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F1: Hamilton Trumps Vettel in Canada in a Battle of Tyre Strategies

Hamilton claimed victory at the Canadian Grand Prix. But his road to a win wasn't the easiest as he lost out to Vettel at the start and it looked we would see the Ferrari driver up on the podium.
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By Ameya Naik

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1 mins read

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Published on June 13, 2016

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Highlights

    The Canadian Grand Prix saw Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton take pole position after having fended off attacks from both team mate Nico Rosberg and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and all the British driver had to do was continue with the same momentum on race day. Hamilton did exactly that as he claimed victory at the Canadian Grand Prix. But his road to a win wasn't the easiest as he lost out to Vettel at the start and it looked we would see the Ferrari driver up on the podium. However, it all came down to tyre strategies and Hamilton pitted just once while Vettel had to stop twice and Hamilton managed to regain the lead and take top prize in Canada while Vettel managed a close second.

    The one-stop strategy worked wonders even for Team Williams as it pitted in late to give its driver Valtteri Bottas the chance to push later and secure third place. This was Williams' first rostrum finish of the season. Where was Rosberg in all of this, you ask? Well, he could only manage to come in fifth. Now, there was contact between team mates - Rosberg and Hamilton - in the very first lap as both drivers touched wheels under braking at Turn 1. Rosberg then took the vast run-off area and eventually re-joined the race in ninth position. Hamilton managed to stay on track and right behind Vettel in second place.

    Hamilton tried his best to get ahead of Vettel and despite getting within DRS range along two straights, he couldn't get past the quadruple world champion. Vettel had to soon change from Ultra soft tyres to Super softs and this saw him give away the lead to Hamilton. Vettel moved up the order soon and took the lead from Hamilton, but by the time he made his second pit stop, the gap between Vettel and Hamilton was down to 10 seconds and add seven seconds more of the pit stop, Vettel had to relinquish his lead to Hamilton. But with fresh rubber, Vettel could now put his foot down, which he did!

    However, he couldn't manage to reel in Hamilton and whatever hope any of us had of seeing our 'finger friend' back on the podium ended when he locked up at the final chicane. Hamilton crossed the chequered flag at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve giving him his fifth win in Canada and second of the season.

    Max Verstappen came in fourth and bravely defended his position from Rosberg, giving him no chance to get ahead. Kimi Raikkonen was sixth ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, who made an early second stop after picking up a flat spot.

    Force India saw another double points finish with Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez finishing in 8th and 10th position respectively. Fernando Alonso crossed the line in 11th place, ahead of Daniil Kvyat, Esteban Gutiérrez and Romain Grosjean. His team mate, Jenson Button, however, retired after an engine blow out.

    When it comes to championship points table, Rosberg leads the pack but Hamilton is just 9 points shy of reclaiming the first spot. As far as Vettel is concerned, he's still in the running with 78 points. The action now moves to Azerbaijan, which witnesses its first Grand Prix. So, who will win? We'll have all the updates right here!

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