Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was the first to cross the finish line on Sunday at the 2019 Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, held at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. However, a 5-second penalty meant his victory would ultimately go to Mercedes-AMG's Lewis Hamilton, meaning the German team's winning streak this season continues unabated.
The stewards deemed that Vettel was given an advantage after he ran off the track at Turn 4 on lap 48 and rejoined in such a way that it subsequently forced Hamilton, who was chasing Vettel at the time, to slam his brakes or risk running into a wall.
The race continued without any holdup and Hamilton was able to hold on to cross the finish line in second place, within five seconds of Vettel, which meant he was granted the win. Ferrari's other man, Charles Leclerc, finished third.
Vettel was naturally furious with the decision and Ferrari has submitted its intention to appeal the decision. The team has 96 hours to gather evidence and decide if it will go ahead with an appeal. The fans were on Vettel's side and cheered him on at the end of the race when he swapped a sign showing his second-placed result with Hamilton's first-placed sign at the award ceremony.
2019 Formula One Canadian Grand Prix
Hamilton later said he was grateful for the victory but didn't feel good about the result.
Ferrari had been strong all weekend, with Vettel in particular proving the performance of the team's car with a pole on Saturday and his ability to lead Sunday's race from start to finish. Leclerc was also strong, having coming close to stealing second position from Hamilton early in the race but ultimately holding back to avoid a collision.
Behind them was Mercedes' other man, Valtteri Bottas, who suffered a bad qualifying and thus started the race at sixth. He was held up by Renault's Daniel Ricciardo but was able to progress, finishing the race in fourth, albeit close to a minute behind the lead pack. In fifth place was Aston Martin Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen, who ran a solid but uneventful race.
Hamilton continues to lead the 2019 Drivers' Championship with 162 points. Bottas is second with 133 points and Vettel is third with 100 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes leads with 295 points, Ferrari is second with 172 points and Red Bull is third with 124 points. The next race on the calendar is the French Grand Prix in a fortnight.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel (left) and Charles Leclerc at the 2019 Formula One Canadian Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2019 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix:
1) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG
2) Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari +3.658 seconds
3) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +4.696 seconds
4) Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-AMG +51.043 seconds
5) Max Verstappen, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing +57.655 seconds
6) Daniel Ricciardo, Renault +1 lap
7) Nico Hulkenberg, Renault +1 lap
8) Pierre Gasly, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing +1 lap
9) Lance Stroll, Racing Point +1 lap
10) Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso +1 lap
11) Carlos Sainz, McLaren +1 lap
12) Sergio Perez, Racing Point +1 lap
13) Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
14) Romain Grosjean, Haas +1 lap
15) Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
16) George Russell, Williams +2 laps
17) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +2 laps
18) Robert Kubica, Williams +3 laps
Ret) Alexander Albon, Toro Rosso
Ret) Lando Norris, McLaren
