Hamilton: Montreal podium 'overwhelming' amid team's battles

©Mercedes

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Lewis Hamilton conquered in Canada on Sunday his second podium of the 2022 season, but the Mercedes driver was "overwhelmed" by his run to third after his team's recent struggles.

Hamilton launched his race from fourth on the grid, the fruit of his efforts in Saturday's wet qualifying. But the Briton was unsure what to expect in the dry conditions that came back for the race.

Hamilton held his own in P4 until an early stop under the Virtual Safety Car to switch from the medium to the hard tyre. The seven-time world champion rejoined in P6 but pressed on to overtake a string of rivals, including teammate George Russell, to cross the finish line a solid third.

©Mercedes

"It’s quite overwhelming to get this third place, it’s been such a battle this year with the car and as a team," said an overjoyed Hamilton.

"But we continue to stay vigilant and focussed and never giving up and that’s something I’m so proud of and inspired by my crew. So thank you everyone who’s here and back at the factory."

2022 Canadian Grand Prix - Race results

Although he finished the race over seven second adrift from race winner Max Verstappen, Hamilton felt that there his W13 silver arrow had performed better than usual relative to Red Bull and Ferrari, and was "getting closer" to F1's front-runners.

"They're a little bit too quick for us at the moment," he said. "I was giving it everything but we're getting closer. So we've just got to keep pushing. Hopefully we'll be in a fight with these guys."

Overall, Mercedes' tireless are starting to bear fruit said Hamilton.

"Honestly, our pace was quite good, particularly in the second phase of the stint," he said.

"We did a lot of work back in the simulator but also here to get the setup right. So honestly, I'm ecstatic.

"I didn't expect this coming into the weekend. It's my second podium of the year. So this feels really special, especially where I got my first grand prix win."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.