F1 | Gp Canada, THE POINT by Minardi “Mercedes untouchable, but the result favoured Vettel”

As we predicted, Montreal confirmed that it was fertile ground for Mercedes which dominated the scene by registering pole position, the race win and Lewis Hamilton’s fastest race lap, as well as the first double for the reason. The British champion put much of his talent into his 65th pole and putting more than six tenths of a second between his car and that of his team mate.

It was a very difficult grand prix to decipher, above all for Ferrari, even though Vettel’s fourth place was surely important in view of the world championship. Despite the debacle, he limited the damage in regards to his direct rival who at Monte Carlo(in a weekend that was just as difficult) who was not able to go further than sixth place. In such a tight championship these results can be vital. It was race that quickly became uphill for the German who was forced to change his rear wing and to play catch up and it seems fighting with a less than perfect underside of the car. As yet unexplained problems slowed Kimi Raikonnen’s race even though at some stages he was not able to maintain a constant race rhythm.

Daniele Ricciardo was very good. As a professional he was once again ready bringing home third place. It was a pity for Verstappen who made a fantastic start. Unfortunately reliability was fatal for him. This result confirms quite well that Red Bull is a team not to be underestimated and which in the second part of the season could be a gauge for the championship.

Force India’s behaviour was inexplicable. Sergio Perez did not heed the team order in favour of his team mate in the moment that he was the faster driver. At driver market time this act will not be favourable for the Mexican who could have aimed for a place in a top team.

Finally there was an unplanned moment also in Formula 1 with Fernando Alonso who showed up amongst the fans in the grandstand. He gave vent to his adrenaline due to his retirement from the race two laps from the chequered flag by greeting the Canadian (American?) public that had sung his praises for the entire weekend. It is not secret that McLaren is looking for a “plan B” on the motor front even though it will not be easy since Honda is also a sponsor.

Gian Carlo Minardi