Lewis Hamilton had missed the roar of the spectators. So when he needed a voice of encouragement the most, he received it from the largest recorded crowd in Canadian Grand Prix history.

Montreal is, after all, the site of Hamilton’s first Formula 1 podium. mercedes.

The new Mercedes he designed to F1 specification for 2022 has been a disaster. Hamilton’s back suffered from the car’s constant bouncing, caused by the Mercedes driving too close to the surface to generate maximum performance. This focus on downforce has created what is known as the “porpoising” effect which is dangerous to the long term health of drivers.

Hamilton admitted that over the past few months he has suffered from more headaches than usual. He does not know if it was in fact micro-concussions. He has his own physiotherapist, takes painkillers and, with his new partner George Russell, drives the car that Mercedes makes available to them.

But the torture reached its worst moment a week ago in Baku, when the 37-year-old Briton struggled to get out of the car after traversing the streets of the Azerbaijani capital. The International Automobile Federation intervened last Thursday by announcing a technical directive prohibiting the rebound effect.

The FIA ​​intervention raised concerns in the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve paddock, with rivals warning it was strange that Mercedes could react so quickly to the change ahead of the first practice on Friday.

In the end, Mercedes took advantage of the technical directive to test a new configuration, but the situation worsened. The following day the team did as their rivals suggested: Mercedes raised the height of the car and Hamilton finished fourth in the standings, their best result of the year. And on Sunday he finished third for only his second podium in nine races this season.

He was the majestic Lewis Hamilton again when he got out of the car, not the veteran who was fighting to keep his young teammate at bay and seeing the championship leaders from afar.

Hamilton was also able to listen to the crowds – F1 reported a record 338,000 spectators in attendance within three days of returning to Canada after a two-year absence due to the pandemic – and address them.

“Montreal, how are you? he asked. Hamilton then reflected on his result on Sunday – his first podium since the first race in March – and its significance in this fateful season.

“I hadn’t been on the podium for a long time,” he said. “So it was something special. It was there that I achieved my first podium 15 years ago. Getting back on a podium and enjoying the energy of the public reminded me of that first year here”.

Can Hamilton be competitive to retain his British Grand Prix victory when F1 resumes the championship in two weeks? Maybe not. Mercedes remains a notch behind the power of Red Bull and Ferrari. And, despite the surge in Montreal, the single-seaters continued to rebound.

“We still have the rebound, it hasn’t gone away,” Hamilton said. “I’m hopeful, in a race like Silverstone which is so important to us and to me, that I can fight against them. We’re getting closer.”

Russell, who has edged Hamilton in seven of nine races this season, seemed less optimistic after finishing fourth. He noted the rebound was “less extreme” than in Baku because the Montreal surface was smoother.

“The issues with these 2022 cars remain unresolved,” Russell said.

He also criticized Mercedes’ pace, saying the weekend’s results were misleading as the deficit to Red Bull and Ferrari “still remains substantial”.

Rivals will argue that Mercedes got its 2022 model design wrong and overstated driver health to force the FIA ​​to change the regulations.

Although other drivers, such as Sergio Pérez of Red Bull, have acknowledged that the rebound effect exists, none have had it as badly as Mercedes. And if Mercedes is so worried, rivals wonder why it’s better not to raise the height and thus benefit their drivers. (Answer: the longer it is attached to the ground, the faster the car will be).

“It’s a Formula 1 car. Not a Rolls-Royce. And the drivers will have to know that,” said Franz Tost, the former driver who is now director of AlphaTauri. “If they find the cars too uncomfortable or difficult, maybe it’s best to stay home, in their living room, curl up on the couch and watch the races on TV, or whatever.”