Lewis Hamilton was the clear favorite going into the Montreal Canadian Grand Prix. The pair of Mercedes Petronas cars controlled the entire weekend pace. Ultimately, despite the high level of preparedness from the Silver Arrows, the Sunday results at Montreal ultimately demonstrated that fortune is random and unpredictable. The hectic and thrilling 2014 Montreal GP marks Daniel Ricciardo's first career Formula 1 win.
The extremely fast and reliable Mercedes cars were leading and controlling the pace for the first part of the race. However, the race became wide open when both Mercedes cars lost ERS on lap 37. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg got into a breathtaking dogfight and a desperate Lewis was looking to pass Rosberg by any means necessary. Hamilton finally got close enough to get a tow from Rosberg and even edged his teammate into the chicane only to lock his brakes and overshot the corner. Unfortunately, the overheating brakes only got worse and Hamilton ultimately retired.
“I did the best that I could out there today and felt like I was having a strong race but unfortunately it just wasn't our day," said Hamilton. "Montreal has been a good track for me so to come here and not finish is disappointing but there are plenty more races ahead of us this season so let's hope for better fortune. There was nothing I could do about our issues really. We were managing the loss of power but as soon as I finally made the jump on Nico in the second pit stop, my brakes failed going into turn 10."
Nico's race began to deteriorate from similar issues while a train of four other racing drivers including Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel and Fellipe Massa gainted from behind. With only three laps remaining, Red Bull rookie Daniel Riciardo saw an opportunity to draft Rosberg down the straight and pass on the outside. Moments after that move, Vettel made a move on Sergio Perez to earn the last position on the podium. Mere seconds later, Massa was lining up for a pass on the next corner when Perez attempted to move over slightly and block. The dangerous move caused contact that sent both Sergio Perez and Fellipe Massa spinning out of contol and into a wall at speeds over 170 mph. Vettel was deep into the braking zone when the accident between Massa and Perez occurred.
“Into turn one, I saw they were very close to each other and then saw something white coming in my mirror,” Sebastian Vettel recalled. “At the last second, I reacted and basically turned right as Felipe was in the air, flying past. It was kinda surreal, but I was quite lucky as I saw him just in time.”
The incident promoted Jenson Button to fourth place, just ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso. Massa's Williams teammate Valtteri Bottas, Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne, McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen, and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen rounded the top ten. With just two laps remaining, the Massa-Perez crash prompted a safety car finish, which secured the first victory for Daniel Ricciardo. Should the race last continue for the last remaining laps, it could have been possible for Red Bull to finish 1-2 given Rosberg's technical difficulties.
Watch the highlights to the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal here:
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