Pages

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Live: The Canadian Grand Prix 2012


By Geoff Creighton, Emlyn Hughes and Simon Strang

17:45 Hello everyone and welcome to AUTOSPORT Live for coverage and rolling updates from round seven in this year's FIA Formula 1 world championship - the Canadian Grand Prix from the Ile Notre Dame in Montreal.

Sebastian Vettel returned to the front and claimed the 32nd pole position of his career yesterday. He is set for the shortest drag race of the season to Turn 1 against a determined Lewis Hamilton this afternoon, while Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber will get amongst the action from the second row.

Nico Rosberg starts fifth in the Mercedes and Felipe Massa will hope to continue his recent turnaround in form from sixth on the grid. Romain Grosjean and Paul di Resta occupy row four, and then we find two drivers who didn't get a second run against the clock in the final segment of qualifying - Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button.

Morning news comes from Williams, where the team changed Pastor Maldonado's gearbox yet again. He drops five places on the grid and will start from the outside of row 11.
17:47 It's tight at the top of the drivers' standings after six fascinating rounds of the season so far: 
World Championship standings, round 6:                

Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  Alonso        76        1.  Red Bull-Renault          146
 2.  Vettel        73        2.  McLaren-Mercedes          108
 3.  Webber        73        3.  Ferrari                    86
 4.  Hamilton      63        4.  Lotus-Renault              86
 5.  Rosberg       59        5.  Mercedes                   61
 6.  Raikkonen     51        6.  Williams-Renault           44
17:47 The safety car stands ready at the front of the grid, with a high chance of seeing the big Mercedes in action this afternoon.
17:49 Weather conditions are fine and dry around Quebec with plenty of sunshine. It will remain picture-perfect for the race, with air temperature rising to 26 degrees, while track surface temperature will climb through the mid-forties Celsius range.

A light south-easterly breeze is blowing this afternoon and will help to keep the spectators cool in the sun.
17:50 With the track temperature well beyond 40 Celsius, teams are very wary that tyre degradation could prove much higher than expected today.
17:51 Here's how the grid will line up today: 
Pos  Driver                Team 
 1.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault
 2.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes
 3.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari
 4.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault
 5.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes
 6.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari
 7.  Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault
 8.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes
 9.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes
10.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes
11.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari
12.  Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault
13.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes
14.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari
15.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari
16.  Bruno Senna           Williams-Renault
17.  Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault
18.  Vitaly Petrov         Caterham-Renault
19.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari
20.  Pedro de la Rosa      HRT-Cosworth
21.  Timo Glock            Marussia-Cosworth
22.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault *
23.  Charles Pic           Marussia-Cosworth
24.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth

* Five-place penalty for a gearbox change
17:53 Pirelli's soft and supersoft rubber is on hand this weekend and signs so far point to a more conventional race than some of the tyre-shreading spectacles so far this season.

Two stops looks a likely strategy for the front runners, with teams looking to evaluate where their drivers will feed back into the pack after the first pit visit, which should come after around 15 laps of full-tank running on the supersofts.

Tyre degradation was so low in cool temperatures on Friday that a one stop plan looked possible, however that could be trickier in the sunshine this afternoon.
17:53 Button starts from 10th on the grid with the harder tyre compound on his car after using softs in qualifying. He could attempt a one stop.
17:54 Just one DRS zone here, but it's a long one - all the way down the back straight - and could prove effective for overtaking today.
17:55 The formation lap for the Canadian Grand Prix is just five minutes away.
17:56 The safety car rumbles away to take up position as final preparations take place on the grid.
17:57 Nico Rosberg is advised on the team radio that he can shift the brake balance forward a little on the first lap if he needs to.
17:59 The engines fire with a minute to the formation lap.
18:00 The formation lap begins in Montreal. Vettel answers the call and leads the field of 24 away from the grid.
18:00 Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Perez, de la Rosa and Maldonado look to be matching Button's choice of soft rubber.
18:01 Round Turn 5 and Vettel is already putting heat into his supersoft tyres. He heads down to the second chicane at Turn 8.
18:01 The crowd rises to cheer as the drivers head into the Casino hairpin. Vettel starts to take them down the penultimate straight.
18:01 Audi's Le Mans stars are taking bets according to @AllanMcNish: "Dindo says Vettel to win, Bononomi says Hamilton, so I say Alonso......just for fun."
18:02 Vettel turns for home and leads the field towards the starting grid.
18:02 The front few rows are nicely in position and the pack is forming up behind them. Are you ready? We await the lights...
Lap 1: The five red lights go out and we are racing in Canada!
Lap 1: Vettel drops the hammer and is away quicker than Hamilton. Great start for the German with Hamilton second and Alonso third through Turn 2.
Lap 1: Vettel leads from Hamilton, Alonso, Webber and Rosberg as they head down to the hairpin for the first time.
Lap 2: Big movers: Kovalainen is up to 16th and Maldonado is 19th.
Lap 2: Not the best start from Alonso but he's muscled back into third, while Webber is back past Rosberg, who is under pressure from Massa.
Lap 2: Massa tries an outside move on Rosberg onto the pit straight but it's a hard one to make stick and the Ferrari slots in behind the Mercedes.
Lap 2: It's a clean first lap to the credit of the drivers. Behind the frontrunners di Resta is seventh with Grosjean eighth and Schumacher ninth.
Lap 3: Button has made no progress on his soft tyres and is 10th, with Raikkonen 11th, Kobayashi 12th, Perez 13th and Hulkenberg 14th.
Lap 3: Massa gets the charge down the back straight and piles past Rosberg into the final corner. Massa now fifth, Rosberg sixth.
Lap 3: Kovalainen is up to 15th place past Senna, then we have Ricciardo 17th, Vergne 18th and Maldonado pressing hard in 19th.
Lap 3: @InsideFerrari delighted with that: "Great move by Felipe!"
Lap 3: Meanwhile, Vettel leads by 1.4 seconds from Hamilton as the DRS becomes available with the McLaren too far behind to get the wing activation
Lap 3: Petrov did not have a good first lap and he is 20th, followed by de la Rosa, Glock, Pic and Karthikeyan.
Lap 4: Di Resta replays the DRS move on Rosberg to take sixth, breezing past the similarly Mercedes-powered German into the final chicane.
Lap 4: Grosjean is just behind that track position swap in eighth, while Schumacher and Button remain in ninth and 10th positions.
Lap 5: Vettel sets a new best of 1m19.737s, pulling 1.9 seconds clear of Hamilton, who has Alonso right on his gearbox.
Lap 5: Immediately we start to look for a gap forming. Kovalainen is the one, falling away from 14th placed Hulkenberg and now holding up a train of cars.
Lap 6: Kovalainen is 15th and has Senna, Ricciardo, Vergne, Maldonado and Petrov on his tail.
Lap 6: An off for Massa at Turn 1 and he's tumbled down the order.
Lap 6: Maldonado is up a place to 18th, having just passed Senna.
Lap 6: Replays show Massa lost the rear end of the Ferrari and looped it around into the path of the field. He's now down behind Kobayashi.
Lap 7: Raikkonen in 11th is all over the back of Button's McLaren and looking to find a way past.
Lap 7: Lewis Hamilton was one-thousandth faster than race leader Vettel on the last lap meanwhile!
Lap 7: Hamilton is now matching Vettel on pace, pegging the gap at 1.8 seconds and easing slightly away from Alonso.
Lap 7: Massa rejoined from that spin in 12th place, just behind Kobayashi and the Button versus Raikkonen battle.
Lap 8: Massa reports that he can feel a vibration with the tyres. His engineer Rob Smedley advises him to stay out for now until they see how the pace compares with those around him.
Lap 8: Leading strategists will be happy to see the field spreading out already, with a quick pitstop here only costing around 15 seconds.
Lap 8: @InsideFerrari reporting Massa woes: "He has some vibrations on the tyres"
Lap 9: Button in ninth and on those soft tyres is already 15.5 seconds behind the leader, so that strategy doesn't seem to be working well so far.
Lap 9: Schumacher is promoted to eighth after that spin for Massa, with Button ninth, Raikkonen 10th, Kobayashi 11th and Massa 12th.
Lap 10: Rosberg is told to save both fuel and tyres by his team, with Grosjean behind getting closer on the latest lap.
Lap 10: Kovalainen has been double-shuffled by the Toro Rosso duo. Vergne is through past the Caterham into 15th and Ricciardo follows into 16th.
Lap 11: Maldonado in 18th is next on the heels of Kovalainen's Caterham.
Lap 11: Di Resta leads a sizable train from fifth down to 14th, which the leaders will want to pull a stop distance clear of before heading in.
Lap 11: The field is tightly packed between di Resta in fifth, all the way down to Hulkenberg in 14th, then a gap to Vergne and Ricciardo.
Lap 11: Hamilton is keeping Vettel in sight up front, with his McLaren just 1.5 seconds behind the lead Red Bull.
Lap 12: Maldonado is through, past Kovalainen and into 17th. The Finn now has Senna to contend with.
Lap 12: Alonso is also just 1.4 seconds behind Hamilton, with three seconds covering the lead trio.
Lap 12: @Lotus_F1Team seems to be waiting for the action to start: "Close packed train means it's something of a strategy waiting game right now"
Lap 12: Di Resta reports that he is struggling with the rear tyres as he falls almost the critical 15 seconds behind leader Vettel.
Lap 12: Massa pits the Ferrari from 12th position.
Lap 13: The Brazilian stops at his marks, takes on a new set of soft tyres and is away.
Lap 13: Massa rejoins from that stop in 20th position and has a lot of work to do this afternoon.
Lap 13: Di Resta locks up into Turn 8 with Rosberg and Grosjean right on his gearbox, but his traction out of the hairpin is keeping the train back.
Lap 13: Di Resta gives up the fight and pits the Force India.
Lap 14: Schumacher also pits the Mercedes this time by.
Lap 14: Schumacher rejoins from his stop between the Kovalainen versus Senna scrap.
Lap 14: Rosberg is now up to fifth but clocked 16 seconds behind leader Vettel - pretty much what the Red Bull man needs to make a pitstop.
Lap 15: Raikkonen has another go at Button... and this time he makes it through at the final chicane. The Finn is up to seventh.
Lap 15: Meanwhile Hamilton is piling on the pressure, topping the first sector to end the lap just 1.2 seconds behind Vettel.
Lap 15: Raikkonen is off like a rabbit and pulling well away from the McLaren already. Button now has to fend off Kobayashi.
Lap 16: The lead gap is just 0.7 seconds as Hamilton clearly enjoys better grip at this stage on the ageing supersofts.
Lap 16: Button pits the McLaren. He takes on supersoft tyres and rejoins further down the field.
Lap 16: Grosjean sets the fastest lap of the race, but then usurped by Rosberg who goes 1m19.536s.
Lap 16: Rosberg is the next man to set the fastest lap as he speeds up after being released by di Resta. He's now closed to 14.3 seconds behind.
Lap 16: Vettel pits his Red Bull from the lead.
Lap 16: Hamilton will have to push on his current lap but Vettel will be able to charge on fresh rubber.
Lap 17: That hasn't worked out perfectly for Vettel as he emerges behind Rosberg and Grosjean.
Lap 17: Vergne also pits the Toro Rosso. He was just ahead of team-mate Ricciardo before the round of stops.
Lap 17: Kobayashi just went even faster now with a 1m19.345s in the eighth-placed Sauber.
Lap 17: Track position will be vital this afternoon.
Lap 17: "Give it everything we've got" say McLaren as Hamilton completes his lap to the pits.
Lap 17: Alonso takes the lead as Hamilton pits for soft rubber.
Lap 17: Di Resta rejoined in 13th place after his stop, with Massa 14th and Schumacher 15th.
Lap 17: Alonso meanwhile has set his own personal fastest lap now that he is in the lead.
Lap 18: Not a perfect launch from Hamilton out of the pits but... he's done it! Hamilton clears Vettel on track position.
Lap 18: Webber, Ricciardo and Kovalainen all come into the pits.
Lap 18: Felipe Massa now going quickest of all on the soft tyres - 1m19.191s
Lap 18: But this could play into Alonso's hands as Hamilton and Vettel race around behind Grosjean and Rosberg.
Lap 18: Alonso continues into another lap as Vettel tries to get his position back from Hamilton.
Lap 18: Alonso improves on his personal best again as he stays out.
Lap 19: In the pitstop phase, Raikkonen is up to sixth with Kobayashi seventh, Perez eighth and Hulkenberg in ninth.
Lap 19: Alonso is clocked 15.2 seconds clear of Hamilton on the road - which could be just enough to dive in for a stop and retain the lead.
Lap 19: Alonso's pace remains excellent on supersofts... but he's in the pits.
Lap 19: Webber who has stopped is 10th, with Maldonado 11th, di Resta 12th, Massa 13th and Schumacher 14th.
Lap 19: Vital stop for Ferrari now as Alonso gets a rapid change to soft rubber.
Lap 19: Alonso powers out of the pits... and is just ahead of Hamilton on the road!
Lap 20: Grosjean sets his own personal best as he stays out and moves into the lead.
Lap 20: Sensational stuff from the top three as Hamilton now looks for a way past the Ferrari.
Lap 20: Meanwhile, Grosjean is leading for Lotus but is yet to make his first stop.
Lap 20: Rosberg pitted while the battle for the lead was happening at Turn 2. The German rejoined in 10th.
Lap 20: Hamilton presses the DRS button and that's all it takes to zoom past Alonso into the final chicane.
Lap 21: Grosjean's lead is just 2.3 seconds from the raging battle between Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel.
Lap 21: Raikkonen is yet to pit in fifth, with Kobayashi sixth, Perez seventh, Hulkenberg eighth, Webber ninth and Rosberg 10th.
Lap 21: Grosjean makes his first stop, putting Hamilton in the lead of the race.
Lap 22: Rosberg has just lowered the mark even further - 1m18.945s, now in eighth position.
Lap 22: Hulkenberg pits the Force India from eighth position, rejoining in 15th place.
Lap 22: Hamilton has set a new fastest lap himself in the clear air - 1m18.940s
Lap 22: Hamilton clocks a new fastest lap of 1m18.940s as he pulls 1.4 seconds clear of Alonso. Vettel is just 0.4 seconds behind the Ferrari.
Lap 23: Hamilton is encouraged on by his McLaren team as he continues to set a strong pace on the soft compound.
Lap 23: Webber is up to seventh as some of those ahead of him pit, with Rosberg eighth, Grosjean down to ninth after that stop and Maldonado 10th.
Lap 23: Alonso is now 2.1 seconds behind the leader as the Spaniard comes under increasing pressure from Vettel.
Lap 24: Texas IndyCar winner @Justin_Wilson reckons Vettel may face a challenge to win this: "Watching Vettel slide around And seeing how the rear tyres went off in first stint, I think he could be in trouble."
Lap 24: Karthikeyan has spun at Turn 1. He then slowly made it up to Turn 4 before parking in a difficult position.
Lap 24: Senna pits the Williams and rejoins down the list in 21st position.
Lap 24: Hamilton is pressing home his pace advantage, pulling 2.4 seconds clear of the scrap between Alonso and Vettel.
Lap 25: Kobayashi makes his first stop and may be eying going the distance after a switch to the soft compound.
Lap 25: The Japanese driver rejoins in 11th place.
Lap 25: Raikkonen in fourth and Perez in fifth are still to make a stop.
Lap 25: Glock has also been in for a stop. He rejoins in what is now 23rd and last position.
Lap 26: De la Rosa makes his first stop from 18th place in the HRT.
Lap 26: Raikkonen and Perez both started on the durable soft compound and will be looking to go a bit longer to make a one stop strategy possible.
Lap 26: This is a long stop for de la Rosa and it could be game over for the Spaniard.
Lap 26: Hamilton bangs in a 1m18.698s fastest lap, pulling 3.1 seconds clear of Alonso and Vettel.
Lap 27: De la Rosa has been wheeled into the garage with plumes of brake dust coming from the front wheels.
Lap 28: Rosberg is seventh in the Mercedes, but now 5.3s back from Webber. Grosjean is on the German's tail in eighth, with Massa ninth.
Lap 28: Alonso responds with his personal best but Hamilton is still faster with a new best of 1m18.643s.
Lap 28: Maldonado is 10th for Williams but is yet to stop, ahead of di Resta 11th, Kobayashi 12th, Schumacher 13th, Hulkenberg 14th and Button 15th.
Lap 29: Perez, fifth, has excellent speed on his ageing soft compound tyres, completing the last lap in 1m18.593s - a similar pace to Alonso.
Lap 29: Button was tucked up behind Hulkenberg's Force India in a battle for 14th, but the Briton lost 1.8s on the last lap.
Lap 29: Hamilton continues to edge clear, now 3.4 seconds in the lead, but is told to "run to target in this stint" by the team.
Lap 30: Maldonado finally makes his stop from 10th position.
Lap 30: The Venezuelan takes on a set of supersoft tyres and rejoins the fray in 17th.
Lap 30: Webber takes fastest lap honours now as he finds a 1m18.345s lap in his Red Bull. He is right behind Perez now in sixth.
Lap 31: Raikkonen and Perez surely on course for a one-stop plan now, with the car much kinder on the supersoft with half of the fuel burned up.
Lap 32: Rosberg is seventh and now 5.8s back from Webber, with Grosjean eighth, Massa ninth and di Resta in 10th.
Lap 32: Alonso is beginning to match Hamilton after the leader's radio call to run to the agreed plan. McLaren tell him they are sticking to Plan A.
Lap 33: Kobayashi in 11th is on the Scot's tail, with Schumacher right behind them in 12th and Hulkenberg a further 3.1s back in 13th.
Lap 33: Perez is told "10 more laps" until his stop, which will make it an epic first stint on his starting set of soft compound tyres.
Lap 34: Hamilton makes the fastest lap his target, pulling 3.7 seconds clear of Alonso with a new best of 1m8.083s.
Lap 34: Button is losing pace and is now turning laps in the 1m20s bracket. He has slipped to 4.4s behind Hulkenberg.
Lap 34: McLaren reacts by bringing Button in. He takes on another set of supersoft tyres and rejoins in 17th.
Lap 34: Perez has a frustrated Webber all over his gearbox, with the Red Bull man heavily delayed by the one-stop duo.
Lap 35: So Button is seven places away from the points, and still has 35 laps to go, having just taken on option tyres. He is 10s behind Maldonado.
Lap 35: Rosberg is turning up the wick in his Mercedes at the moment, perhaps having met the team's fuel-saving target. 1m17.972s is a new fastest.
Lap 36: Massa remains in ninth and di Resta is 11.2s back from the Ferrari in 10th. Kobayashi is still on di Resta's tail, with Schumacher 12th.
Lap 36: Hamilton leads by four seconds from Alonso and Vettel as the race moves into its second half.
Lap 37: Raikkonen is now 12.5 seconds behind the leader and yet to make a first stop, with Perez and Webber on the tail of the Lotus.
Lap 38: Positions are relatively static behind the top six. The only battle further down the field is between di Resta and Kobayashi for 10th.
Lap 38: Lotus and Sauber will be plotting where their one-stop men will be slotting in after a stop, which looks to be behind Massa.
Lap 39: Rosberg takes the opportunity to make a final stop to see what the Mercedes can do in clear air.
Lap 39: Rosberg rejoins in ninth position, slotting into that large gap between Massa and di Resta.
Lap 40: Grosjean has been released by Rosberg's stop and is now on Webber's gearbox after a grassy moment for the Australian at Turn 8.
Lap 40: That's good news for Rosberg, whose early stop was designed to help the Mercedes leap past Webber.
Lap 40: Di Resta posts his best lap of the race so far with 1m18.443s, but Kobayashi is still there in 11th and Schumacher is right with them now.
Lap 40: Hamilton sets the fastest lap at 1m17.773s.
Lap 40: Raikkonen finally makes his first and surely only stop of the day.
Lap 41: Raikkonen resumes and he's clear of Rosberg, which is good news for the Finn providing he can take supersofts to the finish.
Lap 41: Rosberg set the fastest lap on that tour but it wasn't enough to keep Raikkonen at bay.
Lap 41: Schumacher surged past Kobayashi at the Casino hairpin, but the Sauber driver was able to get track position back at the final chicane.
Lap 41: Perez now makes his single stop of the day as Rosberg and Raikkonen scrap...
Lap 42: So Kobayashi remains in 11th with Schumacher 12th, but they have lost two seconds on di Resta.
Lap 42: Perez resumes and is initially ahead of Rosberg but the Mercedes has warmer tyres and gets through at Turn 3.
Lap 42: Further down the field, Button remains in 17th spot and is unable to make any headway whatsoever. This could be another no score.
Lap 43: So the order is now Hamilton from Alonso, Vettel, Webber, Grosjean and Massa.
Lap 43: Hulkenberg pits from 13th spot and Kovalainen is in from 18th in the Caterham.
Lap 43: Rosberg now runs seventh, chased by the one-stoppers of Raikkonen and Perez.
Lap 44: Schumacher comes in for his second stop from 12th. He will hope to gain track position over Kobayashi and di Resta here.
Lap 44: Hamilton has been worrying about the strategy of those behind, but he is at least a pitstop clear of the delayed Webber in fourth.
Lap 44: Vergne also pits the Toro Rosso for the second time this afternoon. Petrov follows him in a short while later.
Lap 44: Perez is going very quickly and has just set his own personal best (1m17.991) as he runs eighth on those supersofts...
Lap 44: The top three could theoretically run these tyres to the flag, but McLaren's plan is clearly to make another stop.
Lap 45: Schumacher's DRS appears to be stuck open. He loses control of the car briefly at Turn 8 and skates across the grass, before rejoining.
Lap 45: Schumacher is back into the pits at the end of the lap.
Lap 45: Four Mercedes mechanics are trying to close the wing, but this is taking a while and Schumacher turns the engine off.
Lap 46: Unable to immediately fix the car, the mechanics then wheel Schumacher backwards into the garage.
Lap 46: Jean-Eric Vergne is under investigation for speeding in the pitlane.
Lap 46: Vergne has been handed a drive-through penalty for that speeding infringement.
Lap 46: Meanwhile, Hamilton is clocked 3.2 seconds clear of Alonso as the McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull teams ponder if and when to make a stop.
Lap 46: Rosberg meanwhile is flying on a 1m17.748, is 31.2s behind the leaders, and in theory could have completed all his stops.
Lap 47: Hamilton helps McLaren make that decision, telling the team that his rear tyres are going off.
Lap 47: Behind the leaders, Rosberg is just 10 seconds behind Massa in seventh, with Perez eighth, Raikkonen ninth and Kobayashi 10th.
Lap 48: Ricciardo is 11 seconds back from Kobayashi in 11th place, with di Resta 12th, Maldonado 13th, Hulkenberg 14th and Button 15th.
Lap 48: Vergne is 16th and comes in to serve his drive-through penalty.
Lap 48: Webber is clocked 17.3 seconds behind the leader and is in a virtual battle with Rosberg, seventh, who has completed all his stops.
Lap 49: Vergne keeps 16th position after that penalty, with Senna 17th, Kovalainen 18th, Petrov 19th, Pic 20th and Glock in 21st.
Lap 50: Alonso has upped his pace in recent laps, edging to 2.6 seconds behind Hamilton - who is told to "give it everything you can"
Lap 50: Hamilton comes in, committing to a two-stop plan.
Lap 50: The right rear is slow to change on Hamilton's car and he resumes on soft compound tyres.
Lap 51: Decision time for Ferrari now - can Alonso attempt to go the distance or should he push to try and leap Hamilton?
Lap 51: Replays of yet another McLaren fumble, with the right rear man slow to bolt on the new wheel.
Lap 51: Hamilton is now clear of traffic and is pushing now with his fresh rubber.
Lap 52: Rosberg in seventh is now just 5.3s behind Massa and continuing to charge, with Perez eighth, Raikkonen ninth and Kobayashi 10th.
Lap 52: 1m17.244s is the new fastest lap as Hamilton gives it his all.
Lap 52: Webber dives in for his final stop. Can he stay ahead of Rosberg?
Lap 53: Webber slots in behind Rosberg, but beats one-stop man Raikkonen out of the pits.
Lap 53: Purple all over the timing screen from Hamilton as he closes to 13.1 seconds behind Alonso.
Lap 53: Button has visited the pits for his third stop. He slips to 16th position after taking on soft tyres.
Lap 54: Hamilton is congratulated by the team on his second gain over Alonso, with Ferrari still to react.
Lap 54: Hamilton told a one stop from Alonso and Vettel is "not impossible" but Hamilton is closing rapidly even if they don't pit again.
Lap 55: If Alonso and Vettel don't pit, Hamilton will be with them five laps before the end...
Lap 55: Alonso and Vettel seem to be committed now though. No way they can win if they pit.
Lap 56: Another second per lap gain from Hamilton over the lead pair, who will surely be furious if he doesn't win this one.
Lap 56: @InsideFerrari seems a touch nervous, he keeps tweeting: "HAM very quick..." Wonder why?
Lap 57: Rosberg tried to have a go at fifth placed Massa in the final chicane, but cut the corner. The German then gave track position back to the Ferrari driver, but in doing so also lost out to Perez, who was right with them.
Lap 57: Grosjean is now just 14.6 seconds off leader Alonso, surely boxing the Ferrari man into avoiding a second stop.
Lap 57: @OfficialSF1Team is delighted by Perez's driving: "Very brave, very brave @SChecoPerez! Well done!"
Lap 57: Hamilton marches on, now 8.9 seconds off Alonso and still closing at a second per tour.
Lap 57: So behind the leaders it is now Perez in fifth, who took full advantage of the squabble into Turn 1, then Massa in sixth and Rosberg seventh
Lap 57: Webber is right with them now in eighth spot.
Lap 58: Massa pits from sixth place. Ricciardo also comes in.
Lap 59: Nervous times on the Ferrari pitwall as the team hope Alonso can maintain his pace to the flag on massively worn Pirellis.
Lap 59: Rosberg is promoted to sixth after that stop from Massa, with Webber seventh and Raikkonen on his tail in eighth, then Kobayashi ninth.
Lap 59: The lead gap is now just 6.1 seconds and Hamilton now has Vettel in his sights.
Lap 59: Massa rejoined in 10th position, but all the action will soon be with the top three...
Lap 59: 1m17.020s from Hamilton for a new fastest lap as he charges towards a move on Vettel.
Lap 60: Hamilton now just two seconds behind Vettel and only 4.3 off the lead.
Lap 60: Outside the points we have di Resta in 11th, Hulkenberg 12th, Maldonado 13th, Ricciardo 14th and Vergne in 15th spot.
Lap 60: Hamilton is right with Vettel now and could soon be in place to make a DRS move.
Lap 60: Button is 16th and still nowhere near any points. He is 7.6s behind Vergne.
Lap 61: Hamilton is boxed in the rear end of Vettel's Red Bull and a DRS move is surely inevitable on this lap.
Lap 61: While it is all-action up front, Glock has been into the pitlane and Marussia has retired the car.
Lap 61: DRS engaged for Hamilton and he breezes past Vettel to take over second place.
Lap 62: Hamilton is up to second place and sets off in pursuit of Alonso, some 2.1 seconds ahead.
Lap 64: Hamilton is already homing in on Alonso and is just a few car lengths behind at the hairpin. DRS moves the McLaren even closer - 0.4 seconds.
Lap 64: Vettel gives up the fight and pits for fresh rubber. That's not worked for Red Bull at all.
Lap 64: Vettel resumes behind Perez after the recent pace spurt from the Sauber.
Lap 65: Vettel rejoins in fifth, behind Perez.
Lap 65: Hamilton looks for a bold move on Alonso at the hairpin but surely DRS is the way to go.
Lap 65: Outside line for Hamilton on DRS and he takes the lead.
Lap 65: So it's Hamilton back on top for McLaren from Alonso and Grosjean. Vettel has indeed fallen behind Perez and is now fifth.
Lap 66: Meanwhile Massa sets a new fastest lap with a 1m16.828s.
Lap 66: Alonso will surely want to avoid a second stop but has Grosjean just 3.7 seconds behind and closing.
Lap 66: Grosjean is just 3.7s behind Alonso now, with Perez 12s off the lead in fourth, Vettel fifth and Rosberg on his tail in sixth.
Lap 66: Five laps remain in a fascinating Canadian Grand Prix with Hamilton on course to become the seventh winner of 2012.
Lap 66: Grosjean really has Ferrari worried now and is homing in on the gearbox of Alonso.
Lap 67: Webber is seventh and on the back of Rosberg, with Raikkonen eighth, Kobayashi ninth and Massa in 10th.
Lap 67: Perez responds to Massa with another fastest lap - 1m16.772s.
Lap 67: DRS engaged for Grosjean and he steams past Alonso to take over second place.
Lap 67: Alonso's podium is far from secure and Perez is rapidly closing on the Spaniard.
Lap 68: Vettel clangs the wall with his right front tyre but is amazingly able to keep going, posting the fastest lap of the race in the process.
Lap 68: Perez takes a massive chunk out of Alonso, closing to just 2.6 seconds behind the Ferrari and closing fast.
Lap 69: Vettel ran wide at the final chicane, but is still fifth and chasing after Perez in the Sauber.
Lap 69: Alonso can't do anything about Perez, who edges past the Ferrari on DRS to take the final podium slot.
Lap 70: Vettel is the next man to wander past the struggling Alonso, making his new tyres work.
Lap 70: Ricciardo causes a brief yellow flag period after spinning at Turn 8. He rejoins, having lost eight seconds on that lap.
Lap 70: Hamilton is half a lap away from victory in Canada.
Lap 70: Senna also glances the wall of champions that hit hit squarely on Friday but is able to rejoin.
19:35 Lewis Hamilton finally wins in 2012 - the seventh victor of a remarkable season.
19:35 A storming drive from the McLaren man, making the two-stop strategy work with some rapid race pace.
19:36 Grosjean gets his best finish with second place for Lotus as he finally makes a long strategy work out.
19:36 Perez takes a great podium for Sauber after starting on softs and storming through at the end on the supersoft.
19:36 Fourth for Vettel after recovering somewhat from a late pitstop with the fastest lap at the flag.
19:36 Alonso holds on to his destroyed tyres to take fifth, just 0.4 seconds ahead of a charging Rosberg at the end.
19:37 Webber finishes in seventh spot, just 1.2s down on Rosberg, with Raikkonen eighth, Kobayashi ninth and Massa takes the final point.
19:37 "Yeah boys!" screams Hamilton on the radio as he tours in to celebrate a fine victory - putting him the lead of a sensational championship.
19:38 Out of the points, di Resta ends up 11th ahead of Hulkenberg 12th, Maldonado 13th, Ricciardo 14th, Vergne 15th and Button a lowly 16th.
19:38 Senna was able to bring the car home after glancing the wall. He was 17th, with Kovalainen 18th, Petrov 19th and Pic the final finisher.
19:40 Four drivers retired from the Canadian Grand Prix:

Glock retired in the pits. Schumacher also ended his day in the garage after a DRS failure. De la Rosa makes it three out of three in the pitlane, while Karthikeyan stopped out on track, shortly after spinning at Turn 1.
19:42 The top three drivers step out onto the podium and God Save the Queen rings out for today's winners - Lewis Hamilton and McLaren.
19:43 Delight for Hamilton as he finally picks up a 2012 winner's trophy on the top step of the podium.
19:43 McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh receives the constructors' award for the team's second win of the year.
19:44 Grosjean receives his award for second place in today's race. He is deservedly happy and jumps up with the trophy.
19:44 Perez has a huge smile as he gets the third place trophy - his second podium of a strong year for the Mexican.
19:45 The champagne sprays on the podium and Hamilton gives his boss a thorough soaking in the Montreal sunshine. The pair then embrace.
19:46 The top three and McLaren boss Whitmarsh stand atop the podium for the traditional end-of-race photograph, before moving away for the interviews.
19:46 Hamilton takes the points lead by just two markers over the ever-consistent Alonso, with world champion Vettel a further point behind.
19:47 Webber is now nine points behind the championship lead, followed by Rosberg, Raikkonen, Grosjean and a struggling Button.
19:49 McLaren's win is a boost in the constructors' race, closing to 31 points behind Red Bull. Grosjean's strong finish puts Lotus up to third.
19:50 Lewis Hamilton completes the magnificent seven, giving Formula 1 the best start to a season ever.

His race was shaped by making two stops, as McLaren analysed the tyre performance of others, banking on Alonso and Vettel getting into tyre difficulty. The chase was on and the two ahead of him succumbed to the Briton's pace, giving fans an enthralling finish.

Just a few laps too far for Alonso and Vettel, while Grosjean and Perez took advantage to grab second and third, giving their teams another haul of points.

Mercedes will be disappointed, but Jenson Button was left floundering this weekend. He was playing catch-up ever since the oil leak on Friday. A sacrificial strategy today with regard to tyres didn't help.

This was the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix on AUTOSPORT Live. Thanks for joining us over the last three days of action. We will be back with the European Grand Prix at Valencia in two weeks time.
 
Sumber  : http://live.autosport.com
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)