Lewis Hamilton finished P3 at the 2023 Canadian GP, behind winner Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso in second. On top of that, the legendary Adrian Newey also joined them on the podium. For fans, it was incredible to see four F1 legends sharing the spotlight after the race. Hamilton too, couldn’t believe just how iconic his counterparts were, on the podium at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Verstappen, like in most other races this season, took the pole position and didn’t appear to be under any threat whatsoever when the race started. He led from lap one to the very end, with Alonso and Hamilton tussling for P2 behind him. Hamilton initially took the lead but lost it to Alonso again after a safety car restart.
This time, despite Hamilton’s best efforts, he couldn’t overtake Alonso. In the podium celebrations, Red Bull sent Adrian Newey to represent the team, creating a moment that will be looked back on in the generations to come.
Lewis Hamilton looks back on an unbelievable top three in Canada
The top three drivers of the 2023 Canadian GP have historic accolades associated with their names. Alonso is a two-time world champion, the same as Verstappen. Hamilton, meanwhile is the most successful F1 driver ever, with seven world titles and 103 race wins. Collectively, they have a 176 race wins among them, which Hamilton recalls, makes it the most decorated podium of all time.
After the race, as quoted by Luke Smith on Twitter, he said, “This is quite an iconic top three. I don’t know if there’s been a top three like this ever before. I don’t believe there has.”
Hamilton in the press conference about the podium: “This is quite an iconic top three. I don’t know if there’s been a top three like this ever before. I don’t believe there has.”#F1 #CanadianGP
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) June 18, 2023
Statistically speaking, there hasn’t been an F1 podium with more successful drivers, than what we saw in Montreal yesterday. On top of that, Adrian Newey, who is arguably one of the brightest mind to ever work in F1, made the stage even more legendary with his presence.
Hamilton and Co. headed in the right direction
Hamilton couldn’t overtake Alonso despite his best efforts in Montreal. Hover, the fact that their upgrades are working was evident once again. After the race, team principal Toto Wolff insisted that they will get better with more development in the coming races.
The 51-year-old said, We’re bringing a larger one to Silverstone. And then we should have another one before the shutdown. It’s just that the learnings have accelerated a lot since we changed some of the conceptual architecture. There should be decent steps coming in the next four races.”
Even though Alonso finished in front of Hamilton in Canada, the Silver Arrows maintain their lead over Aston Martin in the drivers’ standings. Mercedes are P2 with 167 points, which is 13 more than Aston Martin’s haul.
