Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe
Autosport Plus

It's win or crash for Hamilton in Montreal

Lewis Hamilton's win-or-bust sequence of Canadian Grands Prix continued when he took his Montreal hat-trick on Sunday. Michele Merlino looks in to this and all the other statistical quirks from the seventh round of the 2012 campaign

It's a question of win or be damned in Montreal for Lewis Hamilton, and in 2012 he was very much a winner. As the seventh victor of the year the McLaren ace took the third win of his career win in Canada - a venue at which he has either won (as in 2007 when he scored his maiden triumph, or 2010 and 2012) or crashed out (just as he did in 2008 and 2011).

This was Hamilton's 18th win in Formula 1, which puts him level with Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen at 14th in the all-time rankings.

Another significant aspect of his success on Sunday is that it brought McLaren back on to the podium after a barren spell of three races. It all means that Hamilton is back at the top of the drivers' championship standings after falling to fourth in the earlier races. The championship lead has also changed hands for the third time in as many races and only Sebastian Vettel has been able to hold it for back-to-back races - between Bahrain and Spain.

Race notes

• The Canadian GP marked Hamilton's first win since last year's Abu Dhabi race. In that race he also started alongside Vettel from the second grid spot, but this time he was able to beat Red Bull to the flag in a straight race, while in Abu Dhabi Sebastian retired with a puncture at the first corner. These are two of nine occasions in which Hamilton has beaten Vettel after starting behind the German.

• Hamilton's win also means the Briton continues his record of securing a pole, win, or podium finish in every season he's raced in.

Previous article Webber to Ferrari: Could it really happen?
Next article Behind the Scenes at Montreal

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe