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MONTREAL. — It was groundhog day in Montreal. The little animal of that name scampered across the tarmac, narrowly avoiding death at 200mph… and Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix for a fourth time.
He led from lights out to chequered flag, claiming an error-free victory on the high-speed track on Ile Notre Dame.
Hamilton’s previous victories here in 2007, 2010 and 2012 were all for McLaren, the team who nurtured him. His sense in moving to Mercedes was rarely better illustrated than here. While he was blazing ahead at the front, McLaren’s were trundling at the back.
Tempers at McLaren, a model of patience for so long this dreadful season, are beginning to wear thin. No wonder: Hamilton lapped his former team-mate Jenson Button on the 22nd of the 70 lap race, and Fernando Alonso was pushed into the garage, his race over, after 46 laps, where Button joined him before the scheduled end.
But before we return to the problems at McLaren, we should salute Hamilton’s strength of character in rebounding so successfully from the emotional trauma he suffered at Monaco a fortnight ago, when a superfluous late pit stop lost him a race he had dominated.
But Hamilton has a resilience that allows him to get over hitches and bang in a great performance next time. His basic belief in his own driving is strong, and possibly never more so than this year, when he is close to the form of his life.
Starting from pole, Hamilton was in command from the dart into the first corner, a right-hander 280 yards from his grid place. He immediately shut out his team-mate Rosberg. The two danced closely through those early bends but avoided calamity.
Rosberg ran wide just before his pit stop, as he was pushing like mad while Hamilton was having his change of tyres, and never looked as if he could pass the world champion despite getting close to him around the 52nd lap.
There were a few cautionary words to each Mercedes driver from the pit wall. Rosberg was primarily told to nurse his brakes; Hamilton was repeatedly warned to conserve fuel. But there was no repeat of Mercedes’s cooling problems that caused Hamilton to retire last year.
Asked if the victory made up for Monaco, Hamilton said: “Not sure. I love this track and love this city. This was really a fantastic weekend. Nico was quick but I had some more speed in my pocket if needed.” — DailyMail.
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