SEBASTIAN VETTEL had never triumphed at the Canadian Grand Prix, and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal was one of the few places where he had failed to stamp his imprimatur over the rest of the field.
But all that changed yesterday when the reigning world champion increased his stranglehold on the title with a scintillating performance, which reinforced how difficult his opponents might find life in the coming months.
There is plenty of talk in the pit and paddock that this venue may be facing the axe from the F1 itinerary, unless it invests in a serious overhaul of its infrastructure, with Bernie Ecclestone claiming it has a "tired" appearance. Yet, on the basis of the multifaceted theatricals which pervaded the race, it would be a shame to lose this grand occasion from the calendar, and particularly if it means another GP being staged in a faceless concrete mock-up of a computer game, with the human factor squeezed out of the equation.
After all, if the drivers cease to have personalities, they might as well be replaced by robots. That might suit petrolheads, but it would also mean that we wouldn't have Vettel who, in an otherwise imperious drive, nearly crashed into a wall in the early stages and missed his braking point on the 52nd lap, or Pastor Maldonado colliding with Adrian Sutil, which earned the former a drive-through penalty once the incident was investigated. It would also mean we couldn't enjoy the furious fightback, from the throes of adversity, which was produced by Paul Di Resta, who suffered another miserable qualifying session, but blasted his way through the field from 17th into the points and eventually came in seventh, operating on a one-stop strategy. Indeed, such was Di Resta's adrenaline-laced commitment he had to be reminded by his engineers that he could stop after completing more than 50 circuits in a row. It was invigorating stuff and delivered a resounding message to his mechanics: "I'm doing my job. You do yours!" The Scot hasn't experienced the best of fortunes recently – and a few critics have started to question his tendency to slate in public his Force India team for their foibles. But when he pushes to the max, he can be one of the most coruscating competitors in the F1 ranks, and highlighted his full repertoire of skills during his rise up the standings.
Vettel's victory allowed him some leeway from the chasing pack – he is now 36 points in front of Fernando Alonso – in addition to demonstrating that Red Bull have eradicated their early-season teething troubles and could be unstoppable as the summer advances. As he bellowed at the checkered flag: "Wahoo, the car was amazing." He was lapping the stragglers before most of the latter had even pitted and, regardless of the endeavours of those such as Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber and Alonso, they were participating in a different battle altogether. Some assert he has been favoured by his management, or been lucky to be in the right place at the right time. But, by this stage, it would be ungracious not to concede Vettel is one of the most consistently successful sportspeople on the planet.
Hamilton, in contrast, still wears the bemused air of somebody who has mislaid their genius and hasn't an earthly idea how to find it. In his five previous visits to Montreal he had won thrice and crashed twice during his liaison with McLaren; an apt summation of how the Englishman can veer between the sublime and the ridiculous.
Everywhere else, there were twists and dramatic contests between the main combatants, with the relentless Alonso orchestrating one breathtaking movement, via his DRS, to fly past Webber at Turn One in the 42nd lap. That pushed him on to the podium and served as a reminder that the Spaniard is one of the best in the business at digging out creditable results whatever the circumstances, whereas Hamilton seems bemused by his lack of pace, and has, uncharacteristically, developed the mentality of somebody who is perpetually waiting for things to go wrong.
It may be that he recognises 2013 isn't going to be his year, and he has never been especially interested in coming second or third, but one kept waiting for him to cast off his lethargy and rage against the world. It never materialised and his resigned response – "Please just let me drive, man" – when Alonso narrowed the gap on him and eventually sailed off into the sunset as runner-up, was illuminating.
As usual, in the labyrinthine world inhabited by Ecclestone, there was intrigue and speculation aplenty, amid the presence of such film actors as Hugh Grant, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. As of 2014, in-season testing – one of the hot topics in the sport, following the stramash over Mercedes' illegal liaison with Pirelli last month – will be given the thumbs up again, though this is unlikely to stop the FIA, when they convene later this month, imposing a hefty fine or ban on the German team.
Yet, nothing really matters except the action on the track. And if Vettel, Alonso and Di Resta can continue to swagger in the spotlight, F1's future isn't in doubt.
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