The 2015 Canadian Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton take a lights-to-flag victory ahead of Nico Rosberg, after a troubled race in Monaco a fortnight ago. Valtteri Bottas returned to the rostrum for the first time since last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix while Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa provided much of the on-track entertainment, having started from the back of the grid.
Pastor Maldonado deserves a mention for a fine drive to seventh place, securing his first points of the season in the process. Nico Hulkenberg finished in the top 10 for only the second time this year but undid a lot of his good work - although for precautionary purposes - in an incident involving Sebastian Vettel at the final chicane.
Lewis Hamilton
After the Monaco pit stop fiasco and the odd visit to the barrier during a rain-hit FP2 session, Hamilton enjoyed a lights-to-flag victory in Canada on Sunday, ahead of Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg. The British driver lined his W06 Hybrid on pole position and was never threatened by Rosberg in the race, despite the meagre 2.2 seconds gap that stood between the pair at the chequered flag. The 30 year old managed his race well and felt he had something extra in hand, had Rosberg put on a stronger challenge.
The results place him 17 points clear of his nearest rival in the drivers standings.
Sebastian Vettel
After his qualifying troubles and a five place grid penalty for overtaking Roberto Merhi during red flag in FP3, Sebastian Vettel started the Canadian Grand Prix on the backfoot. However, some feisty moves and DRS on an overtaking friendly track meant that he was able to progress through the field and take fifth at the chequered flag.
The German had a strong car underneath him and was able to overtake even the Mercedes powered cars en route to his top-five result. He would have been right on the gearbox of Raikkonen, had it not been for a slow first pitstop.
Valtteri Bottas
After a miserable weekend for Williams at Monaco, Valtteri Bottas lined his car on the second row of the grid alongside compatriot Kimi Raikkonen. Chasing the Ferrari would have been always a difficult task, so Bottas put himself in best position to capitalise on any incident.And when Raikkonen spun with engine mapping issues at the hairpin, Bottas took the final spot on the podium - his first since last year’s season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Felipe Massa
Much like Vettel, Felipe Massa had his own power unit troubles in qualifying, forcing him to start from the other end of the grid. However, a clever reverse strategy and some brave overtakes meant that he crossed the line in a satisfactory sixth place, given his grid slot.The Brazilian did a 37 lap stint on soft tyre and was running as high as fifth before bolting a set of super soft compounds for the second half of the race. He got out in clean air and was able to pass Maldonado later in the race to take sixth, some seven seconds behind Vettel.
Pastor Maldonado
With luck by his side and a strong car in his control, Pastor Maldonado shined at the Canadian Grand Prix, recording his second race finish and first points result of the season. After his Q3 appearance in Monaco, it was only about time we saw Maldonado put on a strong result for Lotus.The Venezuelan qualified just over a tenth behind his teammate in sixth place and unlike Grosjean, didn’t do anything silly in the race. He couldn’t fend off fast-charging Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa but finished in a respectable seventh place. The result elevates Lotus to fifth place in the constructors standings, ahead of Sauber and Force India.
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Edited by Staff Editor
