Renault recorded their best result of the Formula 1 2019 season, while Lewis Hamilton claimed yet another victory, albeit in controversial circumstances.
For CAMS Ambassador Daniel Ricciardo, a sixth place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix provided the Australian with plenty of reasons to smile.
“I did all I could out there and I’m happy with the end result,” Ricciardo said.
“It’s the team’s first double points of the year and it’s a big one in sixth and seventh, and we can’t ask for anything more than that.
“There are definitely positive signs this weekend. We know the top teams are superior at this stage, but still, it was a lot of fun to battle Valtteri [Bottas] for a few laps out there. We’re realistic in our approach, but the team should be proud of this weekend. They have that drive and determination to push on now and that’s really encouraging.”
At the front, the battle between Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel went down to the wire.
After falling off the track on lap 48, Vettel re-joined in front of Hamilton, with the Briton having to take evasive action to avoid crashing into Vettel’s Ferrari.
The stewards were tasked with investigating the incident and handed Vettel a five second penalty, dropping the German to second place despite the Ferrari crossing the finish line first. The win allowed Hamilton to extend his lead in Championship.
“I took the corner normally. When you come back on track, you’re not supposed to go straight back on racing line, you’re supposed to come back safely,” Hamilton said of the incident with Vettel.
Vettel was obviously disappointed to not claim the win, expressing his frustration with the penalty.
“Obviously I was going through the grass and I think it’s quite commonly known that the grass isn’t very grippy, and then I was coming back on track and just trying to make sure I had the car under control,” Vettel said.
“Once I sort of regained control and made sure that I was right I saw Lewis right behind me. If you said that yesterday we had the euphoria or enthusiasm of a great day, I feel in a way the same today. We had a great race, the team did fantastic and obviously I’m not happy with the decision the stewards took.”
The teams now return to Europe, with the French Grand Prix the next on the schedule – the race to be held on Sunday, 23 June at 11.10pm AEST.