Seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton shared his first spot at the podium this season after he finished P3 at the Canadian Grand Prix that took place over the weekend. Hamilton has struggled since the start of the season, finishing P4 at best. His teammate, George Russell, who finished fourth on Sunday, has had better luck and had time on the podium more than once, also at P3. But, until Sunday, Hamilton has never shared the joys of finishing top 3 this season, which must have been frustrating for the man who has the most wins in Formula 1 history.

After the race, Hamilton shared the podium with his last year’s rival Max Verstappen, who held off Carlos Sainz to win the race. Verstappen currently leads the drivers standing with 49 points ahead of Charles Leclerc, who finished fifth on Sunday. But Hamilton was quite impressed by his performance, saying it gives him hope for the future: “It’s been such a difficult year for me personally in terms of the car. Qualifying was emotional for me, and back in the garage, we were like, ‘wow, this is beautiful for us.’

“Then to have a strong race just gives me so much hope and confidence going forward.”

His third-place finish in Canada followed him finishing fourth in Azerbaijan a weekend ago, and he is hopeful that things continue to get better with each race: “I’ve had a fourth and a third now, so I’m definitely grateful and know I can do more, and I’ve just got to keep working.”

Hamilton’s main problem this season has been the W13, something he was early enough to point out. He agreed that the car has “potential,” but the team just needs to know the right way to get it to work well. And on Sunday, it seems like they got things right.

Written by: Leon Osamor