That’s it from me, as Lewis Hamilton throws an Ali shuffle on his way up to the podium. That’s win #5 in Canada, his second chequered flag in a row, and he has cut the gap to Nico Rosberg after prevailing in a tight, tactical battle with Sebastian Vettel. He’ll be a happy man tonight. Thanks for joining me. Bye!
Updated
It’s a frightening thought, and off the track, they have a better rapport than Hamilton and actual team-mate, Nico Rosberg. Spare a thought for Rosberg; from looking like the runaway world champion, he’s the man with most to lose from a Hamilton-Vettel rivalry.
“What does this mean for championship points?” asks Valerie Brookes. I’ll tell you: Hamilton is nine points behind Rosberg. More pertinently, Rosberg has picked up 16 points in his last three races; he bagged 100 in his first four.
Driver standings:
- Rosberg (Mercedes) – 116
- Hamilton (Mercedes) - 107
- Vettel (Ferrari) - 78
- Ricciardo (Red Bull) - 72
- Raikkonen (Ferrari) - 69
Interesting chat between Hamilton and Vettel in the drivers’ room. “My start was so bad” says Hamilton. “Mine was good, did you see it?” says Seb. Bit cocky. It was nice to see Hamilton and Vettel in a proper all-out battle; let’s hope to see it more often.
Race result
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
- Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
- Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
- Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
- Nico Hülkenberg (Force India)
- Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso)
- Sergio Pérez (Force India)
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” – Lewis Hamilton wins the race, and even has the perfect line ready for the team radio. What a guy.
Lewis Hamilton wins the Canadian Grand Prix!
As his team-mate hauls himself back on the track, Hamilton cruises over the line for his fifth win in Montreal. Sebastian Vettel is second, with Valtteri Bottas in third.
Updated
Lap 69: As the last lap approaches, Rosberg is still gunning for Verstappen – but his overtaking move goes badly awry, as he locks his rear tyres and spins wide at the chicane! That was pretty daft from Rosberg, but he’s able to continue.
Updated
Lap 67: Verstappen’s defensive skills look to have secured a podium place for Bottas. It was excellent work from the Red Bull, on older, softer tyres than the marauding Rosberg. Those two points could make a difference in the drivers’ championship, too.
Lap 66: Rosberg locks up, and has run out of juice in his efforts to get around the stoic Verstappen. Hamilton, pushed almost all the way by Vettel, has maintained his seven-second lead and is closing in on a fifth chequered flag here.
Lap 64: While the big dogs slug it out for podium spots, Fernando Alonso sees his battle for tenth place, and a solitary point, fall short as Daniil Kvyat pushes him down to 12th. He asks the radio if he can call it a day. They say no.
Lap 63: Rosberg is eager to get round Verstappen, but the teenager isn’t having it, and closes the inside route to great effect. This is all good news for Valtteri Bottas, who has an eight-second cushion over the scrapping duo.
Lap 61: Until those two lock-ups, Vettel had the race on a knife-edge; that’s a rare treat in recent times. Regardless, it’s the Mercedes who are finishing the race on top, with Rosberg on top of Verstappen, and Hamilton stretching his lead to a shade under seven seconds.
Lap 60: Rosberg is flying, and with plenty of chances to overtake, he could still wrestle that podium spot from Bottas. At the front, Hamilton is leading by 5.8 seconds, and has now led F1 races for 2,500 laps. Another mistake from Vettel on the final chicane, and Hamilton is looking pretty, pretty good.
Lap 58: Rosberg sets a new fastest lap, and is just 3.5 seconds behind Verstappen in fourth.
“Vettel will catch Hamilton. Can he pass? Yes, he’s good enough. Will he pass? No idea, Hamilton is also good enough.Put me down as 4/7 fav Hamilton, 15/8 Vettel” says Mark Turner, admittedly before Vettel’s rick a couple of laps ago.
Updated
Lap 57: Rosberg steps up his game, zipping past Raikkonen on the way into the chicane to move up to fifth, and onto the heels of Verstappen. Worth noting that two of the current top three – Hamilton and Bottas – have run a one-stop strategy.
Lap 56: Vettel has cut 3.5 seconds from Hamilton’s lead in 18 laps, and has 14 laps left to take care of the remaining 4.3 seconds. It’s in the balance... but Vettel locks up through the race, and loses a second on Hamilton! That might have cost him any chance of winning this race.
Updated
Lap 55: Here’s the current top ten, with 15 laps to go:
1. Hamilton 2. Vettel (+4.4) 3. Bottas, 4. Verstappen, 5. Raikkonen, 6. Rosberg 7. Ricciardo, 8. Hulkenberg, 9. Sainz, 10. Perez
Updated
Lap 54: Ricciardo is closing on Raikkonen in fifth, with Rosberg also in hot pursuit. Plenty of places to be settled yet, not least the race winner. Vettel is 4.6 seconds behind Hamilton. Can he do it? Well? Get in touch.
Lap 52: Rosberg’s disappointing day goes on, as he’s forced to pit again and drops out of the race for third. His warning signals could just be an issue with the console itself; nevertheless, that’s an unwelcome distraction.
Lap 50: Verstappen does pit for a second time – not sure what Red Bull’s plan is here. That allows Bottas to climb into third, some 30 seconds behind Vettel.
Lap 49: Worth remembering that Canada is the first stop on the calendar where teams can truly assess their race pace. Broadly speaking, it’s been good news for Ferrari and Williams, less so for Red Bull. Nothing to unduly concern Mercedes just yet.
Lap 48: Vettel has cut the gap to 5.6 seconds, as Hamilton looks to conserve his tyres for the big finale. He’s closing, but perhaps not quite fast enough.
Updated
Lap 46: Rosberg is on the radio, alarmed by a series of warnings on his steering console. The team confirm that they are real, without mentioning what they mean. Massa’s retirement was caused by an overheating power unit; he joins Jenson Button and Jolyon Palmer back in the garage.
Lap 45: That Ricciardo stop wasn’t strategic; the Australian had a flat spot on his tyre. That means Verstappen could be staying out for the duration, and is favourite for a podium place.
Lap 44: Vettel has a cob on, ranting over the radio over a minor spot of braking trouble. He’s feeling the heat, as is Valtteri Bottas, who can see Rosberg looming in his mirrors.
Lap 42: The second half of this race will be a big test for Hamilton, on one of his favourite circuits; Vettel is still slicing fractions off his lead, but it’s still around a healthy 6.8 seconds.
Lap 40: There could be a cracking battle for the final podium place; Verstappen is ten seconds behind Vettel, but Bottas is six seconds behind the Red Bull, lapping much faster, and bringing Nico Rosberg along with him.
Lap 39: Ricciardo joins the Red Bull in running a two-stop strategy, but the pit stop takes an age, which probably wasn’t part of said strategy. Vettel is gaining time on Hamilton, but he still has an awful lot to make up.
Updated
Lap 37: Just one lap, as it turns out. Vettel switches to soft compound tyres, and is 7.3 seconds behind Hamilton. Felipe Massa, who had been hovering in the lower reaches of the top ten, has retired from the race. This will be the first Grand Prix this year where Massa won’t pick up points.
Updated
Lap 36 of 70: Vettel has around five laps left on these tyres, and the gap is shrinking – it’s now 9.9 seconds. That pit stop is looking like the wrong call now, but the weather could still play a part.
Lap 35 of 70: Raikkonen pits, and rejoins on soft compound tyres and in eighth place. At the halfway mark, here’s how it stands:
1. Vettel, 2. Hamilton, 3. Verstappen, 4. Ricciardo, 5. Bottas, 6. Rosberg 7. Massa, 8. Raikkonen, 9. Hulkenberg, 10. Sainz
Lap 33: Rosberg has joined the queue behind Raikkonen, now labouring on those super soft tyres. He’s seventh, with Ricciardo and Bottas between him and the Ferrari. Easy to forget he’s still the championship leader, with Vettel and Hamilton battling it out at the front.
Lap 32: Vettel needs a lead of around 18 seconds, and it’s moving in the wrong direction – down to 11 between the Ferrari and Hamilton in second.
Lap 31: Jenson Button said his engine “just went pop”. “It’s a shame, because I was saving lots of fuel stuck behind Fernado”, says Button, who sounds pretty fed up.
Lap 30: “Get this traffic out of the way!” demands Vettel as he reaches the back markers. Perez, who started on soft compounds and lasted 29 laps on them, is pitting and rejoins in 11th; a good race so far.
Lap 29: Bottas continues to gain on Ricciardo, who is sliding around corners. Ahead of him, Raikkonen reacts angrily to team calls to “take it easy”. Bottas putting pressure on both drivers.
Lap 27: Vettel leads Hamilton by 13.5 seconds, trying to eke out a sufficient margin to cover an additional stop. Two different tactical approaches here, which will both go out of the window if it starts raining.
Lap 26: A battle for fourth between Ferrari’s Raikkonen, Red Bull’s Ricciardo and Williams’ Bottas, with just two seconds between the trio.
Lap 25 of 70: Here’s the top ten after that flurry of pit stops. Vettel and Raikkonen are on super softs, the rest have switched to compounds.
1. Vettel, 2. Hamilton, 3. Verstappen, 4. Raikkonen, 5. Ricciardo, 6. Bottas, 7. Rosberg 8. Perez, 9. Massa, 10. Hulkenberg
Updated
Lap 24: Valtteri Bottas comes in for a trademark quick Williams pit; they are consistently the fastest pit crew. Shame about the drivers, you might say. Hamilton has pitted, switching to soft compound tyres that have to last until the chequered flag.
Lap 22: Raikkonen also pitted early and is reaping the benefits, moving above Ricciardo as the Red Bull rejoins the race. Vettel has gained 1.3 seconds on Hamilton in the last lap; time for the leader to pit.
Lap 21: Verstappen pits and rejoins the race in eighth place, followed by Ricciardo and Rosberg, as the first round of stops begin in earnest.
Lap 19: Vettel cruises past Verstappen on the back straight, and is gaining fast on Hamilton, outpacing the leader by 6 tenths a lap. Ferrari’s gamble now starting to pay off...
Lap 18: Not a great day for the other British drivers – Renault’s Jolyon Palmer has been forced to retire.
Updated
Lap 17: Vettel battles past Ricciardo after a fierce battle, with Verstappen now in his sights. Ricciardo’s tyres have suffered from being on Verstappen’s tail. Further down the grid, Daniil Kvyat’s ignominy continues, as he’s overtaken by Raikkonen to drop to 13th.
Lap 15: A few nervous looks in the Ferrari garage; Vettel is gaining fast on the Red Bulls, but Hamilton has clean air and open track in front of him.
Updated
Lap 14: Hamilton now leads Verstappen by eight seconds, and Vettel by 11 seconds. Interestingly, Ricciardo is still behind his team-mate, and the gap is now 1.2 seconds.
1. Hamilton, 2. Verstappen, 3. Ricciardo, 4. Vettel, 5. Bottas, 6. Massa, 7. Rosberg, 8. Hulkenberg, 9. Alonso 10. Perez.
Updated
Lap 13: A bit of a gamble from Ferrari, who gained a handful of seconds thanks to the virtual safety car, which disappeared the second Vettel pitted. He’s now in fourth, but on more durable tyres than those in front of him.
Lap 11: Jenson Button is out! It’s a power failure, apparently; in layman’s terms, his engine’s on fire. A virtual safety car is out, briefly, and Vettel pits! He switches to super soft, along with Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikonnen.
Lap 10: As Hamilton keeps the heat on Vettel, Verstappen can’t keep pace, and Ricciardo is right behind him. Red Bull ask Max to respect his elders, and let his team-mate through.
Updated
Lap 9 of 70: Nigel Mansell didn’t enjoy that Mercedes tussle:
Lap 7 of 70: Rosberg is having a shocker so far, running wide on the chicane and still down in ninth. Hamilton building a gap over Verstappen; it’s starting to look like a two-horse race.
Updated
Lap 6 of 70: Hamilton on the verge of DRS range, which would give him the chance to overtake on that long back straight. Still no rain on the track, but Hamilton is complaining of a lack of grip on the ultra soft tyres.
Lap 5 of 70: Vettel had opened a 1.5 second gap on Hamilton, but the Mercedes driver is fighting back, setting a fastest lap. “Poutine pizza is a thing, by the way” says Mark Turner. I’m on a diet, and really didn’t need to see this.
Updated
Lap 3 of 70: That was an outrageous start from Vettel, making Hamilton look like a National Express coach in the third lane of the motorway. Here’s the current top ten:
1. Vettel, 2. Hamilton, 3. Verstappen, 4. Ricciardo, 5. Raikonnen, 6. Bottas, 7. Massa, 8. Hulkenberg, 9. Rosberg, 10. Alonso
Updated
Lap 2 of 70: It’s Vettel’s turn to slide wide, but he rejoins the track without any damage – although Hamilton, who held on to second, is now on his tail. Rosberg, meanwhile, is dusting himself off and trying to climb through the field. He won’t be happy, but no suggestion his team-mate crossed the line with that first-corner aggression.
Updated
Lights out
What a move by Vettel! The Ferrari man gets the jump on both Mercedes, and gets to the first turn in the lead. The Mercedes pair fight desperately for second, and Rosberg is forced wide. He’s down to tenth, while Max Verstappen has outpaced Danny Ricciardo to climb up to third!
Updated
Five minutes! The rain has eased off, so there’ll be no safety car at the starting line. Grab your poutine, pop on some Arcade Fire and get comfy.
The Wall of Champions
Turns 12 and 13 form a tight chicane at the end of a long straight that’s primed for overtaking – creating a trouble spot known as the Wall of Champions. It’s named after the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix, where four world champions – Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve and er, F3000 champion Ricardo Zonta – all crashed out on this tricky turn. With a hefty tailwind and plenty of mid-pack tussling, it’ll likely see some action today.
Brady speaks! He’s asked if he’s a big F1 fan. “I’m getting into it. It’s nice to be in Montreal, pretty close to home.” Not entirely convincing. Niki Lauda is better at building the excitement, saying that Hamilton and Rosberg must avoid battling too fiercely into that short first corner, and handing an opening to Vettel. Meanwhile, Jenson Button is one of many drivers unhappy with the cold – it’s a ridiculous 11 degrees Celsius at trackside, and the rain is starting to fall.
On Sky, Ted Kravitz reckons it’s not a matter of if, but when it rains. That could cause trouble for the top ten, who are all due to start on purple-edged ultra soft tyres. Not sure it’s quite such a certainty, but the weather will certainly keep everyone guessing.
Weather watch
It’s been a wet weekend in Montreal, but signs are that the race will stay dry after showers this morning. It’s overcast and chilly at present, but less rain is forecast for later.
Leather watch
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is in the paddock, sporting a natty jacket and definitely not letting anyone’s tyres down.
Updated
The grid
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
- Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
- Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
- Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
- Felipe Massa (Williams)
- Nico Hülkenberg (Force India)
- Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
- Sergio Pérez (Force India)
- Jenson Button (McLaren)
- Esteban Gutiérrez (Haas)
- Romain Grosjean (Haas)
- Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso)
- Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
- Jolyon Palmer (Renault)
- Pascal Wehrlein (Manor)
- Felipe Nasr (Sauber)
- Rio Haryanto (Manor)
- Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
- Kevin Magnussen (Renault)
Preamble
Hello, salut and welcome to Montreal. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has been kind to Lewis Hamilton before – he’s nabbed four chequered flags here, and three of the last six available. Hamilton will start on pole after a peerless effort in qualifying, at a track that’s a big test of both a team’s raw pace and a driver’s touch on the brakes.
Nico Rosberg will be second on the grid, but he’s far less fond of Canada. His best efforts have come in the last two seasons, where he finished second to Hamilton (in 2015) and Danny Ricciardo, who starts fourth today looking to forget his frustrations in Monaco. Completing the front four is 2013 winner Sebastian Vettel, who is searching for a statement result with his Ferrari still wedged between Mercedes and Red Bull.
Regardless of what goes on behind him, things will look very good for Hamilton if he leads at the first corner. With a short run from the line, and sketchy form at the start, that could be harder than it sounds. Throw in iffy weather, a feisty chasing pack and Max Verstappen and this could be a live one. The race begins at 2pm local, 7pm BST.
Updated
.png?w=600)
