Lewis Hamilton drove a superb tactical race to hold off his McLaren teammate Jenson Button and win Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix from pole position and jump to the top of the Formula One drivers' championship. In a repeat of the last race in Turkey, Hamilton crossed the line just 2.2 seconds ahead of his fellow-Briton to leapfrog Australian Mark Webber and world champion Button at the top of the standings. Spain's Fernando Alonso finished third for Ferrari to join the two McLaren men on the Montreal podium while Germany's Sebastian Vettel was fourth and his Red Bull teammate Webber fifth after a thrilling race. “Woohooh! Yes! Great job guys!” Hamilton told his team bosses after taking the checkered flag. “Thank you so much for this weekend. There was a lot of pressure on our shoulders, but we stood up to it.” Hamilton's second win in a row took him from third to first place in the championship with a total of 109 points. Button remained second on 106 while Webber dropped to third on 103 ahead of Alonso (94) and Vettel (90). “It is one of the toughest races so far. It's another one-two and Jenson did an incredible job,” said Hamilton, the 2008 world champion. While there were no major crashes during the 70-lap event, which was back on the calendar after being left off last year, there was no shortage of drama as Canada lived up to its repuation as one of the most enthralling races. Five different drivers held the lead as teams were forced into a strategic battle to keep their tires from falling apart on the demanding street circuit which features long straights and tight corners. The different tire strategies produced a riveting tactical race with the leading five all in contention at different stages but swapping places during extra pit stops, high-speed wheel-to-wheel racing and some breathtaking overtaking, which has been absent from Formula One in recent years. While Hamilton became the fifth different leader of the championship this season, Alonso was also buoyed by the improved performance of his Ferrari. “I think it was good day for us, the car was very competitive,” Alonso said. It was poor result for Red Bull, who had dominated the early part of the season, claiming pole position in each of the first seven races before Hamilton broke the sequence in Montreal. Webber's chances of winning were diminished even before the race started when he had to change a faulty gearbox and was forced to drop back five places on the grid from second to seventh. He still managed to weave his way through traffic to lead for a large part of the race but his advantage was eaten away as his tires started to deteriorate and he began sliding all over the course before returning to the pits for fresh rubber. Vettel also had his turn in front but, struggling with a gearbox problem, could not catch the cars in front of him once he had pitted for a second time - despite persistent urgings from his crew to go faster. “Seriously, how do you expect me to pass, we are going slower and slower!” he shot back.
