2014 Canadian Grand Prix: Top 10 Reader Results!

The seventh Grand Prix of the season, in Montreal, was won by Daniel Ricciardo, ahead of Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel. The rest of the top 10 included, in order, Jenson Button, Nico Hülkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, Jean-Eric Vergne, Kevin Magnussen, and Kimi Räikkönen. Let’s see if the 156 voters followed the race order…

1. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) – 25 points

Opportunistic, the Australian spent much of the race waiting, benefiting from his teammate’s pit stop to pass him, stuck behind the Force India cars, particularly Sergio Pérez’s at the end of the race. But when it was crucial to be there, the Red Bull driver emerged to overtake the Mexican and go after Nico Rosberg in a weakened Mercedes.

2. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) – 18 points

Leading until his last pit stop and under constant pressure from Lewis Hamilton, the German faced the same problem as his teammate—a faulty MGU-K—but managed to reach the finish nonetheless, losing first place to Ricciardo but salvaging the essentials.

3. Felipe Massa (Williams) – 15 points

First man not endowed with money to actually lead a lap of a Grand Prix this season, the Brazilian had fresher tires at the end of the race that could have allowed him to hope for a podium finish or even victory. However, by getting stuck behind Sergio Pérez and the Red Bulls, the Brazilian lost this chance, and when entering the final lap, the collision with the Force India driver ended his strong race.

4. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) – 12 points

In second position at the start of the race, before Lewis Hamilton could regain the advantage, the German experienced a frustrating race, hindered by the Force India cars on a single stop. To the extent that when attempting an early pit stop, he ended up losing his position to his teammate. Towards the end of the race, he managed to overtake Pérez and, with quick reflexes, avoided Massa’s wayward Williams to secure a podium finish.

5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 10 points

Despite a good start, the Briton could not gain the upper hand over a determined Nico Rosberg intent on staying in the lead. The race then turned into a duel between the two men, rarely separated by more than two seconds. But the failure of the MGU-K slowed the Silver Arrows, and when the 2008 world champion took the lead at the start of the final stint, he could only realize a few corners later that his brakes had failed.

6. Sergio Pérez (Force India) – 8 points

As in his excellent 2012 season, the Mexican almost successfully executed a one-stop strategy, managing to make his super-soft tires last for half of the Grand Prix. A true unyielding barrier, despite the absence of his DRS, the Force India driver eventually gave way towards the end of the race against the Red Bulls before getting caught in the collision with Massa.

7. Nico Hülkenberg (Force India) – 6 points

Like his teammate, the German was on a one-stop strategy, which allowed him to occupy 3rd position for a while before his second stint. Subsequently, he found himself out of the fight for the top 5, but still managed to finish in 5th place.

8. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) – 4 points

After a good qualification and a promising start to the race, the Frenchman gradually faded while remaining around the 8th-10th position. Despite everything, with the feeling of having one of his best races in the elite discipline, he ended his losing streak.

9. Jenson Button (McLaren) – 2 points

Surprisingly finishing fourth in a race where he barely received any camera attention, the Brit achieved his best result since his elusive podium in Australia. The 2009 World Champion took advantage of the penultimate lap to overtake Alonso and then Hülkenberg to secure a top 4 finish.

10. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) – 1 point

The Grand Prix races come one after another with the same results for the Scuderia, which did not have a celebratory time in Montreal. The Spaniard slightly stands out but his lackluster race, which he finishes in a flattering sixth position, leaves a bitter taste for Ferrari fans who foresee yet another fruitless season.

Update on the overall rankings