Max Verstappen saw Lewis Hamilton save his race ‘at the last moment’ on Canadian Grand Prix grid

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Max Verstappen spotted Lewis Hamilton very nearly making the same tyre mistake as McLaren on the Canadian Grand Prix grid.

Verstappen lined up alongside the Ferrari on the third row for Sunday’s race, and they battled throughout. After the Red Bull driver got past early on, Hamilton regained the position on lap 62.

While they had started fifth and sixth, George Russell’s retirement and McLaren’s tyre blunder promoted them into a fight for second behind Kimi Antonelli.

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Lewis Hamilton nearly started Canadian GP on intermediate tyres like McLaren

McLaren took the gamble of starting on intermediate tyres in drizzly conditions at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. They were the only team in the top 10 to do so.

While the circuit was mostly dry, the teams were so concerned about tyre warm-up that the inters came into play.

But even though Lando Norris took the lead from third on the grid, he had to pit at the end of lap two as McLaren realised they had made a mistake. Oscar Piastri came in a lap later.

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Already out of realistic podium contention, Norris later retired with a gearbox issue and Piastri picked up a penalty en route to P11.

Reviewing the race in the cool-down room, Verstappen revealed that Hamilton nearly started on the intermediate too, which would surely have spoiled his afternoon, before a late switch.

“My start wasn’t that great,” Hamilton said as the highlights played. “McLaren really messed up.

“Yeah, yeah. I saw you switch at the last moment!” Verstappen replied.

McLaren’s rivals were apparently baffled by their decision, but it seems they weren’t the only top team considering it. Hamilton complained about tyre temperatures during the formation lap, which shows Ferrari were worried.

In the post-race press conference, Verstappen sarcastically poked fun at McLaren: “That was a great call,” he said. “I was like, ‘Thank you.’