Lewis Hamilton has expressed his pleasure in being back in the fight at the front of the grid after taking third place in the Canadian Grand Prix. The British driver relished his battle with Fernando Alonso, who was second, and was hopeful that at some point he and the Spaniard might also challenge race winner Max Verstappen.
The podium in Montreal was a rare feat indeed with three world champions on the steps, boasting a total of 11 titles between them. Verstappen won with a dominant run from pole to flag but Hamilton and Alonso enjoyed a fine fight as Hamilton’s Mercedes car continued to display good form in the wake of recent upgrades.
“I am happy to be back in the mix,” said Hamilton. “I am just hoping at some stage it can all be a bit more level, so we can get back to some of the good races we had back in 2021. To have all three of us in a super-tight battle would be sick.
“It’s a privilege to be up here fighting these two who have had incredible careers. This is quite an iconic top three, I don’t know if there has been a top three like this before, I don’t believe there has. Hopefully there will be more, there is a lot of respect between us that we are able to race so closely and trust one another.”
Hamilton and Alonso are the two oldest drivers in F1 at 38 and 41 years old, while Verstappen is still only 25 and the Dutchman, who leads the world championship by 69 points from his Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez, acknowledged how special it was to be competing with two of the greats of the sport.
“I remember back in the day watching these two racing each other, now I am in F1 and racing them, it is the best thing out there,” he said. “When we can share a podium together it’s great. They want to swap positions of course but I am happy in the middle at the moment …”
Verstappen secured his 41st win in Canada, matching Ayrton Senna’s tally while his Red Bull team reached a century of victories but the Dutchman, who is on his way to his third title this season, was already expectant of many more.
“When I was a kid in go-karting I was dreaming of being in F1 but would never imagine I would win 41 grands prix,” he said “So to match Ayrton is incredible but I hope it’s not stopping here. I hope we can win more races. It’s a great achievement for the team, and I am happy it is done but I hope we win more, the new target is 200.”
