Hamilton takes title lead as seventh winner of 2012

Lewis Hamilton took the lead of the world championship on Sunday by winning his first race of the 2012 season in Canada.

The Briton becomes the seventh different winner of the year after the opening seven grands prix, and pulls two points clear of former championship leader Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

Hamilton won with a two-stop strategy, so therefore had to pass one-stoppers Sebastian Vettel and Alonso with mere laps to the chequered flag.

But until then, the 2008 world champion wondered whether McLaren had made another team blunder.

"Are you sure they (Vettel and Alonso) are not trying a one-stop?" Hamilton asked his engineer on the radio.

"We’re sure, Lewis," came the reply.

Ultimately, McLaren was wrong about Red Bull and Ferrari’s plans, but the two-stop turned out as superior.

"It was a big mistake by Ferrari not to stop more than once. A big mistake," said Jaime Alguersuari on British radio.

But Lotus’ Romain Grosjean and Sauber’s Sergio Perez made their one-stoppers work, easily passing the struggling Alonso - and also beating pole sitter Vettel - in the closing stages to lock out the podium.