Canadian GP: Williams come away with disappointing 7th

Qualifying for the seventy lap 2014 Canadian Grand Prix had seen the Williams Martini team secure fourth and fifth grid positions with Valtteri Bottas leading team-mate Felipe Massa. The top ten drivers would all start the race on the super soft option tyre while outside the top ten Hulkenberg, Kvyat, Maldonado, Ericsson, Gutierrez, Chilton and Bianchi would all start on the soft prime tyre. With the start of the race it would be Hamilton, starting from second, who would make the better start but team-mate Rosberg would take the lead seeing Hamilton passed by Vettel who would slot into second. For the Williams team Valtteri and Felipe were running in fourth and fifth but the opening lap would see the Marussia's make contact after Chilton lost control at Turn three hitting his team-mate Bianchi who then was sent into the barrier at Turn four. Gutierrez would pit having picked up a puncture on the debris from the accident.

This would see the Safety car come out and it would not come in until lap eight due to the time taken to clear the extensive debris from the accident. Rosberg would make a good restart with Vettel second from Hamilton, Valtteri, Felipe, Ricciardo, Vergne, Alonso, Raikkonen, and Button tenth. On lap ten Ericsson would pit to retire while out on the track Hamilton would pass Vettel at the final chicane for second. He would then start his pursuit of leader Rosberg while for the Williams team Valtteri and Felipe would start to fall back from the top three. Rosberg was leading by 1.7 seconds over Hamilton and Vettel. Felipe had Ricciardo right behind him as they fought over fifth. The first of the pit stops would start on lap fifteen with Ricciardo pitting taking on the soft tyre and on the following lap we would have Valtteri and Button both pit also taking the soft tyre.

Valtteri would come back out with Ricciardo right behind him with Valtteri thirteenth. The next lap would see Vettel, Felipe, and Vergne all pit with Sutil and Magnussen also coming in. Felipe would return in twelfth while the next lap would see Alonso pitting coming back out in tenth to be in front of Vergne and Felipe. Valtteri was running in seventh while at the front the order was Rosberg, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Perez, Hulkenberg, with Vettel sixth. Lap nineteen and Rosberg would pit taking on the soft tyre rejoining in second behind Hamilton. Hamilton would pit the next lap seeing Rosberg back in the lead. Perez and Hulkenberg were now running third and fourth but Vettel was right behind the German.

Lap twenty five and Kobayashi would spin at Turn one and he would stop and retire from the race. Valtteri was now sixth and Felipe eight with Felipe having passed Alonso at Turn one for his position. Ricciardo was running in seventh while team-mate Vettel was fifth. The laps would continue to count down with Rosberg keeping his lead over Hamilton while on lap thirty five Perez would make his first stop taking on the soft tyre in what was turning out to be a one stop strategy. Lap thirty six and Valtteri would pit again again taking on soft tyres returning in tenth. Vettel would also come in also taking on soft tyres returning in front of Valtteri. At the front Rosberg's lead had grown to 1.8 seconds but both Mercedes cars seemed to be slowing and started to be caught by the drivers behind. They were losing around two seconds a lap to the following Hulkenberg.

Hulkenberg would pit on lap forty two returning in eight ahead of Valtteri/ Felipe was now up in third and Valtteri ninth but Felipe had yet to make a second stop. Felipe had been told to look after his tyres making it look like the team was switching him to a one stopper. Lap forty five and Rosberg would pit taking on soft tyres rejoining in third behind Felipe. Alonso would also pit coming back out in ninth. The next lap and Hamilton would pit seeing Felipe take the lead. Hamilton would rejoin in second just ahead of Rosberg. Hamilton would run wide at the hairpin losing his place to Rosberg. Hamilton would try to get his place back but would cut the final chicane and would be forced to give the place back to Rosberg.

Lap forty seven and the order was Felipe from Rosberg, Hamilton, Perez, Ricciardo, Vettel, Hulkenberg, Valtteri, Alonso, and Vergne in tenth. But smoke would start to come from the rear of Hamilton's car seeing him drop to eight and then he would pit to retire. Lap forty nine and Felipe would pit from the lead coming back in seventh just behind team-mate Valtteri. Kvyat would stop his car at the hairpin to retire. Rosberg was being caught rapidly by second placed Perez with fifty laps completed. But Ricciardo was right behind the Force India. Felipe was right behind Valtteri with Hulkenberg in front of the Williams pair running in fifth. Lap fifty eight and Valtteri would try to pass Hulkenberg at the hairpin but would run wide losing his place to Felipe. Felipe would then use his newer tyres and his DRS going into the final corner to pass Hulkenberg for fifth.

Felipe was now chasing the Red Bull cars of Ricciardo and Vettel who were third and fourth. Felipe would set a new fastest lap on lap fifty eight while Valtteri would be passed by Alonso on lap sixty going into Turn one. Felipe was catching Vettel at the rate of 1.5 seconds per lap and by lap sixty two Felipe was within DRS range of Vettel. At the front Ricciardo was able to pass Perez for second going into Turn one and would start to close in onto Rosberg. Lap sixty eight and Ricciardo was now in DRS range of Rosberg and would use this to pass Rosberg at the final corner. Team-mate Vettel had been able to pass Perez for third going into the final chicane while for Williams Felipe was in fifth and Valtteri ninth. Felipe would close right up to Perez and was looking to pass but it would all go wrong as they come into Turn one.

Felipe would hit the rear of Perez's car seeing both drivers leave the track. Perez would hit the tyre barriers but for Felipe his car would start to spin and would eventually going into the tyre barrier crashing heavily with the front of the car severely damaged with both front wheels hanging off the car. Vettel was lucky not to be involved in the accident with spinning cars going past him. This would see the Safety Car come back out and we would see Ricciardo take victory while running behind it. Rosberg would make it to the finish with Vettel third. Button was fourth followed by Hulkenberg, Alonso, Valtteri, Vergne, Magnussen, and Raikkonen tenth. Both Perez and Felipe would be taken to hospital for checks with both being cleared returning to the circuit.