Hamilton wins in Montréal as time penalty costs Vettel victory

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton took a record-equalling seventh Canadian Grand Prix but only after Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was handed a five-second time penalty for re-entering the track unsafely following a mistake with 22 laps remaining.

Leading from the start, Vettel had only relinquished control of the race during his solitary pit stop on lap lap 26 of the 70-lap race. However, on lap 48, under heavy pressure from second-placed Hamilton, Vettel made a mistake. He lost control of the rear of his car on entry to the Turn3/4 chicane and was forced to go off track.

He rejoined just in front of Hamilton, only just keeping his lead. Race officials placed the incident under investigation and soon afterwards Vettel was handed a five-second time penalty.

The German took the chequered flag 1.3 seconds ahead of Hamilton but was immediately demoted second place, with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc third. Hamilton thus took his 68thcareer win and his seventh at the Circuit Gille Villeneuve, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record for Canadian Grand Prix wins.

“I was pushing to the end to try to get past, but obviously I forced him into an error, he went a bit wide, but then I obviously had a run on that corner and we nearly collided,” said Hamilton afterwards. “It was unfortunate but this is motor racing.

“I took the corner normally,” the championship leader added. “When you come back on the track you’re not supposed to go straight back to the racing line, you’re supposed to come on safely.”

When the lights went out for the start, polesitter Vettel made a good start and quickly began to build a lead over Hamilton and Leclerc, with Renault’s fourth-placed Daniel Ricciardo keeping Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly at bay.

Gasly was the first of the top five to make a pit stop, with the Frenchman taking on hard tyres on lap seven. He emerged behind Racing Point’s Lance Stroll, however, and the slower pace of the Canadian driver allowed Renault to eventually pit both its drivers and get them out ahead of the Red Bull.

Gasly’s Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen had started the race from P11 on hard tyres and as the field pitted around him the Dutch driver rose up the order top fifth place.

By lap 20, Vettel held a 2.4s lead over Hamilton, with Leclerc three seconds further back. Bottas was now in fourth place but being pursued by Verstappen.

Vettel made his pit stop at the end of lap 26, taking on hard tyres. Hamilton made his stop two laps later, and after also bolting on hard tyres he emerged four seconds behind the German. At the end of lap 30 Bottas pitted for hard tyres, promoting Verstappen to fourth place.

Leclerc was then next in, and he emerged behind Verstappen. Still on starting hard tyres, the Red Bull driver offered little resistance when Leclerc made a move and by half distance the order again showed Vettel ahead of Hamilton with Leclerc bow third ahead of Verstappen.

Hamilton now began to chase down Vettel and by lap 45 the gap between the front pair was just under a second.

Vettel was now coming under serious pressure from the championship leader and on lap 48 the German driver made a mistake on the entry of Turn 3 and went off track. He managed to keep his lead but in rejoining he squeezed Hamilton towards rthe wall on the exit of Turn 4.

The incident was placed under investigation and race officials handed Vettel a five-second time penalty for “unsafe re-entry”. Hamilton was told the news and was told that to take the win all he needed to do was sit on the Ferrari’s gearbox.

Further back, The Verstappen has finally made his pit stop on lap 48. He took on medium tyres and rejoined in P7. He quickly moved past the Renault’s of Hulkenberg and Ricciardo to claim P5.

Ahead, Vettel took the flag ahead of Hamilton but Hamilton was immediately promoted to the top step of the podium ahead of the Ferrari driver.

Leclerc took third place ahead of Bottas, while Verstappen took fifth place ahead of the Renaults of Ricciardo and Hulkenberg. Gasly took his fifth points finish of the campaign with eighth place and the final points positions were taken by Racing Point’s Lance Stroll and Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat.