LEW’S DREAM BACKON TREK
Enterprise skipper hails Brit in Montreal victory
LEWIS HAMILTON boldly went where he has gone before to give his title hopes a huge lift.
Hamilton’s flawless lights-to-flag victory slashed the gap to championship leader Sebastian Vettel to just 12 points.
On the 10th anniversary of his first Formula One win, the ecstatic British driver partied on the podium with Star Trek actor Sir Patrick Stewart.
Hamilton said: “I had my first pole here, and my first win here 10 years ago, so to repeat it this weekend is incredibly special.
“I have to thank all the guys back at the factory who have worked so hard to really fix what we had in the last race, to bring it here and really give it to the Ferraris. I am over the moon.”
Fellow Brit Sir Patrick conducted the podium interviews before downing champagne from third-placed Daniel Ricciardo’s race boot (above). Stewart joked: “I made the podium for the first time so I will drink out of anybody’s shoes!”
It was Hamilton’s sixth win at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Vettel’s race was scuppered by a first-corner incident when fast-starting Max Verstappen clipped his Ferrari’s nose, forcing him to stop for a new front wing, and with it, fall to the back of the field.
The German recovered to finish fourth, while Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas crossed in second to complete Mercedes’ first one-two of the season.
It was the perfect retort from Hamilton after he struggled to just seventh in Monaco a fortnight ago.
Now Hamilton will head to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a fortnight’s time with his championship charge firmly back on track.