Damon Hill and Martin Brundle both delivered high praise for Lewis Hamilton after the Ferrari driver produced a crucial late-race overtake on Max Verstappen during an intense Canadian Grand Prix battle at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Lewis Hamilton emerged victorious from a long and strategic duel with Max Verstappen for second place, ultimately securing his strongest Grand Prix finish so far in Ferrari colours and reinforcing his growing influence within the team.
Both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen had started the race from the third row, but the early chaos triggered by McLaren’s unsuccessful intermediate tyre strategy reshuffled the order and promoted the leading contenders into podium contention behind the Mercedes cars.
Damon Hill praises “magic” Lewis Hamilton move on Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen initially passed Lewis Hamilton in the early phase of the race, but the Ferrari driver remained firmly in contention, applying constant pressure throughout the opening stint. The battle intensified when Lewis Hamilton ran slightly deep at the Turn 8–9 chicane and briefly cut across the grass, losing valuable time in the process.
That mistake dropped Lewis Hamilton several seconds behind Max Verstappen, but the Ferrari driver responded strongly in the second stint, steadily closing the gap as race pace improved and tyre performance stabilised.
After several laps of mounting pressure, Lewis Hamilton finally completed a decisive overtake on Max Verstappen around the outside of Turn 1 with just seven laps remaining in the Canadian Grand Prix. Despite Max Verstappen’s continued use of overtake mode to defend the position, Lewis Hamilton maintained control and successfully held the place to the chequered flag.
Writing on social media platform X, 1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill described the manoeuvre as “magic” and drew comparisons between Lewis Hamilton and Nigel Mansell, the last British driver to achieve success with Ferrari at the highest level of Formula 1.
Damon Hill reportedly stated that the pass executed by Lewis Hamilton on Max Verstappen was “magic”, adding that the Ferrari driver had been “on fire all weekend” and suggesting that his performance evoked memories of Nigel Mansell’s era with the Scuderia.
Martin Brundle praises Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen duel intensity
Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle also praised the move, describing Lewis Hamilton’s overtaking manoeuvre on Max Verstappen as “mega” following a particularly aggressive defensive phase from the Red Bull driver on the back straight.
Martin Brundle noted that there were no radio complaints from Lewis Hamilton after the incident, as the Ferrari driver successfully completed the move at the next available opportunity without further escalation.
Lewis Hamilton had earlier lost positions to Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc at the end of the Sprint race, but responded strongly in the main Grand Prix by maximising his race execution and converting his pace into a significant points finish.
Martin Brundle explained that Max Verstappen was operating close to the limits of defensive driving during the duel, particularly in the braking zones and on the back straight, where Lewis Hamilton was repeatedly forced to adapt his approach to find a way through.
He added that Max Verstappen gave racing room but applied strong defensive pressure, while Lewis Hamilton consistently positioned his Ferrari to take advantage of superior corner grip when opportunities arose.
Ferrari performance balance key to Lewis Hamilton victory over Max Verstappen
Throughout the Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton repeatedly highlighted Ferrari’s lack of straight-line power compared to rivals, but the SF-26’s strength in cornering performance ultimately proved decisive in the battle against Max Verstappen.
The Ferrari’s aerodynamic stability and tyre management allowed Lewis Hamilton to remain competitive across multiple stints, enabling him to capitalise when Max Verstappen’s defensive strategy could no longer hold under sustained pressure.
As a result, the duel between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in Canada has been widely interpreted as a significant indicator of Ferrari’s improved race pace and Lewis Hamilton’s growing comfort in wheel-to-wheel battles within the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Leave a Reply