Canada F1 Grand Prix 2015 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights and Reaction

Lewis Hamilton’s affinity with the Canadian Grand Prix continued, as he won for the fourth time at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Formula One’s official Twitter feed confirmed the result:    

The Mercedes man banished the memories of heartbreak in Monaco with a flawless performance, extending his lead over team-mate Nico Rosberg—who finished second—in the driver standings to 17 points. Valtteri Bottas performed brilliantly and finished third for Williams.

"I love Montreal," said Hamilton afterwards, per BBC Sport. "I love this track, love the city. Fantastic weekend. I didn't feel I had most comfortable balance but I didn't feel under too much pressure. It felt intense, I really enjoyed it. Did I need this? I think so."

Here are the full race results:

Position	Driver	Team	Race Time
1	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:31:53.145
2	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:31:55.430
3	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:32:33.811
4	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	1:32:38.770
5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:32:43.048
6	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:32:49.226
7	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	1:32:59.809
8	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	Lapped
9	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull	Lapped
10	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	Lapped
11	Sergio Perez	Force India	Lapped
12	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Toro Rosso	Lapped
13	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	Lapped
14	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	Lapped
15	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	Lapped
16	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	Lapped
17	Will Stevens	Manor	Lapped
R	Roberto Merhi	Manor	Retired (57)
R	Jenson Button	McLaren	Retired (54)
R	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	Retired (44)

The positions the drivers finished in qualifying didn’t quite resemble the starting grid, as the FIA had various stars levied with penalties.

Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen was most severely affected, with a 10-place drop for changing his engine added to the five-place sanction he received after crashing into a Lotus at Monaco. FIA also hit Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and McLaren’s Jenson Button with penalties, meaning they began from 18th and the pit lane, respectively.

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

When the lights went out, Hamilton was able to hold off Rosberg and preserve his lead in what was a surprisingly quiet start through the winding opening corners in Montreal. However, as we can see here, Vettel had an action-packed beginning:

Most of the battles in the race were lower down the field initially, with Verstappen, Vettel and Felipe Massa all indulging in some thrilling overtaking.

Getty Images/Getty Images

Prior to the first round of pit stops, everything seemed to be going brilliantly for the Mercedes men. Hamilton looked serene at the front, gradually building a solid lead to Rosberg, but the dynamic shifted after each man came in to get the super-soft tyre compound fitted.

As noted by F1 Racing on NBC, it was the German who took to the new wheels smoother, closing down what was a circa five-second advantage prior to going into the pits:

Team radio revealed that both drivers were having minor issues with their car too. Rosberg had problems with his brakes and was told to drive conservatively before a late attack, while Hamilton's team advised him the fuel levels in his Mercedes were running low.

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Vettel continued to scythe his way through the field. But as we can see here, the four-time world champion didn’t get this pass on Nico Hulkenberg done smoothly:

After issues with Button pre-race, McLaren would have been hoping Fernando Alonso could salvage another disappointing weekend. But after running into trouble earlier on, the Spaniard retired for what was the third successive race.

Charles Coates/Getty Images

As noted here by Fake Charlie Whiting, things are not going well at all for the team in 2015:

They got even worse not long afterwards, as Button was called into the pits and told to retire the second McLaren.

At the front, Rosberg keeping in touch with his team-mate and talk of a late assault for the lead from his engineer on the radio got pulses racing.

However, as noted by Pirelli Motorsport, it was always going to be a big ask for the German:

That proved to be the case, as Hamilton was able to preserve a circa 1.5-second gap at the front. Eventually the Brit extended his lead in the final stages and was able to enjoy the adulation of the Canadian supporters on the last lap before taking the chequered flag.

Clive Mason/Getty Images

As we can see here courtesy of Infostrada Sports, Hamilton loves this particular circuit:

It was important for Hamilton and Mercedes to pick up victory here. They’ve come in for a lot of criticism since their Monaco faux pas, but after some turbulent practice sessions earlier in the week, the reigning world champion showcased his class with a composed display in Canada.

While Rosberg conserved ahead of late charge, there was a sense that Hamilton always had this one under control. Whenever the German chiseled away some time off the deficit at the front, the Brit responded brilliantly. And although the fact that there was no wheel-to-wheel finish left fans disappointed, you have to admire the class of Hamilton.