From the television coverage, it would have seemed as though the Canadian Grand Prix was a two-driver race between Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
In point of fact, neither of the two podiumed.
Ricciardo was sixth on the grid and finished in fourth position. Hamilton is right behind him.
Max Verstappen took third for Red Bull, but he barely got a mention as the commentators seemed intent on Hamilton’s attempts to overtake Ricciardo in the closing stages, but not even a Montreal racecourse with three DRS zones enabled Hamilton to overtake Riccardo.
The winner was Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel.
Valtteri Bottas was second for Mercedes on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Vettel made it an even 50 in terms of GP wins, after which he said, “I said yesterday how much this place means to Ferrari. To have a race like we had today is unbelievable. After a long stretch without a win here, we’re all happy. Everybody will have a blast tonight. There’s still a long way [to go in the championship].”
Vettel almost won the race early, as the lap counters in Canada deployed the checquered flag while Vettel was still out on the course.
With the win and Hamilton’s fifth place finish, Vettel has taken the lead in the driver standings.
History is on the side of Vettel and Ferrari, as every time Ferrari has won the Canadian Grand Prix, they have gone on to win the drivers’ and the constructors’ championship.
Unlike the 2017 season, where Mercedes was so dominant that the season seemed over no sooner than begun, some of the other teams are showing improved vital signs.
Mercedes needed until the end of April to claim its first victory in Azerbaijan. Hamilton won the next race, the Grand Prix of Spain, but those are the only two victories for Mercedes in 2018.
Two races have fallen to Ricciardo and Red Bull and three to Ferrari after the first seven in this year’s series.
Ricciardo posted the fastest lap time in the race, but as is often the case in F1 racing, the number one grid position is difficult to beat.
