Lewis Hamilton aggression hailed in game-changing Charles Leclerc 'obliteration'

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has hailed Lewis Hamilton's aggressive Canadian Grand Prix performance, stating that the seven-time world champion "obliterated" Charles Leclerc.

Montreal represented Hamilton's strongest performance since joining Ferrari at the start of last year and his first second-place finish in red.

As he did ahead of the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, the Briton opted not to use a simulator, instead prioritising time with his engineers and studying data.

Avoiding the simulator worked for Hamilton, who was full of confidence and happiness throughout the event at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

In Palmer's eyes, it was as if the 41-year-old had rolled back the years and was no longer chasing lap time in the way he had towards the end of his stint with Mercedes.

Asked if Montreal was Hamilton's best performance as a Ferrari driver, Palmer said on the F1 Nation podcast: "100%. He was so happy and confident. It was like a rollback of the years for Lewis.

"Even just the way the car was moving around, he was at one with it the whole way through. It was great to see. It was the best Lewis we've seen for years, even compared to his final year with Mercedes.

"It felt like he was sometimes chasing it. He knew he was leaving the team and everything, but this was proper rollback Lewis."

Since joining Ferrari, simply being close to Leclerc had been a tall order for Hamilton. In Canada, it was the other way around, with the Monegasque unable to match his team-mate's pace.

It left Leclerc furious on the team radio when he was informed of the lap times Hamilton was achieving, highlighting the pressure he felt in what was a game-changing race.

"A great day for Lewis used to be being close to Charles. Basically, he obliterated him [in Montreal]," added Palmer. "Charles was absolutely fed up.

"He was saying it was the worst weekend ever. He didn't want to hear from his engineer on the radio until the end, which speaks volumes about the pressure Lewis put on him."