Sebastian Vettel wins the 2018 Canadian GP

Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari won the 2018 Canadian GP ahead of Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes), while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen came third.

Vettel started from pole and lead the pack until the chequered flag. While Bottas and Verstappen jostled for position, Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull overtook Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari at turn 2. The safety car was deployed on the very first lap after an incident involving Brendon Hartley (Torro Rosso) and Lance Stroll (Williams). 

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) pitted early after an apparent engine issue. Eventually, Ricciardo went on to undercut Hamilton to grab 4th place. Meanwhile, the reigning world champion had to settle for 5th ahead of Raikkonen. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) finished in 7th place ahead of his team mate Carlos Sainz. Esteban Ocon (Force India) and Charles Leclerc (Alfa Romeo Sauber) completed the top 10. On his 300th grand prix weekend, Fernando Alonso (McLaren) found himself battling with the young Leclerc for 10th place but later retired due to an exhaust problem.

A miscommunication between the local track officials lead to the chequered flag being dropped on lap 69, a lap early. While, the drivers continued racing, the final classification was based on positions on lap 68. There were no place changes on the last lap, except that Ricciardo lost his fastest lap to his team mate. A similar situation had occurred during the 2014 Chinese GP.

Vettel now leads World Driver's Championship by just 1 point ahead of Hamilton and Bottas. The next race will be held in France on June 24, 2018, which makes it return to Formula 1 after a gap of 10 years.

World Drivers' Championship standings:

Sebastian Vettel - 121

Lewis Hamilton - 120

Valtteri Bottas - 72

World Constructors' Championship standings:

Mercedes - 206

Ferrari - 189

Red Bull - 134