Race Notes - Hamilton wins Canadian GP, seventh winner of season

Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix, charging to the win in his McLaren-Mercedes. Frenchman Romain Grosjean finished in his Lotus-Renault in second place, 2.5 seconds behind, and Mexican Sergio Perez in the Sauber-Ferrari in third place, 5.2 seconds behind.

After Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso led earlier in the race, Hamilton charged back on fresher tyres and passed Alonso on lap 64 to take the lead on the run to the flag, while Alonso faded on old tyres to finish fifth.

Hamilton became the seventh different winner for the first seven races of the 2012 season. Hamilton now leads the championship with 88 points, ahead of Alonso (86) and Vettel (85). Grosjean's second place is his career best, after finishing third in Bahrain.

Vettel (7.2s) finished fourth in the Red Bull-Renault, followed by Alonso (13.4s) in the Ferrari in fifth place, Nico Rosberg (13.8s) in the Mercedes GP in sixth place, Mark Webber (15.0s) in the second Red Bull was seventh, Kimi Raikkonen (15.5s) in the Lotus was eighth, Kamui Kobayashi (24.4s) in the Sauber was ninth and Felipe Massa (25.2s) in the Ferrari was in the final points paying position.

Before the start Pastor Maldonado was penalised five grid places for changing his gearbox and would start 22nd. The weather for the race is sunny and hot. Jenson Button is the only driver in the top ten to start on soft compound tyres - the others on super soft.

At the start Vettel took the lead from pole followed by Hamilton and Alonso. Rosberg challenged Webber for forth, but the Australian keeps the position. Rosberg falls back and Massa is challenging him for fifth place.

At the end of lap 2 Massa takes the position from Rosberg at the final chicane.

Vettel sets fast lap at 1m20.6 seconds.

On lap 3 Paul di Resta passes Rosberg into the final chicane. Heikki Kovalainen passes Bruno Senna for 15th place.

At lap 5 Vettel leadsHamilton by 1.8 seconds followed by Alonso (3.1s), Webber (4.9s), Massa (5.6s), Di Resta (9.8s), Rosberg (10.5s), Grosjean (11..0s), Michael Schumacher (11.8s) and Jenson Button (12.5s) in tenth place.

On lap 6 Massa spins at turn 1 and rejoins in 12th place. Mercedes tells Rosberg on the radio to look after his tyres. The two Toro Rosso drivers are battling over 16th place.

On lap 8 Massa runs wide on the final corner, nearly hitting the wall.

On lao 9 Rosberg is told to conserve fuel.

On lap 11 Vettel's lead slightly narrows to 1.5 seconds over Hamilton.

On lap 13 Massa is the first driver to pit, switching to soft tyres. The next lap Di Resta and Schumacher pit for soft tyres.

On lap 15 Raikkonen passes Button for 7th place, while Grosjean sets fastest lap at 1m19.6s. Button pits for the first time, switching to super soft tyres.

Hamilton closes within 1 second of Vettel and his DRS is enabled for the first time.

At the end of lap 16 Vettel pits for soft tyres, Hamilton takes over the lead. Hamilton pits at the end of the lap along with Daniel Ricciardo and Kovalainen. Alonso takes the lead while Hamilton gets out ahead of Vettel.

On lap 20 Alonso pits from the lead, rejoining ahead of Hamilton and Vettel. Hamilton sets fastest lap at 1m18.9s. Hamilton runs closely behind Alonso's Ferrari and passes him on the straight to the final chicane to take the lead.

At lap 20 Grosjean, still to pit, leads Hamilton by 2.3 seconds, followed by Alonso (2.8s), Vettel (2.9s), Raikkonen (4.1s), Kobayashi (5.0s), Perez (6.0s), Hulkenberg (9.2s), Webber (9.8s) and Rosberg (14.8s) in tenth place.

Grosjean pits from the lead while Rosberg sets fastest lap at 1m18.9s. Hamilton then goes quicker at 1m18.9s.

On lap 23 Narain Karthikeyan spins at turn 1 but continues, and then pulls off the circuit a bit further on.

On lap 25 Kobayashi pits for soft tyres.

On lap 26 Pedro de la Rosa retired to the garage. Timo Glock pits as well. Raikkonen, Perez and Maldonado have yet to pit. Hamilton sets fastest lap at 1m18.6s.

Hamilton goes quicker the next lap at 1m18.4s, while his lead is up to 3.4 seconds.

Webber sets fastest lap at 1m18.3s.

On lap 30 Maldonado pits and switches to super soft tyres.

Webber closes on Perez in sixth place.

On lap 33 Hamilton sets fastest lap at 1m18.0s. Button is the first to pit for a second time from 14th for super soft tyres and rejoins in 17th.

At lap 35 Hamilton leads Alonso by 4.0 seconds, followed by Vettel (5.8s), Raikkonen (11.7s), Perez (12.5s), Webber (13.1s), Rosberg (16.9s), Grosjean (18.3s), Massa (21.3s) and Di Resta (32.5s) in tenth place.

Rosberg sets fastest lap at 1m17.9s.

On lap 38 Rosberg pits from seventh and rejoins in ninth place. Webber makes a mistake at turn 8 and Grosjean closes up right behind him.

On lap 40 Raikkonen pits for his only stop, switching to super soft tyres.

On lap 42 Schumacher passes Kobayashi, but the Japanese driver passes him right back. Rosberg passes Raikkonen.

Rosberg sets fastest lap at 1m17.5s. Perez pits and rejoins behind Rosberg in 8th.

On lap 44 Schumacher makes his second stop.

On lap 45 Schumacher runs wide and Hulkenberg passes him. He then pits with his DRS wing stuck in the open position. They retire the car in the pitlane.

On lap 48 Hamilton is told that his tyres are going off. Raikkonen appears to have a broken exhaust.

Jean-Eric Vergne pits to serve a penalty for speeding in the pitlane. Rosberg sets fastest lap at 1m17.3s.

On lap 50 Hamilton pits from the lead for another set of soft tyres and has a problem changing the right-rear tyre, and rejoins in third place.

At lap 51 Alonso leads Vettel by 3.1 seconds, followed by Hamilton (14.8s), Webber (15.9s), Grosjean (16.5s), Massa (20.1s), Rosberg (25.5s), Perez (27.0s), Raikkonen (31.5s) and Kobayashi (33.2s) in tenth place.

On lap 52 Webber pits. Hamilton sets fastest lap at 1m17.3s. Button pits for a third time.

McLaren tells Hamilton that he is running a second a lap faster then the leader, but that Ferrari might try to make it to the finish on this set of tyres, so that he needs to push.

On lap 57 Rosberg tries to pass Massa in the final chicane by cuts the kerb and goes ahead. Rosberg backs off to let Massa back through, and a charging Perez passes Rosberg into the first corner.

Perez passes Massa at the end of the lap.

On lap 59 Massa pits and takes a set of super soft tyres.

Alonso leads Vettel by 2.8 seconds and Hamilton by 6.1 seconds. Hamilton sets another fast lap at 1m17.0s.

Raikkonen is challenging Webber for seventh place.

Perez set fastest lap at 1m16.8s.

On lap 61 Hamilton closes up right behind Vettel in second place. Hamilton passes the Red Bull in the DRS zone n the next lap, and chases after Alonso, closing rapidly.

On lap 64. Vettel pits for a new set of tyres, rejoining in fifth. Hamilton passes Alonso for the lead in the DRS zone.

At lap 54 Hamilton leads Alonso by 2.5 seconds, followed by a closing Grosjean (4.2s), Perez (11.7s), Vettel (16.5s), Rosberg (18.1s), Webber (18,6s),

On lap 65 Grosjean passes a fading Alonso in the DRS zone to take second place.

On lap 67 Vettel touches the wall on the final corner but continues.

On lap 69 Perez passes Alonso for third place. Ricciardo has a spin but continues. Vettel passes a fading Alonso for fourth place. Vettel sets fastest lap at 1m15.752s.

Hamilton wins, with Grosjean in second and Perez in third.