Track Interviews - Conducted by Heikki Kovalainen
Kimi, congratulations. That was an incredible win for you and you had a really intense and close battle with George, and it's a real shame what happened to him at the beginning of the race. Talk us through what was going on from your point of view.
Kimi Antonelli: Yeah, first of all, thank you everyone for coming this weekend. It was a really fun battle, to be fair, with George. We were pretty much on the limit and it was not easy today with the wind, very gusty. Turn 10 was very difficult. I think one lap he locked up, then I went in front, and then I locked up, so it was very close. It was a shame for him to have the failure because it would have been a very cool battle but, yeah, we'll take it. Another win and I'm very happy, and a massive thanks of course to the team.
And after the exit of George, were you able to manage things or was it still a battle to keep those guys behind you?
KA: Well, when I was on my own I was trying to really manage the tyres because I started to have some graining. Some graining started to appear on the front left. It was just a weird feeling, the tyre was not really biting but, yeah, at the end we had a good pace once the temperature was coming in and, yeah, now looking forward to the next one.
Lewis, it's really good to see you, man. It's really good to see you. Congratulations. You've had a strong weekend all the way through, a strong P2 in the race. Is there anything more you could have done or do you think you got everything out of the car today?
Lewis Hamilton: Yeah, well, firstly I have to say a huge thank you to my team here. Grazie. These guys have welcomed me with open arms, and it's been pretty tough over the past year and a bit, so to finally find our sweet spot and have a good weekend has really been an amazing feeling, to be back up here, especially with these guys being so quick, and I actually got to have a race with Max, which is great. And we've got an amazing crowd here, so that's super cool. I'm so happy. I love this track. I can't wait to come back.
You've always been strong at this track, but this result, is it really encouraging for the rest of the season, if you look at the races ahead?
LH: I think it's definitely encouraging, given that this weekend, if you look, Mercedes 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 got hopefully some other bits coming along the way and considering this is a real straight-line-speed 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.
Max, another podium. It looked like the best of the rest behind the Mercedes and the Ferraris today. Obviously, McLaren in trouble today. Are you satisfied with the result?
Max Verstappen: Yeah, I think so. I had some cool battles out there. Racing back up front is always better, right? And for us to have our first podium, of course, is really positive. Very happy with that. Cool battle with Lewis as well at the end. So, yeah, we just kept pushing to the line and on a weekend where it's not that easy to get things right, for us to be on the podium here is extremely positive. So, naturally, very happy with that.
What is it that you need to do and the team need to do in order to catch those Mercedes cars and perhaps the Ferraris as well in front?
MV: Keep working and improving better than our competition. That's the target. But we'll see over the coming races what we can do.
Press Conference
Kimi, your tremendous run continues. Very well done. Just how satisfying was this one?
KA: Yeah, of course, it was nice to end the weekend well. Of course, it was not really the way I wanted to win, because it was a close fight with George and I think would have gone all the way until the end. But of course we'll take it and this time it went well for me and bad for him, and it might be another occasion where it goes bad for me and well for him. So, yeah, we've just got to keep maximising and take every opportunity that presents. And, yeah, now we'll move forward.
Strategically, how do you think it would have played out? Would you have pitted first? Would George have pitted first? What do you think was going to happen?
KA: Well, I mean, I think at the end of the stint I had a little bit the upper hand because I had a little bit more pace. I think he had a bit more pace initially but then he deg'd a little bit more, but it would have been very close. And of course it was not good to see him having the failure because, as I said, it would have been a very intense fight all the way until the end. It would have been interesting to see how it would have ended up but, yeah, definitely it was difficult to say.
Tell us more about the fight. He's already said that he "loved it". What did you make of it?
KA: Yeah, it was a tough fight. I think a couple of times was maybe a little bit on the edge, but we were going at each other. We were both pushing and we both wanted to win. And it was, I think, for everyone watching, pretty entertaining. So definitely I think the stint was a lot of fun because we were both pushing on the limit and going for it.
Now, in terms of performance, Mercedes have brought a big upgrade here to Canada. What conclusions have you drawn about its pace?
KA: Yeah, to be fair, we're not really clear on the package, if I'm being honest, because this weekend was very weird in terms of tyres. It was very difficult to put them in the right window and so I think that was playing a big factor. Just by having the tyre in the right window was helping a lot. So I think we will have a better picture of the package in the next few races.
Early days, of course, but the gap is now 43 points, which is bigger than it ever was between Lando and Oscar last year. Do you think you've got a bit of breathing space now?
KA: Yeah, but to be fair, I'm not thinking about championship. I'm just focusing on race by race. I think it's still very early to talk about that. And of course, now I have this gap but that doesn't mean that I can relax and just take it easier. Instead, I need to keep levelling up and keep raising the bar because it's not going to be easy and competitors are getting closer, and also George is super quick. So definitely I'm just going to try to focus on myself and enjoy the driving and trying to really drive as fast as possible.
Alright. Enjoy the win. Very well done to you. Thank you, Kimi. Lewis, let's come to you now. Your 11th podium here in Montreal. You seem really thrilled by this one. Just how much fun did you have out there?
LH: Yeah, had so much fun out there all weekend. Every single lap, I felt like we started on the right foot, came with the right attitude and the car really generally felt great. And so, to come to Montreal, a track that I do love, and get to enjoy a Sprint weekend here, which is the first that we've had [here], was awesome. And this is my first second place with the team. It's something I've been working so hard, I can't even begin to explain how deep I've had to dig to be able to get to this point, and the work and moving mountains in the background to enable this sort of performance. But I'm really grateful to the team for continuing to hold me up high and support me weekend in, weekend out. And it's a really lovely feeling to see them so happy, because they truly deserve it with all the hard work they put in.
Tell us about the pace of the car. You seem much happier here than you were in Miami last time out. What made the difference?
LH: The prep before. I chose a different set-up this weekend through just ciphering through the data, working really well with my engineer. He's absolutely awesome and I'm really loving working with him. And my number two did a fantastic job this weekend and helped me really pull more performance out of the car, getting into a much sweeter place. And I was able to attack all the corners finally. And as I said, there's a lot of changes that I've had to ask for, and Fred's been super supportive and again also moving mountains in order to make me comfortable. And it's finally starting to show in my performance. So, thank you to the team.
And your mom seems to bring you a lot of luck when you come to races too, right?
LH: Yeah, it's been a really cool weekend. I get an apartment here and so my mom stayed with me. So, every night we'd have dinner together and we'd watch a movie or just sit up talking. It's been awesome. And we're going on a little bit of a trip for a couple of days, so I'm really excited about that. And to go on a positive result as well is awesome. So, I definitely need to, now she has to come, she's clearly my lucky omen, my lucky charm, have her come every weekend.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Montreal here.
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