Lewis Hamilton wins Canadian GP after Sebastian Vettel penalty and other key talking points

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  • Lewis Hamilton was crowned the winner of a remarkable Canadian Grand Prix after Sebastian Vettel was hit with a five-second penalty.

    Vettel took the chequered flag at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve but was demoted to runner-up following a penalty for a near-collision with Hamilton on lap 48.

    Hamilton crossed the line 1.3 seconds behind Vettel to ensure he would take the fifth win of his championship defence, and extend his championship lead to 29 points after Valtteri Bottas finished fourth. Charles Leclerc completed the podium positions.

    Here are our key talking points from the race.

    BAD DAY FOR VETTEL

    A disappointing race day for the German. Fastest for much of the weekend, Vettel topped the timesheets in FP3 and secured top spot in qualifying for the first time in 17 race, stretching back to the German GP last July.

    In the race itself, he drove solidly and looked on course to secure his first win of the season up until lap 48. On the exit of turn four, he ran wide, which forced Hamilton slightly off the track, resulting in a penalty.

    Although he held on to cross the line in first, he didn’t build on the necessary time advantage and was forced to settle for second in what was an underwhelming finish for the spectator.

    In truth, the penalty was harsh as there is no other place for a driver to re-join the track in a situation like that. He deserved the win but the stewards thought differently, which is disappointing.

    Hopefully Vettel can return to the fore in France in two weeks time.

    LUCKY NO7 FOR HAMILTON

    A remarkable seventh win for Hamilton in Canada. Although the victory wasn’t in the manner that he would have liked, due to Vettel’s penalty, it is still Mercedes seventh triumph of the season and they hold a comfortable advantage in both drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

    The Englishman was boosted by a new Mercedes engine in Montreal this weekend, but he was unable to live with the searing pace of Vettel in qualifying and had to start from second on the gird.

    A combination of the hitting the wall in FP2 and his hydraulics issue on Sunday morning, it was a mixed weekend for the 34-year-old ahead of the start of Sunday’s race.

    But what makes him a champion is that he never gives up, and he stayed two-seconds behind Vettel for the first half of the race, before cutting the time substantially – to just under one-second by lap 40 – putting pressure on German for the final frenetic laps.

    Benefiting from the time penalty handed to Vettel, the Briton pushed hard and closed the gap to finish 1.9 seconds behind Vettel and clinch the win.

    It may have been undeserved, but a win is a win.

    RICCIARDO ROCKS

    The Driver of the Day? Definitely a close call between him and Vettel.

    Daniel Ricciardo qualified fourth fastest on Saturday, his best performance for Renault, in a significant boost for the his flagging season to date.

    And he continued his superb form on race day, holding off Valtteri Bottas for a number of laps, before his resistance was finally broken to the Mercedes’ severe power. Still, sixth represents a stunning finish for the 29-year-old and Renault’s best result of the season so far.

    His efforts plus Nico Hulkenberg’s seventh were warmly greeted by the Montreal crowd.

    STRONG PERFORMANCE FOR STROLL

    A solid afternoon for the Canadian man. Racing in front of his home fans, Lance Stroll shone in his Racing Point and finished ninth – his third points finish this season after picking up ninth in Melbourne and Baku.

    Starting from 17th on the grid, the 21-year-old soared through the field and even held off Carlos Sainz late to seal a joint-season’s best result.

    In contrast, his team-mate Sergio Perez crossed the finish line in 12th.

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