Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a highly productive weekend in Montreal, but while his execution and Ferrari’s engineering were top-tier, the Briton also credited a much sweeter secret ingredient for his success: the presence in the Scuderia’s garage of his mother, Carmen.
After securing his first podium for the iconic Italian marque back in Shanghai in March, Hamilton backed it up on Sunday with a stellar P2 finish at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Throughout the event, Hamilton highlighted the superb balance and driveability of Ferrari’s SF-26, even calling it his “best experience” in a race car for quite a while.
But this weekend felt different for the seven-time world champion. It wasn’t just the car or the pace – it was family.
“It’s been a really cool weekend,” he said on Sunday evening.
“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.
©Ferrari
“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.”
A historic double-podium Sunday for the Hamilton brothers
As if a silver-trophy finish in Montreal wasn’t enough, the day became an all-out family festival thanks to an extraordinary milestone across the pond.
Over in the British Touring Car Championship, Lewis’s younger brother, Nicolas, was busy scripting his own piece of motorsport history.
Battling cerebral palsy, Nicolas drove a phenomenal race in his Hyundai i30 Fastback N to capture his maiden BTCC silverware, winning the prestigious Jack Sears Trophy at Snetterton.
The importance of the cross-continental double-podium was not lost on the older sibling, who immediately phoned his brother before taking to social media to share a deeply moving tribute.
“I could not be more proud of my brother Nicolas Hamilton,” he wrote.
“Seeing the passion and emotion on his face as he stood on his first podium was such a beautiful moment. For us both to be on podiums on the same day was major. I called him the second the race ended.
©BTCC
“Motorsport is not built to be inclusive. There is little to no access for people with disabilities, and no support systems to level the playing field. This is something so many take for granted.
“Despite that, despite the barriers and the people who told him it wasn’t possible, he never stopped. He fought. He adapted. He proved them wrong.
“While he will always be my kid brother, I am profoundly proud of the leader, the athlete, and the man he has become. He inspires me just as much as he inspires everyone watching his journey.
“No matter how hard it has been he has never given up. What he’s achieved is massive and I’m so happy for him. Love you bro, keep going.”
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