From the first corner to the very last - Canadian GP 2010

Canadian Combat

The Canadian Grand Prix was a thoroughly exciting race with an entertaining mix of strategy and wheel-to-wheel racing. Four different drivers had turns in the lead and a number of others came within sight of an upset.

The Grand Prix was characterised by a large number of close battles throughout the field, and they lasted from the first corner to the very last.

LAP 1 - LIUZZI v MASSA
Felipe Massa and Tonio Liuzzi sparked a collision at the first corner that ruined the afternoon for both drivers. Their battle started on the run towards Turn 1 when Massa jinked left to attack Jenson Button and nearly pushed Liuzzi onto the grass. Tonio was alongside the Ferrari as they entered the first corner but Massa had nowhere to go with Button on his right. They made contact for the first time at the apex of Turn 1 and this spun Massa around and into the side of Liuzzi on the run into Turn 2. Both drivers were pushed wide by this secondary contact, and as Liuzzi turned into the second bend, Massa understeered straight into the side of him. They rubbed against each other again until Massa tagged Liuzzi’s rear right wheel exiting Turn 2 and pitched the Force India into a spin. The clash took both of them out of contention and gave others a chance to make up ground.

LAP 1 - GLOCK v SENNA
The battle between Virgin and Hispania was close all weekend but the fight took a decisive twist on lap 1 when Bruno Senna crashed into the back of Timo Glock at Turn 8. The Virgin driver suffered damage to the rear of his car and fell behind the other runners. Timo got back ahead of Senna during the flurry of early pitstops but retired from the race with a steering rack failure on lap 50.

LAP 1 - HULKENBERG v KOBAYASHI
Kamui Kobayashi passed Nico Hulkenberg on the run down the back straight and went defensive as they approached the final chicane. Both drivers messed up their braking on full tanks, and whilst Nico smartly cut across the tarmac run-off, Kobaysahi bounced over the kerbs and into the wall.

LAP 5 - BUTTON v WEBBER
Mark Webber attacked Jenson Button as soon as the McLaren's soft tyres started to grain after the start. Jenson was able to hold the position for a few laps thanks to his straight line speed but was forced to take a defensive line on a number of occasions. Webber eventually got a good run on Button through the change of direction exiting Turn 7 and made a simple overtaking manoeuvre at the next right hand bend.

LAP 5 - SUTIL v SCHUMACHER
Schumacher carried more speed than Sutil through the hairpin and had such a good run on the Force India that he was able to get ahead before they reached the chicane. Interestingly, Sutil would repeat the move on Schumacher on the very last lap.

LAP 7 - HAMILTON v VETTEL
The soft tyres used by many of the front-runners grained heavily after the start and Vettel was soon able to attack Hamilton for the lead. They fought hard for position and Lewis was forced to take defensive lines at almost every braking zone throughout lap 6. Vettel continued pushing the McLaren and would have cleanly overtaken Hamilton on lap 7 into the final chicane had Lewis not pulled into the pitlane.

LAP 7 - ALONSO v WEBBER
As Vettel attacked Hamilton, Mark Webber started racing Alonso and would have had an interesting fight with the Spaniard if pitstops had not intervened. Webber was alongside Alonso heading into the chicane but cut across the tarmac run-off under braking, presumably distracted by the Ferrari’s entry into the pits.

LAP 8 - HAMILTON v ALONSO
Alonso and Hamilton pitted at the same time on lap 7 but Alonso got the edge thanks to a slick Ferrari pitstop and a tight battle exiting the pitlane. Lewis said after the race that he knew Alonso was alongside him but could not see him in the McLaren's blind spot. Hamilton wisely left enough space for Alonso who took the place thanks to his track position rejoining the circuit.

LAP 9 - KOVALAINEN v BUTTON
Incredibly, Heikki Kovalainen moved up into sixth place when the leaders made their first stops. Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso quickly overtook the Lotus on fresh tyres, but Kovalainen put up a stronger fight against Jenson Button. The Fin held his line into the final chicane on lap 9 and drove defensively enough on the exit to stop Button getting past him down the main straight. Jenson only had to wait another lap before overtaking the Lotus, but Kovalainen impressed many by making him work for it.

LAP 13 - SCHUMACHER v KUBICA
Michael Schumacher made his first stop one lap later than Robert Kubica and thanks to some typically quick Mercedes pitwork, he emerged ahead of the Renault. Kubica tried to pull alongside Schumacher on the run towards Turn 3 but Michael gave him no room and pushed Robert onto the grass. Kubica then attempted outbraking the Mercedes as they entered the turn but lost grip over the kerbing and slid towards the grass. Schumacher saw him coming and also took to the grass, but stayed ahead of the Renault as they bounced back onto the track. Both drivers suffered damage during their excursion and lost the chance to score some serious points.

LAP 15 - BUEMI v ALONSO v HAMILTON
Sebastien Buemi led a Grand Prix for the first time in his career thanks to a long first stint, and on lap 15 he had to defend that lead from Alonso and Hamilton who were on fresher tyres. Alonso made a lunge at the hairpin but Buemi held him to the outside under braking. Hamilton took advantage by sticking to the back of the Toro Rosso and claimed the apex of the corner, spoiling Alonso's chances of getting the ideal run down the back straight. Alonso's compromised exit gave Lewis a chance to attack the Ferrari, and he got ahead long before they reached the final chicane. Buemi pulled into the pits before Lewis had a chance to overtake him as well.

LAP 24 - HAMILTON v ALONSO
Alonso left the Canadian Grand Prix disappointed with third place since the Ferrari was quick enough to win. This pace was evident on lap 24 when Alonso pulled alongside Lewis Hamilton down the back straight. Fernando would have made a clean pass on Lewis for the lead if the McLaren driver hadn't peeled off into the pitlane.

LAP 24 - KUBICA v SUTIL
Sutil had closed up behind Robert Kubica on lap 23 and tried a few times to muscle his way past. He eventually got a run on the Renault down the back straight and stuck to the racing line as Kubica went defensive. As both drivers entered the corner Kubica tucked up behind the Force India, but suddenly jinked right and screamed down the inside of the corner, cutting across Sutil on his way into the pits. Sutil went off at the next corner with a puncture and Kubica was given a reprimand for his efforts.

LAP 29 - LIUZZI v SUTIL
Both Force India drivers had reasons to feel disappointed after the Canadian Grand Prix and spent much of the race in close company salvaging whatever points they could. On lap 29 they raced each other side by side down the main straight with Liuzzi pushing Sutil towards the pitwall. Tonio tried to stick it around the outside of his teammate but was left with no room and had to cede the position.

LAP 29 - LIUZZI v MASSA
After repeated contact at the start, Liuzzi and Massa squared off again mid-race when Felipe got a run on the Force India heading towards the first corner. Liuzzi went defensive into the turn but ran wide on the exit and gave Massa a sniff around the outside of Turn 2. Their positions were effectively reversed from their first lap battle, but Liuzzi held onto 13th place and the two drivers avoided contact.

LAP 42 - HULKENBERG v SUTIL
Hulkenberg had his second incident of the afternoon at the final chicane on lap 42 when Adrian Sutil pulled alongside him down the back straight. The Williams driver was defensive heading into the chicane but moved over to the left to assume the racing line. In doing so he made contact with Sutil and cut across the tarmac run-off, both actions being a little suspect. One lap later the same situation occurred, but this time Sutil held position behind Hulkenberg and tried overtaking the Williams driver into the first corner instead. He was unable to make the move stick.

Lap 49 - SUTIL v ALGERSUARI v LIUZZI v MASSA
Sutil was under attack on lap 49 from three drivers in his slipstream. Alguersuari, Liuzzi and Massa were tucked up behind the Force India on the run towards Turn 8 and they all jostled for position under braking. Sutil squeezed Alguersuari to the inside of the corner which gave Liuzzi a chance to go wide and attack the Toro Rosso on the entry to Turn 9. However, Alguersuari held his line coming out of 8 and gave Liuzzi nowhere to go. Tonio was off line coming onto the straight towards the hairpin and Massa seized the opportunity to surge past. Felipe then got ahead of Alguersuari one lap later.

Lap 49 - WEBBER v HAMILTON
Mark Webber made his second pitstop later than the other major contenders but was caught by the frontrunners on lap 49. Hamilton was the first to attack and passed Mark exiting the final chicane at the end of the lap. Lewis timed his move nicely to get ahead of Webber without too much of a delay, because another lap behind the Red Bull might have handed the initiative to Alonso.

LAP 54 - SUTIL v MASSA
Massa was close behind Sutil for a short while before seizing the opportunity to overtake on lap 54. Sutil was baulked by Kovalainen for a few corners and wasn't sure if the Lotus was going to let him past heading into Turn 6. He hesitated under braking and Massa took the chance to squeeze by on the inside of both cars. It was a great move from Felipe and it left Sutil fuming in the cockpit.

LAP 56 - ALONSO v BUTTON
Fernando lost the lead of the race when he was held up by a Lotus during his inlap before the second round of stops. He then lost another position when he was held up by Karun Chandhok on lap 56. Alonso was baulked exiting Turn 7 and immediately knew he was in trouble with Button right behind him. Alonso tried to cover his line heading towards Turn 8 but Jenson was ahead before they reached the braking zone. The McLaren was quick enough to cover a counter attack from an angry Fernando.

LAP 60 - SCHUMACHER v BUEMI
Schumacher had taken 8th place from Sebastien Buemi on lap 50, but the Toro Rosso driver had the last laugh ten laps later. Buemi had a great run on Schumacher heading towards the final chicane and tired squeezing by on the inside before Michael closed the door. Sebastien then went back onto the racing line and got a run on Schumacher into the first corner where he overtook the German with a nicely weighted braking manoeuvre.

LAP 64 - SCHUMACHER v MASSA
Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa may be good mates but there was nothing friendly about their collision on lap 64. Michael was struggling with his worn soft tyres and Massa had a great run on him down the back straight. Schumacher moved right to cover his line, and with Felipe behind him (as opposed to alongside him) Michael gently moved back left to assume a better line into the chicane. Massa misjudged Schumacher's braking and went into the back of the Mercedes, damaging his front wing. Stewards later investigated the incident but concluded that Michael was right to assume the racing line for the chicane - as per the rules - and did not hand down any penalty or reprimand.

LAP 68 - KOVALAINEN v PETROV
Vitaly Petrov had a difficult race after crashing at the start and collecting a pair of drive through penalties. He caught Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus in the late stages of the Grand Prix but was unable to pass the Lotus despite trying for ten laps. Petrov may have had some problems on the softer tyres but Kovalainen drove very well to keep the Renault behind.

LAP 70 - SCHUMACHER v LIUZZI
Tonio Liuzzi closed in on Schumacher by one second per lap as the race finish drew near, but took three laps of scrappy racing to get ahead of the Mercedes. On lap 68 Liuzzi challenged Michael into the chicane but got sideways under braking. Schumacher cut the corner, possibly because he saw the Force India out of shape behind him, but Liuzzi would be right to feel that Michael's shortcut gave him the position. On the very last lap Liuzzi had a lunge down the inside of Turn 6 and banged wheels with Schumacher. It wasn't enough to get ahead but Liuzzi had more speed entering Turn 8 and pressured Michael into running off the road.

LAP 70 - SCHUMACHER v SUTIL
Schumacher lost a lot of time scrapping with Liuzzi in the late stages and was caught by the other Force India on the very last lap. Sutil edged ahead of his countryman into the final corner as Michael completely missed the chicane with ruined tyres.

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