Lewis Hamilton relief after intense Max Verstappen 'hunt': 'Thank God'

Lewis Hamilton has offered an insight into the intense battle he fought with Max Verstappen during the closing stages of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton spent much of the race tucked in behind Verstappen but enjoyed a pace advantage as the grand prix entered its final phase.

With only a handful of laps remaining, the Ferrari driver completed a decisive move at Turn 1 to move into second place, securing what became his strongest result since joining the team at the start of 2025.

“It was awesome,” Hamilton told media including RacingNews365. “Absolutely awesome to fight with one of the greats. 

“It was massively challenging. I think our cars are relatively close, I would say. You see him in qualifying, we were relatively close. 

“Whilst we’re probably a little bit quicker through the corners, everything you gain in the corner, they gain on the straight. And very challenging behind him. 

“Obviously, I lost a bit of time, he was quicker at the beginning of the race and then once he got into the medium, I was able to hunt him down. And I love that hunt. 

“That’s my whole life has been about that since a kid, since I had a really old go-kart, I was just always hunting. 

“So, it was amazing to be back in that position and hunting down a champion up ahead. And unbelievably difficult and have to be so strategic when you have less power as well than others around.”

However, the challenge did not end with the overtake, as Verstappen remained firmly within striking distance and continued to apply pressure until the chequered flag.

Hamilton has repeatedly highlighted Ferrari’s apparent power deficit compared to its rivals this season, including during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.

The seven-time world champion revealed he had to push hard to keep Verstappen behind, citing ongoing concerns over Ferrari’s straight-line speed relative to its competitors.

“Even if we have the overtake, even in overtake [mode] they still have more power in the straights,” he said.

“So, finding a way, I was just having to do these calculations, trying to figure out how to maximise the amount of power on my battery bar each straight and make sure that I have enough at that particular point. 

“Thank God I managed to pull it off. And it’s a great feeling when you overtake as well. So, these cars are awesome to be able to follow.”