We saw a very different Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix than normal. Sebastian Vettel won from start to finish in the Ferrari SF71H.

The team from Maranello last win in Canada was 14 years ago. Back in 2004 when Schumacher won his last drivers title.

We didn't see many passing moves during the race. Daniel Ricciardo was the only driver in the top 6 that passed a car on the track. Coming out of turn 2 he could overtake the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen on traction.

Max Verstappen did a solid weekend, being fastest in all practice sessions and qualifying in front of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes and Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari. Considering the fact the Red Bull still cannot turn up the horse power in Q3.

At the end Sebastian Vettel drove a flawless race in Canada to score his 50th race win.

We summed up the comments again of all 20 drivers that participated the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix.


ferrari f1 infoFerrari Canada 2018 comments

 

Sebastian Vettel (started 1st & finished 1st)

Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Canadian GP F1/2018

Sebastian Vettel

"This win is very important for our tifosi and for our team, today is a special day.

40 years ago Gilles Villeneuve won here, then 14 years ago it was Michael Schumacher and I was thinking of that today.

At the start I tried to build up a margin, I was happy with my first lap and then the safety car came out and I had to start over again.

During my last 10 laps I prayed that my car would not develop a problem until the end!

Points are always important but today this win means a lot and not just in terms of Championship.

The season is still so long and there are many races ahead. The main thing is that our car is strong and stays like that, so that we can fight."

 

Kimi Raikkonen (started 5th & finished 6th)

Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Spanish GP F1/2018

Kimi Raikkonen

"Yesterday’s mistake in qualifying did not put ourselves in a good position for the race.

Overtaking was very difficult here; I tried to get ahead of Hamilton after my pit stop, but it did not work out. Then It was even difficult to get close enough to him to open the DRS. It was a surprise, because on this track you would expect to see overtaking and fights, instead it was a similar story to two weeks ago in Monaco.

The race was boring and not much happened.

We decided to stay out a little bit longer on our first set of tyres and I don’t think that cost us any position: it was our only option to try something different."


Mercedes Canada 2018 commentsMercedes f1 info

Valtteri Bottas (started 2nd & finished 2nd)

Formula One - Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Canadian GP 2018. Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas

"I think this was the maximum," the Finn explained. "Saturday was about hundredths of a second, so maybe from pole it could have been different, but from P2 today we maxed out. I'm happy for that, but I'm not happy that we were behind.

"Second place as a driver is not the best place to be - but you know, honestly from today where we started, with the start we had, with the pace we had, there was nothing more possible.

"That's where we are as a team now. Ferrari was better this weekend, Red Bull very close to us, so I think there was nothing we could have done better.

"Our car is just not quick enough, so I don't get too upset being second but no doubt I really want to win. And there have been many occasions this year where it has been pretty close.

"So, for sure, we'll keep pushing on that - but as a team we need to improve, and also for myself, trying to find every single little bit I can."

 

Lewis Hamilton (started 4th & finished 5th)

Formula One - Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Spanish GP 2018. Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton

"I thought the engine was going to fail," he admitted. "Straight from the start, I got to Turn 2 and the power started dropping out.

"I'm sure in the next couple of days it will get more painful but it could have been a lot worse. I could have lost 25 points.

"I'm definitely behind a little bit in that respect but I'm just grateful the engine made it and I got to see the distance. I gave everything I could. That's all you can do.

"I was taking risks. It was fun in some respects, but even if I got closer I still couldn't get by. I was pushing so hard.

"Every now and then there was a little bit of a chance and then a backmarker gets in the way, you get close and the car slides off the road. I still love the challenge."


Red_Bull_Racing_logo_transparent

Red Bull Racing Canada 2018 comments

 

Max Verstappen (started 3rd & finished 3rd)

Max Verstappen Red Bull Canadian GP F1/2018

Max Verstappen

“The whole weekend we were very competitive and in the race, with the tyres we had, I think we maximised our strategy and we were very happy with the result. Every single weekend you go in you try to win and here practice has been good, Qualifying has been positive and the race went well too. Of course we’re very pleased with that and to come away with a podium and challenging for second at the end at this track, which is not ideal for us, is really positive.

When you feel confident with the car then you can do a good job, and during the race I think we managed the car in the best way possible on the hypersoft tyres. In this kind of race you have to manage a lot, fuel first of all, then also the tyres, you have the pressure from behind, you don’t want to let them into your DRS but at one point I could see that I was pulling away quite comfortably so then I was challenging Valtteri at the end. So the race was in one way maybe a little bit boring but on the other hand you needed full focus on doing a good job.

Seb was very fast today and I could quickly feel that we were just lacking top speed. The tyres were holding on really well at the end when I was challenging Valtteri because he was fuel saving which shows our car was working well and for sure we have a very competitive car at the moment. I don’t think we can challenge for victories on every track, it just depends on how long the straights are but for now I am looking forward to the upcoming races.”

 

Daniel Ricciardo (started 6th & finished 4th)

Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing on the drivers parade before the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix 2018

Daniel Ricciardo

“It was actually a pretty good day and I don’t think I could have done much more. I know it’s fourth but I’m actually happy. Starting sixth I didn’t know how much to expect on this track as the reality is that it’s not that easy to overtake around here anymore. I’m really happy with what I did and what the team did. We went for the hypersoft knowing it was more aggressive and we knew we had to maximise the tyre at the beginning of the race which is what we did. We got Kimi on the start and then a nice overcut on Lewis, so I think we did everything we could.

It wasn’t the smoothest weekend on my side of the garage, we had the upgraded engine but we had a few issues trying to get it calibrated, I think that’s the right word, even during the race it wasn’t that easy at times to manage tyres and wheel slip, so for that I think we did the best we could. The good thing is that Max’s engine seemed to be running well, so we have that as a reference moving to France. It’s probably the first time in a while that we have gained really good team points so it’s a good weekend from that perspective and also good for Max. I’m looking at the positives (laughs) we also took two points from Lewis so we’re still in the championship, we’re still there. Last thing, It’s my mum’s Birthday, so Happy Birthday Mum.”


renault f1 infoRenault Canada 2018 comments

 

Nico Hulkenberg (started 7th & finished 7th)

Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Renault Sport F1 Team. Canadian Grand Prix, Thursday 7th June 2018. Montreal, Canada.

Nico Hulkenberg

“We executed the race well today and it was a good effort from everyone.

Ten points in the Constructors’ Championship is positive for us and we’ve extended our lead in fourth ahead of our rivals.

It was a close battle today, I lost a position at the start, but I managed to get the overcut on Ocon by going two laps longer, as he was holding me up a little bit on that first stint.

From then, it was about managing the tyres, which was quite tough as degradation was kicking in towards the end.”

 

Carlos Sainz (started 9th & finished 8th)

Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) Renault Sport F1 Team on the grid. Canada Grand Prix, Sunday 29th April 2018. Baku City Circuit, Canada.

Carlos Sainz Jr

“It was a good day for the team and ten points for the Constructors’ Championship.

It’s another step forward and we had a good race pace compared to the rest of the midfield. We wanted to bring both cars home in the points and we’ll certainly enjoy the result even though it was a largely quiet race for us!

The team did a solid job yesterday and again today to jump the Force India. We thought we were going to have a lot more degradation and in the end we came back with good tyre management.”


Force india infoForce India Canada 2018 comments

 

Esteban Ocon (started 8th & finished 9th)

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Sahara Force India F1 Team with the media. Canadian Grand Prix, Thursday 7th June 2018. Montreal, Canada.

Esteban Ocon

“It’s good to pick up more points, but we had the potential to score even more today.

I had a fantastic first lap and got ahead of Hulkenberg, which was the target, and I was running well in seventh place. Then we had a small issue at the pit stop, which cost us a couple of seconds, and it dropped me down behind both of the Renaults.

From there I tried my best to fight back and I came close to catching Sainz in the final few laps, but it wasn’t possible to overtake, especially after he cut the track and gained some time on the final lap when I was about to overtake him.

It’s a shame because the strategy should have worked really well. I will focus on the positives because it’s been a strong performance by the team this weekend. We can be satisfied with what we have done here. The pace has been competitive, but we need to keep pushing.”

 

Sergio Pérez (started 10th & finished 14th)

Sergio Pérez Sahara Force India F1. Spanish GP F1/2018.

Sergio Pérez

“I am very disappointed to come away from this race with no points.

The start was good, although I didn’t make up any places, but the restart after the Safety Car was even better and I managed to pass Carlos [Sainz]. I was very surprised when he hit me because I gave him more than enough room and I was ahead: that wasn’t good enough and that’s why I asked for a penalty on the radio.

I was able to save the car [from crashing] but by then my race was compromised. We tried something different with the strategy – going for a two-stopper – but it wasn’t enough to get back in the points.

Overtaking was impossible, with these cars you can’t follow another car and pass them unless you have a big advantage. It’s a shame because I feel we had the pace to be mixing with the Renaults and we should have scored some good points.”


Alfa Sauber logoSauber Canada 2018 comments

 

Charles Leclerc (started 13th & finished 10th)

Charles Leclerc Sauber F1 Team at Spanish GP F1/2018

Charles Leclerc

“It was a good race today.

I am very happy with the result – it has now been four races that we have been doing a great job, and have been improving consistently.

I am proud of the team and the work that everyone has done. It was exciting to discover this track in Montreal, and I enjoyed driving here very much.

Now we have to take what we have learned here and look to continue on this positive path for the next couple of races.”

Marcus Ericsson (started 19th & finished 15th)

Marcus Ericsson Sauber F1 Team at Spanish GP F1/2018

Marcus Ericsson

“It was quite a difficult race for me.

In the first half of the race, I struggled behind other cars and lost quite a bit of time.

The second half was decent; we did a good job getting the tyres to last until the end of the race, which is a positive.

The result is disappointing, and we have to work on improving in qualifying, as that is where I still have room for improvement at the moment.

I am confident that we will find a way to improve in that area, and look forward to the next races.”


Toro Rosso TeamToro Rosso Canada 2018 comments

 

Pierre Gasly (started 16th & finished 11th)

Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso Canadian GP F1/2018

Pierre Gasly

"Overall, I think it was a really good race for me.

We managed to make up many positions after starting from the back row, but it's always tough when you finish so close to the points!

I was pretty close to Charles a couple of times, then I damaged my front tyres so in the end it became difficult to pass.

The new power unit seems to work well... we overtook multiple cars on the straight, so it looks promising for the upcoming races.

Honda worked very hard to bring the upgrade to Canada and they did a fantastic job!

Now we need to put everything together and find some consistency, because the next race is my home Grand Prix in Le Castellet - I'm really excited to go racing there!"

 

Brandon Hartley (started 12th & DNF)

Brendon Hartley of Scuderia Toro Rosso during previews ahead of the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix 2018

Brendon Hartley

"I'm really disappointed for Toro Rosso and Honda, because we've been quite strong all weekend with a good update from the power unit.

I think we definitely had the pace to challenge for points today. I had a good start, similar to the drivers around me, but I got left a bit on the outside of Turn 2 which lost me a position.

I got a good run on Lance out of Turn 4 on the outside, but he lost the car which put us both into the wall.

It's very disappointing as there was room to make the overtake, and I was looking forward to a strong race.

It's a frustrating way to end the Canadian Grand Prix as I've been really happy with my performance all weekend.

I was delayed getting back to the circuit because I was flown to the hospital for precautionary checks. However, I'm definitely fit, healthy, and ready for the next race."


haas f1 infoHaas Canada 2018 comments

 

Romain Grosjean (started 18th & finished 15th)

Romain Grosjean Haas Canadian GP F1/2018

Romain Grosjean

“We didn’t really know quite how long we could go. We had been planning to go long, but not as long as that.

The tires were holding quite nicely. There was only a bit of front degradation.

I was happy with the pace. I was easily managing keeping up with the Renault in front and the Force India behind.

If qualifying had been as I was expecting with a P7, it would’ve been a P7 today, for sure. Anyway, we tried to come back, but our strategy didn’t quite work.

When we came out of the pit we had a lot of blue flags and so on. I couldn’t really come back through the field. We did our best. The car is fast and I enjoyed driving it.”

 

Kevin Magnussen (started 19th & finished 13th)

Kevin Magnussen Haas Canada GP F1/2018

Kevin Magnussen

“Not a brilliant weekend for us.

We were thinking that P11 in qualifying was a good result. We thought that would be an advantage for the race – being on a different tire from the top-10. It didn’t really turn out to be that way.

I didn’t get a great first lap. I was overtaken by one of the Saubers. They had a really good start, and then a couple of laps after I had a Force India that spun and I couldn’t get on the inside, so I was on the outside and got done by Fernando (Alonso) on the inside.

Things just didn’t go our way today. It’s a shame. I think the car was pretty good, especially on the supersoft, the pace was good. I think we just didn’t get it right today.”


mclaren-logo-pngMcLaren Canada 2018 comments

Stoffel van Doorne (started 15th & finished 16th)

Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia. Friday 23 March 2018. Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren.

Stoffel Vandoorne

“I think we were extremely unlucky from the start today. We had a good launch off the grid, but with the accident that happened there was so much debris to find our way through into Turn Five, and it was impossible to avoid it. We had a front-right puncture, and we basically ran out of tyres already before we even really started the race, so it was a difficult day. A big piece of debris went under the car so we were forced to pit on the first lap and then lost a lot of time in the pit-stop as well. Before we even got into the race it was already over.

“On a personal note, on my side it’s been very positive in terms of the progression we’ve made over the past couple of races. The disappointing thing here was our qualifying performance for the team as a whole. We knew that before coming here and unfortunately it got confirmed. We’ve got a lot of work ahead.

“It’s hard to tell how the next few races will be for us. We don’t want to make any predictions, and if you look at last year there were some races that we thought would be difficult but turned out to be alright. We have to wait and see. Paul Ricard will be a new track for everyone, and then Austria and Silverstone, so a busy couple of weeks ahead but I’m looking forward to that and hopefully we’ll have some better luck.”

 

Fernando Alonso (started 14th & DNF)

Monte Carlo, Monaco Thursday 24 May 2018. Fernando Alonso, McLaren.

Fernando Alonso

“The race was fun at the beginning, especially after the restart, when we overtook three cars in two corners. Sergio [Perez] was on the grass sideways and came back onto the track, so it was difficult to anticipate what line he would have taken. Then halfway through the race, I felt a loss of power and was told to retire.

“It’s sad, frustrating and I’m disappointed with this result. We weren’t competitive this weekend. We need to find more performance in the car and a way to become competitive. Reliability is also important, as we saw at the beginning of the year how many points we scored and how many we’ve lost now in the last two races, by retiring today and retiring in Monaco when we were running in seventh position.

“There are a few areas of the car that we need to keep working on and improving, and we’ll see what happens in the next couple of months.

“I’m flying tonight to France, as tomorrow I need to be in Le Mans. It will be a busy Monday and a new experience, and I’m definitely looking forward to it.”


Drivers Comments after Canada 2018Williams Canada 2018 comments

Sergey Sirotkin (started 18th & finished 17th)

Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan. Saturday 28 April 2018. Sergey Sirotkin, Williams Racing.

Sergey Sirotkin

"It was a difficult race.

The start was particularly tough in the beginning with the prime tyres compared to the much softer compounds of everybody else.

Still, I was able to gain some positions at the start. However, with the safety car and an extremely poor warm up with the harder compound of tyre, it was impossible to keep up with the pace.

We were the slowest car of the day and we have done our best to finish the race despite the issues we’ve had. That’s where we are and we have to be honest with that."

 

Lance Stroll (started 17th & DNF)

Monte Carlo, Monaco Saturday 26 May 2018. Lance Stroll, Williams Racing.

Lance Stroll

"First of all I am really disappointed for the fans.

I have had a great welcome here for my home race and I wanted to put on a good show for them.

I had a good start, gained a few positions and got both McLarens, but I had some contact when I overtook them.

Then I was side by side with Brendon going into turn five. The car got loose on me, I corrected it but there was not much room for both of us, and by the time I had corrected it we had touched.

It is not ideal, but that is racing, things like that happen on the first lap as we are close and side by side, so that is how it goes sometimes."


See complete 2018 Canadan F1 GP Results
See current 2018 F1 Championship Standings


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