MONTREAL: Lewis Hamilton won the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday for the sixth time and the third year in a row.
Valtteri Bottas was second, 19.7 seconds behind, to give Mercedes a sweep of the top two spots as it jostles with Ferrari in the championship points race. Hamilton entered the day trailing Sebastien Vettel, who finished fourth, by 25 points. He cut the deficit to 141-129.
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was third for the third straight week, celebrating on the podium by drinking champagne out of his race-worn shoe. He then shared a sip with actor Sir Patrick Stewart, who was serving as the post-race master of ceremonies.
The pink Force India cars of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon were fifth and sixth after battling among each other on the track — and over the radio — for position down the stretch. Native Montrealer Lance Stroll was ninth — the first-ever points for the 18-year-old rookie.
While Hamilton left from the pole and was never challenged, Vettel had to work his way back up to the front after sustaining damage to his front wing when Max Verstappen cut across his nose at the start. An early pit stop put Vettel in the back of the pack; he was up to seventh when he made another pit in Lap 50 to prepare for a final charge.
With the Force India cars battling with each other, Vettel overtook Ocon in the 66th lap and then, after leaving the track in a chicane, passed Perez as well. He came within 1 second of Ricciardo and a spot on the podium but settled for fourth.
His teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, wasn't so lucky. A week after taking second in Monaco, the Finn developed brake issues with about seven laps to go, quickly losing time and finishing seventh.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso continued to struggle with his McLaren Honda. Despite a power deficit — exacerbated by a strong headwind in the straightaway — he was headed for a Top 10 finish before engine problems in the final lap forced him to park alongside the track.
He climbed out of the car and walked into the stands — much to the delight of the crowd, which swarmed around him.
Carlos Sainz and Felipe Massa didn't make it out of the start, with Sainz getting clipped and then sliding into the Toro Rosso. "Unbelievable. I have no idea what happened," Massa radioed in. The stewards said they would look at it after the race.
Verstappen lasted just 20 laps despite jumping from fourth to second at the start.