Canadian Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton says he enjoyed his race-long battle with Sebastian Vettel, though the Mercedes man adds he was in control.
Pole sitter Hamilton lost out to the Ferrari driver following his fantastic start from third but the reigning world champion re-claimed the lead after 10 laps when Vettel pitted for the first time.
Hamilton’s initial stint on the ultrasoft compound lasted until Lap 24 before he took on a set of soft tyres to go until the end of the race. As Vettel stopped again on Lap 36, the Briton moved back to first place and never relinquished it.
“The team told us what the tyres could do, how far they would go,” Hamilton explained. “I was not sure how far the ultrasoft would go. It was graining already when I was behind Sebastian so I was a little bit nervous about it but it seemed to last, which was great.
“I could have kept going on the ultrasoft actually, which was interesting. I had a good pace and then we swapped and that was a long stint. Based on our information, that [soft] tyre could last for quite a long time.
“I did not push too much on the tyre at the beginning but was very conscious that [Vettel] behind was pushing. I was really enjoying the race with him. He was so quick. It was great to see how quick [Ferrari] are because they gave us a good run for our money.”
Hamilton claimed his 45th career victory in Montreal, with the triple world champion keen to dedicate his success to boxing legend and sports icon Muhammad Ali, who passed away last weekend.
“He has inspired me so much throughout my life.
“The last 15 laps for some reason, all I could think of was him and ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ [Ali’s classic 1974 fight agains George Foreman].
“I was trying to think of him and whether he’d be watching the race.”
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