Montreal, June 13: Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton fought back to defeat Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and win for the fifth time at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Valtteri Bottas took an impressive third place to give Williams their first podium of 2016 here on Sunday.
With championship leader Nico Rosberg only able to manage fifth after a late-race puncture, the gap between the Mercedes men (Rosberg and Hamilton) at the top of the table is now down to just nine points.
Rosberg heads the championship table with 116 points with Hamilton at 107.
Max Verstappen was a fighting fourth for Red Bull, resisting intense pressure from Rosberg in the closing laps and forcing the Mercedes driver into a mistake and a spin on the final lap.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was sixth, while seventh went to Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bullcar.
Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez completed the top ten, split by the Toro Rosso of Carlos Sainz, who came from 20th on the grid to secure the ninth place.
Hamilton dedicates Canadian GP win to Muhammad Ali
Lewis Hamilton drove brilliantly to win his fifth Canadian Grand Prix and dedicated the victory to the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
With the win, Hamilton stormed back into contentio n for the Formula One drivers’ title, reports CMC.
The Brit dedicated the victory to the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali, radioing his crew to say: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. That was for Muhammad Ali.”
“I never really dedicate wins to anyone, but it’s someone that’s really inspired me so much throughout my life,” said Hamilton, who climbed on top of his car following the win to engage in shadow boxing before jumping to the ground to entertain with the Muhammad Ali shuffle.
“I was driving and I was just thinking of him and thinking maybe he would be watching the race, I don’t know. So that’s to him and his family. Rest in peace.”
Hamilton added about Muhammad Ali: “Obviously, in Formula One, there was no one of the same colour as us as a family, so it was another athlete for me to look up to.”
“I think he was just a unique, iconic individual who had a character unlike anyone else’s. And everyone aspired to be like him.”
Muhammad Ali, the finest heavyweight boxer ever, was laid to rest on Friday in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, in the US.
