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What should have been a sweet victory at the Canadian Grand Prix for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes on Sunday, instead left a bitter taste when the crowd turned on the Briton after a controversial penalty gifted him a milestone win.
Hamilton’s seventh win on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve equalled Michael Schumacher’s record but it came only after Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel , who had led from pole to chequered flag, was demoted to second place by a five second penalty.
The German made an error on the limit and went off the track on lap 48, running across the grass before rejoining and forcing off Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, the championship leader and eventual winner.
After the race even Hamilton admitted the manner of victory did not bring him the usual joy.
“Well, to me it’s a bit of an empty feeling today, which is kind-of crazy because we’re in this beautiful country,” said Hamilton. “It’s been ultimately a really great race between two different teams and it ends with a bit of a ... negative.
F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in picturesShow all 28 1 /28F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel said he is falling out of love with Formula One after a controversial penalty denied him victory in Canada.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Lewis Hamilton was promoted to first place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve - the British star claiming his fifth win from seven rounds - following Vettel's five-second punishment for almost crashing into his Mercedes rival.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Backing their driver, Ferrari said they were "disappointed" by the steward's decision and will appeal.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures On lap 48, and with Hamilton crawling all over his Ferrari gearbox, Vettel lost control, sliding over the grass at the third bend before re-joining the track.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures But Hamilton, who was forced to brake to avoid a collision with the recovering Ferrari driver, accused Vettel of dangerous driving. The stewards concurred, hitting the German with a timed penalty and slapping him with two points on his licence.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures "This is not the sport I fell in love with," said Vettel. "We all sound like lawyers. It just gives no edge to the sport.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures "I am a purist. I love going back and looking at the old times, the old cars, the old drivers. It is an honour when you have the chance to meet them and speak to them. They are heroes.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures "I really love that, but I just wish I could do what I do in their time, rather than today. It is not just about this decision, but other decisions, too.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures "We have an official language, and it is wrong. We should be able to say what we think, but we are not. In this regard, I disagree with where the sport is now.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures "I re-joined the track, Lewis had to react, but for me that is racing, and a lot of the old Formula One drivers, and people in the grandstands here would agree that this is part of racing.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures "It hurts me today because it impacts my race result, but this is also part of a bigger criteria."
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto said they were "naturally disappointed".
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures "Most of all our thoughts are with Sebastian and the spectators. As for Seb, I don't think he could have done things differently, which is why we have decided to appeal the Stewards' decision," he said.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures "We leave Canada knowing that today, as indeed over the whole weekend, we proved we were competitive and that fact has been a confidence booster for the whole team."
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Ferrari has four days to gather evidence before progressing with the appeal.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Britain's 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell said the incident was "very embarrassing".
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures "No joy in watching this race. Two champions driving brilliantly, ending in a false result," he wrote on Twitter.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures "What's Seb supposed to do? Crazy. The car stepped out. At that point he was a passenger."
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Hamilton was jeered on the podium - the strong contingent of Ferrari supporters in North America unhappy with a penalty which denied Vettel his first win since last August's Belgian Grand Prix and the Scuderia's first of a disappointing campaign.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Vettel was furious with the decision, complaining over the radio before initially refusing to take part in the podium celebrations.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures He marched in front of Hamilton's parked-up Mercedes and removed the board declaring he had finished first, replacing it with the second-place marker reserved for his Ferrari.
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Hamilton, who is now 29 points clear of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the championship, said: "All I can say is that I didn't make the decision. I don't know what they are booing at."
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures
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F1: Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures Sebastian Vettel's meltdown in pictures
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“It does kind of feel like a deflated win.”
Fan reaction to the win also appeared to catch Hamilton off guard.
Having recorded his first grand prix victory on the island circuit in 2007, Montreal has long been a special place for Hamilton and one he regularly praises as one of top races on the circuit.
But on Sunday many fans turned on the Briton loudly booing him during the award ceremony.
“All I can say is I didn’t make the decision, firstly, so I don’t know what they’re booing at,” said Hamilton, who has now won five of seven races this season.
“Maybe it’s the decision.
Lewis Hamilton was handed victory in Canada (AP) “This has always been a great hunting ground for me.
“It’s been a place that I really have loved, and have always felt like I’ve been really accepted and supported here.
“I felt a little bit odd, being booed but it’s not like the first time I’ve been booed.
“I’m used to it and I forgive.”
Reuters
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