Mercedes AMG had a fantastic Canadian Grand Prix weekend when, after walking away bitterly disappointed from the glamourous Monaco GP two weeks earlier, they returned to form to secure their first one two finish of the 2017 F1 season.
It hasn't been an easy start to the year with the first six races proving to be very challenging, especially for Lewis Hamilton, and Ferrari has managed to get the upperhand.
“It feels absolutely great. We have finally taken a 1-2 finish and done so at a track that we expected would be difficult for us - and which certainly was for us last year,” said team boss Toto Wolff. “Lewis delivered a stellar performance this weekend: a pole lap that was almost scary when you watch the onboard, then a totally dominant race.”
“Ever since Monaco, the guys and girls in the factory have been flat out. There was no weekend and people working 24/7 to better understand our problems - credit goes to so many people. So to bounce back in this way shows the calibre of the group that we have in the team.”
For Lewis, it was more than just a win, it was his sixth success on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where he claimed his first pole position and maiden F1 victory exactly ten years ago.
Since then, he has lifted no fewer than 56 winners' trophies in the highest echelon of the sport. By monopolising victory, pole, fastest race lap and the lead on all 70 laps, Lewis secured the so-called 'Grand Slam' for the fourth time in his career and the second time this year.
Lewis has now won the last three Canadian Grands Prix, and Valtteri has made podium appearances in the three races most recently hosted by Montreal.
“But the secret to this weekend was to keep the ball flat, stay calm, analyse our problems and come up with solutions,” Wolff concluded. “So this is the time to keep our feet on the ground, keep working hard and take it one race at a time. We saw some encouraging signs but we need to working in just the same way to translate them into more success in Baku.”
