LEWIS WINS BIG WITH MONTREAL MASTERCLASS

“Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”, came the voice over the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team’s radio. And then there was even the Ali shuffle after a victorious Lewis Hamilton climbed from the cockpit at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Lewis’s win, his fifth here in nine attempts, and the 45th of his F1 career, was beautifully executed and in a way brilliantly suited to the boxing legend Muhammad Ali, to whom Lewis dedicated this win. After a slow getaway, and a brief kiss of tyres with Nico Rosberg on the first lap, Lewis, with the benefit of a bold and correct tyre strategy, once again tiptoed his way around the track just as Ali was dance his way around the boxing ring to victory.

Lewis said: “I don’t normally dedicate wins but I want to dedicate this to someone who has inspired me — Muhammad Ali. He was someone who inspired me and for the last 15 laps, all I could think about was him and the Rumble In The Jungle. I was thinking that maybe he was up there and watching the race, so for me – rest in peace.

“He was just such an iconic individual who everyone aspired to be like him. I wish I could be like him and carry confidence into a fight and outsmart at opponent. I come from a family who grew up with similar adversity, so he was someone I could look up to.”

But this victory was not as easy as it looked for the pole-sitter, who was quick to reveal details of the first-corner coming together with Nico, which saw the latter skillfully, avoid damaging his car. Tyre strategy was key while he was continually pressed by a reinvigorated Sebastian Vettel, who came second.

Lewis added: “What an amazing day. The first turn was horrible. I had another really bad start. Seb and Nico got a good start and with the tyres cold, and with big understeer, I was grateful Nico and I did not damage our cars. I had no grip and I just understeered. It was not intentional.”

Meanwhile, Nico produced a heroic drive of his own that deserved a lot more than his fifth place finish warranted. He showed his pace and skill with overtakes to move from 10th to fifth, yet one moved proved too much as he suffered a spin on the final lap having passed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Nico said: “Sebastian had a great start, I had a decent one and Lewis had a really bad one. In Barcelona, I went round the outside of Lewis and it worked out really well, I went for the same one again today and he did a really hard racing manoeuvre. We touched and I was off and that’s it. It didn’t work out, but that’s racing in the end and it’s my job to make sure I’m in front after a battle like that next time.”

From an old favorite on the calendar to unknown territory, F1 heads to Baku next weekend for the groundbreaking Kazakhstan Grand Prix on the 18th and 19th June.

# # #

Race Result:

Credit Monster