not translate into qualifying success for either Mercedes driver. While George Russell secured pole position alongside world champion Max Verstappen, Hamilton had to settle for a disappointing seventh place. “If I had qualified better, I would have been in a much better position,” lamented Hamilton.

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Struggles against Alonso

Hamilton’s starting position meant he was behind Fernando Alonso in the early stages of the race, unable to make a decisive move.

“I couldn’t really do anything,” he admitted. A slow pit stop by Aston Martin during the first safety car period allowed Hamilton to overtake his former rival.

Hamilton then found himself behind Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. He was the first leader to switch to slicks, a decision that may have been premature as it resulted in a loss of time to the drivers ahead rather than an undercut.

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Strategic decisions and pit stops

During another Safety Car period, Mercedes opted to pit both drivers for fresh slicks. Hamilton was given hard tyres, while his team-mate George Russell was given mediums – the opposite of what they had previously used.

The strategic decisions led to a battle within the team. With Russell and Piastri battling, Hamilton managed to pass Russell and then Piastri, positioning himself for a potential podium finish. However, on the third-to-last lap, Russell caught up with Hamilton on the faster medium tyres.

“He was on the medium tyre, which was much faster,” complained Hamilton. “The medium was really fast, but then I went on the hard and the grip was terrible. I didn’t even know he was on the medium, otherwise I would have stayed on the medium.”

Hamilton seemed perplexed by the tyre strategy, adding, “I don’t really understand what happened. I think he was on the hard before or something and I didn’t have another set…”

However, Wolff clarified: “It wouldn’t have made any difference or changed anything.”

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Clean racing between team-mates

Despite the internal competition, both Mercedes drivers were allowed to race freely.

“Yes, that was easy,” Wolff told ServusTV, the Austrian channel.

“I am used to a lot worse from previous years with Nico [Rosberg] and Lewis. But it was clear that they would keep it clean, they wouldn’t shoot each other off the track when it came to the first podium.”

While the podium ultimately went to Russell, leaving Hamilton frustrated, he acknowledged the car’s potential: “The car was capable of winning this weekend,” he said.

“So it’s not a great feeling. But we’ll take the points and keep trying.”

With a determined outlook, he added: “Back to the drawing board.”

Despite his frustration, Hamilton was quick to thank his team: “A big thank you to everyone at the factory because it has become a car that we can fight with. That is the really positive thing for the next part of the season.”

Looking ahead, Hamilton remained optimistic about future improvements and his potential for better results.

“I know we’re hopefully going to get some upgrades as we go along. So it’s going to be a close battle and if I keep my head on straight, I’ll get better results eventually.”

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