Lewis Hamilton finished second at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday after a late overtake on Max Verstappen, and the moment carried extra meaning because his mother, Carmen, was there to see it. Hamilton scored 18 points and said the sight of her in the Ferrari garage made the result feel even better.
The seven-time world champion said after the race that he had been trying to get his mum to travel with him for years, but she had mostly stayed close to home and, in recent seasons, had only gone to Silverstone. This time, she asked whether she could come to Montreal, and he told her: “Absolutely!”
Hamilton said he was grateful she made the trip and that the weekend in Canada had been special for both of them. He said March in China had already given them their best time together, and he had wanted to keep bringing her beyond the comfort zone of the UK races she usually attended. He even spoke ahead of the weekend about wanting to show her more of Canada, from Montreal to places such as Lake Louise.
The Canadian Grand Prix has long been one of Hamilton’s favourite stops, and this year the race gave him something he had been chasing since joining Ferrari: a strong finish that felt like a reward for persistence. In colder but dry conditions, he ran down Verstappen late and claimed second place, while George Russell had been leading before an engine failure opened the door for Kimi Antonelli to win.
Hamilton said Ferrari had welcomed him “with open arms” and that after “a year and a bit” of frustration, the team had finally found its sweet spot. He described the result as an important lift for him and the garage, especially after a turbulent run in his first season with the Scuderia. The second-place finish was his first Grand Prix runner-up result with Ferrari, and it also brought him another 18 points in the championship fight.
For Hamilton, though, the headline was not just the podium. It was his mother cheering in the Ferrari garage after a race he won through timing, patience and one late move on Verstappen. After years of trying to get Carmen on the road, Montreal gave them a weekend he said he would remember.
