The Canadian Grand Prix has to be the most eventful race of this calendar year so far. There were a number of incidents which a single review can’t do justice to. The event is always a spectacle on the tight circuit of Montreal and this year was no different. Although the number of safety car periods were much less compared to previous occasions, the one safety car period was enough to turn the race result on its head. It had more drama than one could have hoped for and ended the challenge of two most significant title contenders.
The qualifying went as usual with not much of a drama this time with Robert Kubica appearing to have sealed a pole position for his team. It wasn’t until the very dying moments that Lewis Hamilton was able to snatch the pole position with a scorching lap. Ferrari could manage only 3rd best with Kimi Raikkonen while his team-mate Felipe Massa managed only a distant 6th. The crumbling surface at Montreal disappointed many drivers who were even complaining after the session ended and didn’t know what to expect during the race.
The troublesome part of the circuit was repaired overnight and everything else looked just fine. Lewis had a great start as did Kubica and Kimi, all maintaining their starting positions. There were no significant changes until the car of Adrian Sutil crashed which forced a safety car period. All front runners came into the pit at the same time under safety car. It appeared that Kimi and Kubica had snatched the lead from Hamilton and then suddenly disaster strikes. Both Kimi and Kubica had to stop at the pit-lane exit due to a red light as the safety car train was passing.
Probably under the influence of a momentary brain fade, Lewis hit the back of Kimi’s Ferrari. Call it lack of concentration or just inexperience from Lewis, this costly error meant both drivers had to finish the race then and there without scoring a single point. Kimi’s calm after the incident was worth noting however, he did gently point out the red light to Hamilton at the end of the pit lane. Kimi was quite disappointed after the incident and understandably so. With two top contenders out of the race, it was up for grabs.
Robert made sure he’s the one to take it and make it memorable both for him and his team, BMW. He had crashed heavily last year at the same venue but it was all forgotten. His team-mate, Nick Heidfeld, played the team man and cooperated to the full. Robert delivered some amazing laps and was able to come out ahead of his team-mate after the last set of pit-stops. Alonso was on for a great result but instead, ended the race with a spin. Robert and Nick made it the first ever BMW 1-2 in the race. David Coulthard was 3rd for Red Bull while Timo Glock was 4th for Toyota.
Massa took the 5th place after a troubled pit-stop. He drove a brilliant race overtaking many cars in the process. Trulli, Barrichello and Vettel finished 6th, 7th and 8th respectively. Heikki Kovalainen of McLaren finished 9th. As a result, McLaren failed to score any point from the race. The next race will take place at Magny Cours, France this coming weekend. The complete results from the last race are as follows -
1 – Robert Kubica – BMW Sauber – 70 – 1:36:24.447
2 – Nick Heidfeld – BMW Sauber – 70 – +16.4 secs
3 – David Coulthard – Red Bull-Renault – 70 – +23.3 secs
4 – Timo Glock – Toyota – 70 – +42.6 secs
5 – Felipe Massa – Ferrari – 70 – +43.9 secs
6 – Jarno Trulli – Toyota – 70 – +47.7 secs
7 – Rubens Barrichello – Honda – 70 – +53.5 secs
8 – Sebastian Vettel – STR-Ferrari – 70 – +54.1 secs
9 – Heikki Kovalainen – McLaren-Mercedes – 70 – +54.4 secs
10 – Nico Rosberg – Williams-Toyota – 70 – +57.7 secs
11 – Jenson Button – Honda – 70 – +67.5 secs
12 – Mark Webber – Red Bull-Renault – 70 – +71.2 secs
13 – Sebastien Bourdais – STR-Ferrari – 69 – +1 Lap
Ret – Giancarlo Fisichella – Force India-Ferrari – 51 – Accident
Ret – Kazuki Nakajima – Williams-Toyota – 46 – Accident
Ret – Fernando Alonso – Renault – 44 – Accident
Ret – Nelsinho Piquet – Renault – 39 – Brakes
Ret – Kimi Räikkönen – Ferrari – 19 – Accident
Ret – Lewis Hamilton – McLaren-Mercedes – 19 – Accident
Ret – Adrian Sutil – Force India-Ferrari – 13 – Gearbox
