The Canadian Grand Prix has thrown up some impressive races from drivers over the years, whether it was Jenson Button’s incredible victory in 2011 or Robert Kubica’s unlikely victory in 2008.
It is a track that rewards drivers who are persistent and do well in qualifying, considering it is also one of the harder circuits to overtake on due to the narrow track limits.
It is a track that has favoured Lewis Hamilton in the past, having taken his first pole and won his first ever Grand Prix in 2007 with McLaren in his rookie F1 season.
Hamilton would go on to win a further six times in his career and also take six poles at the track, his last coming in 2019.
The race in 2017 was one of his best performances, completing the F1 Grand Slam and equalling a rather special F1 record.
Lewis Hamilton given Ayrton Senna tribute after stunning qualifying
Hamilton’s qualifying performances have always been ones to watch, and in 2017, he managed to equal Ayrton Senna’s record of 65 pole positions.
He also did it in style, claiming the outright lap record of a 1:11.791s at the time in a Mercedes that was designed to be a record-smasher.
As a tribute to the lap and for equalling his childhood hero’s record, Hamilton was presented with a special race-worn Senna helmet by the Brazilian’s family as a gesture.
The helmet was originally used by Senna in 1987 during his time at Lotus, with Hamilton calling it the “most special thing I have, beyond all trophies,” when speaking post race.
When Lewis Hamilton was absolutely ‘unbeatable’ at 2017 Canadian Grand Prix
Equalling Senna’s record was the prerequisite to a dominant display by Hamilton in the race, in which he led every single one of the 70 laps.
Heading into the race, Hamilton was short on points to championship leader Sebastian Vettel. The German held a 25-point advantage after winning the Monaco GP and was hopeful of extending it before the European swing.
It would prove to be difficult when Hamilton outqualified Vettel by three tenths on Saturday, then in the race, he managed to lead every lap despite the drama behind.
Vettel dropped to fourth after needing to change his front wing, following damage with Max Verstappen at the start.
Martin Brundle said Hamilton was “unbeatable” when speaking in commentary on Sky Sports, while Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said it was a “stellar” driver and one of his best performances with the team [via BBC Sport].
Can Lewis Hamilton do the same at Ferrari in Canada in 2025?
It would be difficult to expect a similar Grand Slam performance from Hamilton in 2025 after such a difficult start at Ferrari.
Hamilton has only won a Sprint race in China so far with the team, but since their race disqualification on the same weekend, Ferrari’s car has never quite recaptured the same performance.
The seven-time world champion has also been outqualified and out-raced by teammate Charles Leclerc regularly this year, owing to the Monegasque’s experience in their current package.
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