F1 2018 Canadian GP: Vettel cruises to victory and reclaims the World Championship lead

The 2018 Canadian GP in F1 ended in victory for Sebastian Vettel, who started from pole position. It is the third win so far this season, and the 50th of the German driver’s career, driving for Ferrari, a team that, despite being the most successful at the Canadian Grand Prix, had not celebrated a win at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit since Michael Schumacher’s in 2004.

Vettel’s victory was comfortable. From the start, where the most talked-about incident was between local driver Lance Stroll and Brendan Hartley, the German floored the accelerator and put distance between himself and the rest, and even ran without taking risks for almost three-quarters of the race. The podium finished in the same order it started, with Bottas second and Verstappen third, although the Dutchman came close to passing the Finn, who held on because he was running short on fuel.

The only change came in fourth place, which was taken not by Lewis Hamilton but by Daniel Ricciardo, who undercut him during one of the pit stops. This overtake, a well-executed move by the Red Bull team, was a huge favour to his former protégé Vettel, as thanks to it the German regains the lead of the World Championship, though by just a single point: Seb Vettel has 121, Lewis Hamilton has 120.

Fernando Alonso could not celebrate his 300th Grand Prix with any joy. Montreal remains unlucky territory for the Spaniard, who had to retire due to a mechanical problem with his McLaren. Without that misfortune, Alonso would most likely have scored points, which Carlos Sainz did manage to do by finishing eighth, in a race where he spent the whole time behind his teammate Hülkenberg.

After two races without a win, Vettel returns to the top of the World Championship, and does so on Hamilton’s home turf, a sign that few predictions can be made this year and that the championship promises to be very exciting. So, don’t miss the next date on the calendar, the French GP, at the Paul Ricard Circuit, on 22, 23 and 24 June.