Hamilton and Verstappen swap battle notes in cooldown room after Canadian GP podium

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen gave fans an unscripted look at their rivalry after the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, swapping lap-by-lap analysis in the cooldown room alongside race winner Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton finished second and Verstappen third after 68 laps of close racing between the two champions.

“I couldn’t shake you!” Hamilton said with a grin as the pair reflected on their battle. Verstappen replied: “The middle chicanes, every time you’d pull three tenths, but then I just got it back on the straight,” prompting Hamilton to respond simply: “It was mad.” Verstappen went on to single out Hamilton’s performance through Turn 6 for specific praise.

The exchange spread quickly across social media, drawing an enthusiastic response from fans who have followed the pair’s rivalry since their defining 2021 title fight. “Listening to Max and Lewis was brilliant. Great to see those two fight again,” one Reddit user wrote. Another added: “Their eyes were glowing in the interviews when talking about their battles, amazing to see!”

Other reactions ranged from “Two of the GOATs just talking shop. Love to see it” to a fan calling for “a full-time podcast from them.” One commenter noted the duel had helped sustain the race’s drama following George Russell’s retirement.

The warmth of the cooldown room moment stands in contrast to the tension that defined their 2021 championship battle, the final season before Formula 1’s switch to ground-effect regulations. Since then, the two have frequently been seen in relaxed conversation away from the track.

In the drivers’ standings after Canada, Hamilton sits fourth with 72 points, three behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc in third on 75. Verstappen is seventh with 43 points, five adrift of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in sixth and 23 clear of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in eighth.

The next round is the Monaco Grand Prix, held at Circuit de Monaco from 5–7 June.