Canadian GP: Sebastian Vettel says win shows tyre gripes justified

The German driver cruised to his third victory of the season in Montreal, winning by over 14 seconds from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

His victory extended Vettel's lead in the championship to 36 points over the Spaniard.

Red Bull and Vettel had been one of the most vocal in calling for Pirelli to introduce its modified tyres on safety grounds.

The world champion believes his commanding performance in Canada with the original tyres proved those who reckoned Red Bull wanted changes because it was struggling with tyre performance wrong.

"It is pretty simple. The criticism I expressed was not based on performance, it was based on safety," said Vettel. "And sure if you ask other drivers maybe they were not that strong in the press and maybe they think they have an advantage.

"We had some occasions where a tyre delaminate and rubber came off for some reasons, maybe debris, but there are always pieces on a track.

"It's not possible to have a clean track this season, and that has been the criteria.

"Every time I complain about the balance and behaviour, every time with people I said on that day there were others doing a better job. It is in fashion to take what you like instead of publishing all we say."

Despite his commanding win and healthy championship lead, the Red Bull driver admitted he is still not thinking of the title, as he is aware that things can change quickly.

"The championship is still long and I was in a different position last year at this time and was able to catch up at the end," said Vettel.

"There are so many things that can happen. At this stage of the championship I am happy to focus on race wins."