Lewis Hamilton issues Ferrari plea after breakthrough F1 result

Lewis Hamilton has insisted Ferrari must “keep pushing” to close the gap to Mercedes after securing his best result with the Italian team since joining last year.

Hamilton started the race from fifth on the grid and quickly gained two positions after McLaren was forced to pit its drivers following the decision to start on intermediate tyres in unsuitable conditions.

However, he soon found himself behind a fast-starting Max Verstappen and spent much of the grand prix in pursuit of the Dutchman.

In the closing stages, Hamilton steadily reduced the gap before completing a decisive overtake to move into second place.

The seven-time world champion then held the position to the chequered flag, sealing his strongest result yet as a Ferrari driver.

“These guys have welcomed me with open arms and it's been pretty tough for the past year and a bit,” Hamilton said.

“So, to finally find our sweet spot and have a good weekend, it has been an amazing feeling to be back up here, especially with these guys being so quick and actually got to have a race with Max, which was great.

“I'm so happy. I love this track. I can't wait to come back.”

Ferrari appeared to be Mercedes' closest challenger across the opening rounds before slipping back in the order and losing ground to McLaren.

But having returned to strong form in Montreal, Hamilton is keen to see even stronger results come its way.

“It's definitely encouraging, given that this weekend, if you look at Mercedes, they brought a big upgrade. 

“A lot of people brought upgrades here. We brought our big one in Miami and the team are working really hard back at the factory. We've hopefully got some other bits coming along the way. 

“Considering this is a real straight-line street circuit, and we just managed to hold on and get this result, that definitely gives me high hopes for what's ahead.

“But we've got to keep pushing and keep trying to extract more.”