2010 Canadian Grand Prix

Lore & Background

The race was the first time since the 1991 United States Grand Prix that three former drivers' champions stood on the podium and the last 1–2 finish for the McLaren team until the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. It was also the last time until the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix where British drivers finished first and second on the podium. The final result meant that Hamilton overtook both Button and Webber in the championship standings with six points covering the top three drivers. With McLaren claiming the lead of the Constructors' Championship from Red Bull in Turkey, their maximum points score in Montreal placed them a further twenty-two points clear of the Austrian team.

Reader's Guide

After dominating the previous three races, it was widely expected that the Montreal circuit would not play to the Red Bull's strengths, with intense media speculation that the controversial crash between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber whilst fighting for the lead of the Turkish Grand Prix would only worsen the team's chances. However, while neither driver was prepared to accept full responsibility for causing the accident, both expressed a desire to forget about it and move on. None of the teams planned to introduce major updates for the race, though several brought customised packages specifically for the high-speed, low-downforce circuit. Those who had developed an 'F-duct' system for the previous race were still running it in the trial phase. This race was Scuderia Ferrari's 800th start in a World Championship event as a team.

Did You Know?

• The race was the first of the season in which all twenty-four cars started on the grid.
• Vitantonio Liuzzi qualified at a career-best sixth position.
• Lewis Hamilton was instructed by his team to stop on the circuit after qualifying due to low fuel, and he pushed his car down the back straight until marshals helped him.
• Mark Webber was demoted from second to seventh on the grid after Red Bull found iron filings in a gearbox oil sample.