Vettel wins Canada GP, regains F1 leadership

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel dominated the Canadian Grand Prix here to retake the championship lead as Lewis Hamilton could finish only fifth for Mercedes.

Vettel converted pole position into a lead at the first corner and was never headed as he kept Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas at arm's length throughout the race, the BBC reported.

The German achieved his 50th victory in the Formula One World Championship on Sunday and also regained, by a single point, the F1 leadership.

Vettel, already four-time world champion (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013), won from pole position at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal, where he steered to an undeniable victory.

Sunday's victory is his third victory in 2018, after Australia and Bahrain, and his second in Canada, where he also won in 2013, at the helm of a Red Bull.

The driver from the small German town of Heppenheim rider won the race ahead of Finn Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and the two Red Bull Racing drivers, Dutchman Max Verstappen and Australian Daniel Ricciardo.

Lewis Hamilton, a six-time winner in Montreal and aiming to equal the record of seven set by Germany's Michael Schumacher, could only finish fifth, depriving him of the championship lead by just one point. Vettel now has 121 points, Efe news reported.

Sebastian Vettel took advantage of his privileged position on the grid to reach the first corner in the lead, while behind him Bottas stopped Verstappen's frantic attack by taking second place.

The first lap had to be neutralised with the safety car after an accident between the Canadian Lance Stroll (Williams) and the New Zealander Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso), which ended without penalties for either of them.

Nothing changed during the restart. Vettel went on first and little by little he set a pace that his rivals were unable to keep up. He crossed the finish line with a clear advantage.

The World Championship resumes with the Grand Prix of France from June 22 to 24 at the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet.

--IANS

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