Lewis Hamilton was ‘grateful’ after what he described as an incredible weekend in Canada which saw the Briton claim his 65th pole position to tie with Ayrton Senna and a 56th career win.
With the confusing disappointment of Monaco two weeks earlier still on his mind, Hamilton drove the wheels off of his W08 to close down the points gap to title rival Sebastian Vettel to just 12 points heading to Azerbaijan.
“It’s been such an incredible weekend,” said Hamilton.
“I just couldn’t be happier with how it’s gone and I’m so grateful for this result. We came away from Monaco and we were scratching our heads, but we pulled together and look what we achieved.
“We came here with a much better understanding of the car and we delivered a real blow to the Ferraris.”
The three-time world champion also passed on congratulations to his team-mate Valtteri Bottas after the Mercedes team scored its first 1-2 finish of the season, retaking the lead in the constructors’ standings after both Ferraris struggled through the race.
Ten years on from his first Formula 1 victory at the very same track, Hamilton was very pensive as memories of that day in 2007 came back to him as he was driving out in front with a commanding lead.
Hamilton added: “Valtteri did a fantastic job too and this is our first one-two finish together. We’ve scored a big load of solid points and it’s well deserved.
“It’s crazy to think I had my first pole and win here 10 years ago. The race actually felt very reminiscent of 2007, in terms of how it unfolded.
“It’s a long race here, especially when you’re out there on your own, but I knew the car would hold together and it did perfectly.”
