The Tops and Flops of Montreal

Tops

McLaren
Already in the top ranks at the Istanbul Grand Prix, McLaren once again undermined the Red Bull this weekend in Montreal. Lewis Hamilton won his second consecutive race, after taking pole position in qualifying at the expense of the RB6, who were undefeated in this exercise since the start of the season. Jenson Button, who started fifth, managed to finish the Grand Prix just behind his teammate, thus giving McLaren two one-two finishes in two races. Thanks to a better strategy in the face of inconsistent tires in the race, the Silver Arrows are now at the head of the debates, with a lead of 22 points in the manufacturers' standings.

Force India
After completing satisfactory qualifying sessions – Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi both making it to Q3 – both drivers put both cars in the points this weekend. While Michael Schumacher defended the point of tenth place in the final laps of the Grand Prix, the two drivers from the Indian team managed to overtake the seven-time world champion. Out of the eight Grands Prix contested, this is the seventh time that Vijay Mallya?s team has scored points.

Fernando Alonso
The Spanish driver, who started fourth on the grid, managed to get in front of the RB6s to grab third place. The former pilot Renault and McLaren, which had been in a bad situation for two races, once again showed itself in its best light. He managed to stay in the rhythm of the McLarens while defending his position, since the first RB6 (of Sebastian Vettel) finished almost 30 seconds from the Ferrari.

The Flops

Red Bull Racing
The Red Bulls clearly had difficulties this weekend. Unable to follow the pace imposed by the McLarens, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were content to protect their positions and limit the damage. The RB6s lost ground lap after lap on their rivals, the red bull team having opted for a much less effective tire strategy than that of the Silver Arrows. The Red Bulls have been behind for two races and are losing ground with McLaren back at the top level. Christian Horner's team must recover as quickly as possible to avoid seeing the title slip away.

Michael Schumacher
In the top ranks at the last GP, the German finds himself in the flops this week. Plagued by tires on the verge of breaking, the driver Mercedes did everything to maintain his position. Until it becomes dangerous. First taking Robert Kubica onto the grass, the former Ferrari driver did it again with Adrian Sutil a few laps later. Nico Rosberg?s teammate then clashed with Felipe Massa, although much faster, thus destroying the Brazilian?s race, who was forced to return to the pits to change wings. And no sanction envisaged, while several drivers, including some victims of the German, were severely called to order after the race.

Bridgestone
The Japanese manufacturer did not offer suitable tires to the teams this weekend. The tires collapsed just after a few laps, to the point of forcing the drivers to return to the pits several times during the race, for the sole purpose of changing tires, some of which were on the verge of bursting.