What an epic race the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix turned out to be! It included a red flag postponement for two hours and five minutes due to incessant rain and a final lap lead change handing victory to a guy who, just after half-race distance, was in last place. That’s right, Jenson Button (McLaren) could hardly believe his luck when he crossed the finish line in first place, upsetting what looked like being another Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) demonstration event.
The race began under Safety Car conditions thanks to heavy rain and finally went green after five laps. Aside from some early pressure from Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) Vettel pretty much had the race to himself, despite the three further Safety Car periods and long rain delay which followed.
Button clashed with his McLaren teammate early in the race, forcing Hamilton to retire. Both men were investigated by the stewards after the race with no further action taken. On lap 37 Button made contact with Alonso, again the stewards were unperturbed, even though the incident ended the Ferrari driver’s race. With a puncture to his front left tyre, Button was able to limp back to the pits and rejoin the queue behind the subsequent Safety Car required to clear Alonso’s car. All told, the 2009 world champ had five pit stops for tyres and a drive-through penalty for speeding behind the Safety Car, as well.
Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) was turned around by Lewis Hamilton after the first re-start and found himself down in fourteenth place. His struggles continued as pit stops didn’t work out his way meaning he spent more time mid-pack than hoped. Both Red Bulls were suffering intermittent KERS issues during the race also. In the closing stages, Webber was the first driver to fit slicks and following the final Safety Car found himself fighting for a podium in the middle of a scrap with Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) and Button.
Meanwhile, facing a nine lap dash to the end, Vettel was able to pull away from the fight behind him. Button pounced to pass a scrambling Webber and then used DRS to great effect to pass Schumacher; a feat Webber finally completed at his second attempt on his way to third. Once Button had clear air he quickly caught up to Vettel who was unable to respond. On the last lap the young German ran wide and gifted the lead to Button who capped off a remarkable race.
Comments from the first three drivers can be read after the break, with a sodden Canadian GP picture gallery to follow soon.
[Pic: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes]
