Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel (centre) of Germany celebrates on the podium after winning the Canadian F1 Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal yesterday. Standing next to Vettel are second-placed Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso (left) of Spain and third-placed Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain.
MONTREAL: Sebastian Vettel claimed the 29th victory of his record-breaking career yesterday when he triumphed for Red Bull at the Canadian Grand Prix for the first time to boost his lead in this year’s drivers world championship.
Starting from his third consecutive pole position at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the defending triple world champion came home in unchallenged fashion at the end of a serene showing of dominant driving from the front.
It was the 25-year-old German’s third win this season and he delivered it in a time of one hour, 32 minutes and 9.143 seconds.
He finished a luxurious 14.408 seconds clear of second-placed Fernando Alonso of Ferrari who fought from sixth on the grid to finish on the podium.
“Yes, we’ve won Canada, the car was amazing,” Vettel said over the team radio.
Later he added: “ Finally we got our first win, it’s off the list now and it was great to win.
“The sun came out as well so it doesn’t get any better. We had good races here before but it didn’t come together to win, then I lost it in the last lap two years ago which was my fault but I made up for that today.”
Lewis Hamilton was third for Mercedes after racing at the front and leading for three laps. It was his third podium finish of the year in seven races with his new team.
Australian Mark Webber came fourth in the second Red Bull ahead of Monaco winner Nico Rosberg in the second Mercedes, Jean-Eric Vergne of Toro Rosso - who came home a best-ever sixth - and Briton Paul Di Resta of Force India.
Felipe Massa finished eighth in the second Ferrari, after starting from 16th on the grid, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus and Adrian Sutil in the second Force India.
Raikkonen’s result meant he equalled German legend seven-time champion Michael Schumacher’s record of 24 consecutive points finishes.
Vettel’s win lifted him to 132 points at the top of this year’s championship. Alonso is second on 96 and Raikkonen third with 88. Hamilton has 77 in fourth.
While Vettel and Red Bull celebrated there was disappointment for Williams.
The British outfit had high hopes of picking up their first points of the season from Valterri Bottas who had qualified in third but were out of luck again when the Finnish rookie trailed in 17th.
Earlier, Raikkonen and Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo were handed two place grid penalties fafter pit lane offences in qualifying.
The pair were penalised by Formula One stewards for jumping the queue to leave the pit lane after the second qualifying session had been halted when Massa crashed his Ferrari.
All the cars returned to the pits while the track was cleared before being allowed to resume qualifying with less than two minutes remaining of the second phase.
Lotus’s Raikkonen should have been the fourth car to leave the pits but went out second after lining up on the left side of the pit exit. Ricciardo, in a Toro Rosso, also jumped two places.
Stewards relegated both, with Raikkonen’s penalty applied before Ricciardo’s. Bizarrely, because the Finn qualified ninth and Ricciardo 10th, Raikkonen actually dropped only one place and will start in 10th with Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg moving ahead of both to ninth.
Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado (Williams), Mexican Sergio Perez (McLaren) and Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) were also investigated about their exits from the pit lane but were cleared of any wrongdoing. Agencies
