Lewis Hamilton described Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix as one of the “worst races of his career” while team-mate George Russell apologised to Mercedes for an “ugly race” despite both drivers achieving their best results of the season.

Russell finished third in Montreal – Mercedes’ first podium of the season – and Hamilton fourth, at the end of a chaotic, madcap, rain-soaked grand prix in Montreal won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The Brackley team clearly took a giant leap forward in terms of their competitiveness in Canada, but the fact that both drivers were so despondent afterwards was interesting given the strides made by the team.

Russell, who started a race from pole for the first time in nearly two years, described it as a “missed opportunity” and looked crestfallen at the finish. He was already apologising to his team on his warm-down lap. “Ugly race on my behalf,” he said. “Sorry for that. I’m very sorry for that.”

Russell later said he felt he could have fought for victory had he not tangled with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri while trying to pass the Australian following the withdrawal of a late safety car, a mistake which allowed Hamilton to briefly get ahead of him.

Hamilton, meanwhile, described his performance across the weekend as “really poor”. The seven-time world champion qualified seventh on Saturday, despite having topped final practice. And while he managed to move up three places on Sunday, he was disappointed with the number of errors made overall.

George Russell leads Max Verstappen during the race CREDIT: Getty Images/Mark Thompson

“Some other things came into it yesterday, but mostly myself. And then today, just one of the worst races that I’ve driven. Just lots of mistakes.

“But of course, if I’d qualified better I’d have been in a much better position. So it is what it is.”

In fairness to the two Mercedes drivers, it was one of those races when it was virtually impossible not to make mistakes.

Lando Norris, who eventually finished second, also felt he could have won. The McLaren driver twice led the race as conditions fluctuated between wet and dry but was unfortunate with the timing of a mid-race safety car when he was on top.

It was a wonderful race from a neutral’s perspective – one of those which makes you wonder about that madcap suggestion from Bernie Ecclestone all those years ago to introduce a sprinkler system to spice up dull races. There was so much action it was difficult to keep up.

With the race starting on a drenched Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but with the rain having temporarily ceased, the strategists had to earn their corn.

Haas decided to start both their cars on full wet tyres and initially reaped the rewards, with Kevin Magnussen surging from 14th to fourth in just three laps before the rest of the field, on intermediate tyres, came back.

All the frontrunners had their moments. Norris was the fastest on the inters, overtaking first Verstappen and pole sitter Russell on consecutive laps to snatch the race lead on lap 21, only to lose it again after Williams’ Logan Sargeant crashed on lap 25, bringing out the first safety car of the day.

Verstappen started in second but held off the two Britons at the flag CREDIT: Getty Images/Mark Thompson

Norris pitted a lap later than the cars behind him but picked up the safety car, coming out in third, just ahead of team-mate Piastri.

“What goes around, comes around. That’s Miami back,” observed Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, a reference to the safety car which helped Norris to his maiden Formula One win in Miami last month, at Verstappen’s expense.

Norris later led again, briefly. When the leaders all pitted to switch to slicks on a drying track, the McLaren driver again stayed out an extra lap, trying for an “overcut”. It sort of worked. Norris emerged from his stop in the lead, once again ahead of Verstappen and Russell, only to slip on the wet exit from the pitlane, dropping behind Verstappen again.

Russell retook second place two laps later as Norris struggled to get his new mediums up to temperature. But then he lost it again as he made a mistake.

In the end, Verstappen won again. When it really mattered, the Dutchman produced a champion’s drive, pulling away from the field following a second safety car period, brought about when Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz lost control, taking out the second Williams of Alex Albon.

It completed a miserable weekend for Ferrari, for whom Charles Leclerc had already retired following an engine issue and then a wild gamble on slicks when the track was nowhere near ready for them.

Verstappen does not seem to make such mistakes. This was the Dutchman’s sixth win in nine races this year, extending his lead in the drivers’ championship to 56 points over Leclerc, with Norris a further seven points behind.

Verstappen’s performance was all the more impressive given his teammate’s struggles. After his Monaco misery, Sergio Pérez endured another terrible weekend, failing to make it into Q2 (again) on Saturday, before retiring (again) on Sunday, this time after spinning his car into the barriers. it was not the way he would have wanted to celebrate his new contract extension.

Verstappen may look good for a fourth consecutive drivers’ crown, barring accident or misfortune. But the constructors’ championship will be wide open if Perez continues to drive like this.

Either way, neutrals can look forward to plenty of action this season if the current convergence continues. Even Mercedes are getting in on the act now. “I think this weekend, the car was capable of winning,” Hamilton reflected. “That’s why it is not such a great feeling. But we will take the points and keep trying.”