Lewis Hamilton called his mum Carmen his “lucky charm” after finishing second in Canada — his first P2 for Ferrari and a performance that reminded everyone why he’s won three times at this circuit.
The 41-year-old rose from P5 on the grid to the podium in Montreal, even overtaking Max Verstappen in a thrilling battle that showcased the race pace Ferrari’s been searching for all season. With Carmen watching from the garage, Hamilton delivered his 204th career podium and his first since China back in April. The relief was palpable.
“She’s clearly my lucky omen, my lucky charm,” Hamilton said after the race. “She has to come every weekend.”
The Family Factor
Hamilton doesn’t do superstition lightly. Carmen stayed with him in his Montreal apartment all weekend — dinners together, movies, late-night conversations. The kind of grounding a driver needs after the brutal transition he’s endured.
This marks the second time Carmen’s paddock presence coincided with a Ferrari podium. She was also there in China on Mother’s Day when Hamilton grabbed P3, his first trip to the rostrum in red. The pattern’s too good to ignore, and Hamilton knows it.
“I can’t even begin to explain how deep I’ve had to dig to be able to get to this point,” he admitted. The move from Mercedes to Ferrari was supposed to be a fairy tale — instead, it became a grind. An underwhelming debut season followed by continued struggles had left Hamilton looking dejected at nearly every race weekend. Until Montreal.
What This Means for the Championship Fight
The P2 finish vaulted Hamilton to fourth in the Drivers’ Championship with 72 points, just three behind teammate Charles Leclerc. That internal battle suddenly matters. Hamilton’s now within striking distance of Leclerc, and the momentum shift is real.
Montreal trails only Silverstone and the Hungaroring for Hamilton wins. His three victories here prove he knows how to extract everything from these streets, and Ferrari finally gave him machinery that didn’t implode under pressure. The overtake on Verstappen wasn’t just clean — it was a statement. Hamilton in qualifying trim versus Hamilton with race pace are two different beasts, and Canada exposed the latter.
“Had so much fun out there all weekend,” Hamilton said, his mood vastly different from the deflated figure fans have grown accustomed to seeing. “Every single lap, I felt like we started on the right foot. The car really generally felt great.”
Ferrari’s been moving mountains in the background to unlock performance, and this result validates that work. The team’s been criticized for their political infighting and strategy blunders, but they held Hamilton up through his darkest moments. Now they’re reaping the rewards.
The Road Ahead
Hamilton and Carmen are taking a short trip together before the next race — a chance to celebrate properly and bank this momentum. But the real question is whether Ferrari can replicate this form at tracks where Hamilton doesn’t have home-field advantage.
The championship fight remains out of reach barring a miracle, but Hamilton climbing back into the sport’s elite conversation matters. He’s proving the move to Ferrari wasn’t a retirement tour gone wrong. It’s a rebuild, and Canada showed the foundation might finally be solid.
If Carmen really is the lucky charm, Ferrari better start booking her flights for the rest of the season.
