Lewis Hamilton was counting no chickens, or seagulls, as he reflected on the dramatic revival of his title defence in the wake of his triumphant display in the spectacular Canadian Grand Prix.
The defending three-time world champion, who languished 43 points behind championship-leading Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg three weeks ago, cut that margin to just nine points with his 45th career win and his fifth at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday. But, after dedicating his triumph and the manner in which he achieved it to the late Muhammad Ali, he played down talk of regaining the momentum ahead of this week’s inaugural trip to Azerbaijan for the European Grand Prix on Baku’s new and fast street circuit.
“Honestly,” he said. “I am oblivious to a lot of things, but the thing I am conscious of is that there is a long way to go. There has never been a doubt this year in terms of my speed, or what I can do in the car. Not at all. But, of course, you never know what can happen next. There was one problem after another.”
Hamilton’s resurgence with successive victories in Monaco and Montreal has coincided with a Rosberg slump. After four season-opening wins scored him a perfect 100 points, the German has claimed just 16 in the last three outings.
On Sunday, he clashed with Hamilton at Turn One, as the Mercedes pair were left behind by the red streak of Sebastian Vettel’s rampant Ferrari, picked up a slow puncture, suffered fuel problems and then spun off and recovered after an errant passing move on the last lap. He finished fifth.
It was a taste of the experiences that Hamilton endured during his ill-fated early run of accidents and mechanical failings. Vettel, relishing the improved power of his Ferrari’s upgraded engine, finished second after the Italian team made a mistake by switching him to a two-stop strategy.
He also blamed two seagulls on the circuit for distracting him as he swerved to avoid them. “That was my worst moment,” said the four-time champion German, whose full-blooded display proved Ferrari are almost back on terms with Mercedes.
Hamilton revelled in his high-speed duel with Vettel and after careful management of his tyres and fuel, he pulled clear to win in the closing laps. “I was just floating out there, the car was really floating,” he said. “The last 15 laps, all I could do was think of him (Ali). The Rumble in the Jungle... Maybe he was watching the race, but RIP. This was for him...”
He admitted he was surprised at how swiftly the season has turned around for him. “Absolutely,” he said. “I could never have predicted that. I thought Monaco might have been a one off. A fluke kind of thing, but the race was not a fluke. It was a great strong race and then today, the way it unfolded.
“We started 1-2 and finished 1-5 and I know how hard the guys in the factory work for a 1-2 so it doesn’t feel great about that, considering we have had a lot of those 1-2 finishes and we both celebrate in front of the garages.
“But, on the flip-side, it is a positive in terms of points, but Nico is going to continue to push. I am going to continue to push the car for as long as it stays together. The way it is going, I don’t see that strength diminishing.
"I think we are still going to go from strength to strength. There are still things to pick up on, such as the starts. Once we get those, hopefully we will get back to where we want to be. Today (Sunday), it felt phenomenal in the car - very, very quick. I had the speed whenever I needed it, which is such a great feeling to have.”